Toronto FC got a fourth goal in as many matches from Jozy Altidore, adding to a Nick DeLeon first-half header, to propel them to a 2-1 win over FC Cincinnati on Saturday evening at BMO Field.
Toronto opened the scoring in the 16th minute on a corner kick. Alejandro Pozuelo's ball in found two heads: First Omar Gonzalez's, then Nick DeLeon's for the redirect over the line. Despite some additional chances, including two late attempts from Jacob Shaffelburg, TFC were only able to get the one goal prior to halftime. FCC, meanwhile, only got one shot off total in the first half — and that was an Emmanuel Ledesma moon shot from 25 yards out well off target.
The visitors looked more lively out of the break, with two shots on target in the first three minutes alone, but Toronto had a ready answer in the 50th minute. DeLeon found Jozy Altidore on an upfield break; Altidore turned to meet the pass, gathered, dribbled into position and fired from beyond the 18. He bent the shot around approaching FCC defender Maikel van der Werff, the veteran Dutch defender making his MLS debut, to double the lead.
FCC finally broke through in the 58th minute, on a nice team goal initiated when TFC 'keeper Quentin Westberg sent a goal kick into a sea of white shirts. Allan Cruz gave up his body on a move into the box, passing back to a waiting Ledesma for the finish.
Although the goal let FC Cincinnati back in with the goal, they weren't able to equalize, yet Toronto wasn't able to build on their lead, and not even six minutes of stoppage time allowed either team to score.
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Goals
- 16' – TOR – Nick DeLeon | WATCH
- 50' – TOR – Jozy Altidore | WATCH
- 58' – CIN – Emmanuel Ledesma | WATCH
Three Things
- THE BIG PICTURE: For Toronto, it's a needed win, and it gets them closer to (but not quite over) the playoff line. For Cincinnati, it continues an ignoble trend — they've now conceded first 15 times this season, and have lost 14 of those matches. There were some bright spots from van der Werff in his debut, but they probably need more than one veteran defender to improve upon their current position.
- MOMENT OF THE MATCH: Altidore's goal was a great individual effort, turning what looked like an errant pass at first glimpse into an excellent set-up for the game winner. Altidore's experience showed in his calmness on the ball and his devastating shot to the top far-post corner.
- MAN OF THE MATCH: DeLeon had the opening goal, assisted on the crucial second goal, and played a solid 90 minutes in the win.
Next Up
- TOR: Saturday, August 3 at New York Red Bulls (6 pm ET | MLS LIVE on ESPN+, TSN4 in Canada)
- CIN: Saturday, August 3 vs. Vancouver Whitecaps FC (8 pm ET | MLS LIVE on ESPN+, TSN4 in Canada, FloFC [Cincinnati region only])
