TORONTO – Toronto FC may have walked out onto the pitch at BMO Field as reigning champs, but Columbus Crew SC were quick to remind them that the path to another title will be anything but easy.
Columbus handed Toronto – who commemorated their historic 2017 treble with a pregame trophy celebration – an unceremonious 2-0 defeat to kick off the 2018 campaign, reversing a losing trend in their trips north of the border after losses in both their visits last year.
“Wonderful,” said Crew SC captain Wil Trapp of how the win felt post-match. “The performance was excellent. The first half was really good, from a possession standpoint, creating chances, defensively being agile. We did a wonderful job. And then second half we score early. We lost a little bit of the grip, but the intensity and ability to battle through a tough environment, tough team, was excellent.”
The visitors took the lead in the waning moments of the opening frame through Federico Higuain and compounded the home side's misery seconds after the restart when Gyasi Zardes saw his red-hot preseason form carry into the new campaign with his first goal in Crew SC colors.
“We gave away bad goals at bad times; put ourselves behind the eight ball on a difficult day,” said TFC captain Michael Bradley. “…There is no place else to look other than at ourselves. We have to be better, get sharper, and grow into the season. Because this is what a lot of days will be like. We put this behind us quickly, get ready for a huge game on Wednesday.”
For Reds forward Sebastian Giovinco, something was off for his team before the opening whistle even blew. The prematch ceremony, which Crew SC head coach Gregg Berhalter called '“elaborate,” saw all three trophies TFC won in 2017 – the Voyageurs Cup, the Supporters' Shield, and the MLS Cup – brought onto the pitch, which Giovinco felt allowed his team's minds to wander.
“The beginning was not in a good way,” said Giovinco. “We continued to show the trophies, to think about what happened last year. This is not good. We have to think this year is a very difficult year; we know it [will] be tough.”
“It's better this problem came in the first game than the last,” added Giovinco. “We have to change mentality.”
Toronto head coach Greg Vanney focused on the on-field shortcomings of his team, lamenting a first half in which they did not see enough of the ball. Though TFC were able to remedy that in the second half, their inability to hit the back of the next – both Giovinco and Ager Aketxe hit the post while Jozy Altidore rolled a clear look just wide of the far post – meant there was no comeback on the cards.
“The last two or three minutes of the first half and the first two or three of the second half defined the result,” added Vanney. “The second half, we made an adjustment to press the game higher, changed our shape and took risks on the back. We won balls in much better places, started attacks much higher up the field. We were in and around their box more.”
“[Created] two or three clear-cut chances that we need to punish them for those opportunities,” explained Vanney. “They punished [us] on our mistakes; we need to punish them for theirs. And we didn't. When that happens, you don't come away with a win on the day.”
It made for a memorable afternoon for Columbus and their fans, but Berhalter dismissed the possibility of relishing this victory any more than usual, pointing to the long season ahead in his postgame comments. However, his players did savor the win a little.
“I love the fact that we played Toronto our first game because it's a great test,” said Zardes. “I'm looking forward to this year.”
Added Trapp: “It's hard to win games away from home, especially [against] the defending champions. Being better away is something we're trying to focus on this year. To start with a shutout, score two goals, and win is excellent. This is a great start.”
