Toronto FC allow two quick goals to continue poor month

Toronto FC traveled to Yankee Stadium for a clash with New York City FC, only to allow two quick goals in a span of 17 minutes and lose 2-1.

There was no doubt heading into this contest that the entertainment value would be at a maximum. However, , it didn’t bring the desired result, as Jo Inge Berget amassed two goals in the second half to send an injury-hit Toronto FC squad back to the North with a 2-1 loss.

The fixture started at a very balanced pace. There was end-to-end football with Alex Bono making a series of saves, while Jonathan Osorio made a great cut on Alexander Callens in the 15th minute, which led to a shot from the Canadian that went off the crossbar.

Ager Aketxe’s recent spell of bad form continued, as he took the Reds’ only yellow card after a tackle on David Villa in the 27th minute. Villa, as a result, was brought out of the fixture.

Bono proved some worth after inking his new contract with Toronto, by starting a play that had Auro send a long ball towards Victor Vazquez. The Spaniard then chipped over Sean Johnson for the TFC lead.

The balance that Toronto managed to apply in the first half quickly vanished in the second frame. Newly appointed manager Domenec Torrent turned his 3-4-3 formation into a five player attack, which led to the TFC back-line surrendering back into their own box.

Aketxe lost a crucial aerial duel in the 51st minute which gave the ball to New York City’s Ismael Tajouri, who then squared to about four teammates that were allowed to hover in the penalty area. A backheel goal from Berget tied the fixture.

Maximiliano Moralez fed into Torrent’s long ball attack, which led to Bono having to pull out a brilliant near-post stop on Jesus Medina. Just three minutes later, however, a weary Nick Hagglund was outplayed by the duo of Moralez and Berget, as the Norwegian forward got his second goal for City.

Wasteful football from the Reds saw them create little-to-no chances until stoppage time, when Sebastian Giovinco sent in Tosaint Ricketts who put his foot through a low shot for Johnson to parry back to Giovinco. The Atomic Ant was completely robbed by the American on the second opportunity, which ultimately sealed the deal.

Key Stats (Opta)

Toronto FC

• 40.7 percent possession
• 10 shots; 5 from both inside and outside the box
• 436 passes with a 78.9 percent pass accuracy
• Key Player: Alex Bono

New York City FC

• 58.6 percent of the aerial duels won
• 8 shots on target
• 13 shots inside the box
• 84.6 percent tackle success rate
• Key Player: Jo Inge Berget

Advanced Stats (WhoScored)

• Nothing clicked offensively. Ricketts and Vazquez were the only two players who finished with a shot on target. The chalkboard map suggests that more than half of the Reds’ high-quality chances were blocked, while anything outside the box was stopped by Johnson.
• Hagglund’s stats show that he performed better than he looked. The 25-year-old finished with one tackle and a pair of interceptions, but he looked very tired just 10 minutes into the second half. NYCFC took complete advantage of Hagglund’s low stamina.
• Osorio’s all-around game continued in this fixture. The young midfielder showcased one tackle, three interceptions, a shot off the bar and a 91 percent pass accuracy rate.
• Bono’s incredible amount of eight saves gave him TFC’s best overall match score with a 7.47.

Overall Match Facts

TFC Substitutes: Clint Irwin, Jay Chapman, Eriq Zavaleta, Marco Delgado, Ryan Telfer, Tosaint Ricketts, Mariano Mino.

NYCFC Substitutes: Maxime Chanot, Saad Abdul-Salaam, Kwame Awuah, Tommy McNamara, Jonathan Lewis, Jesus Medina, Brad Stuver.

Venue: Yankee Stadium

Attendance: 23,930

Referee: Ismail Elfath

Around the MLS

• Atlanta United 1-1 Portland Timbers
• Philadelphia Union 4-0 Vancouver Whitecaps
• New York Red Bulls 3-0 FC Dallas
• Montreal Impact 2-0 Orlando City
• LAFC 2-0 Columbus Crew

An updated MLS table can be found here.

Gathering Thoughts and What’s Next for Toronto FC

Not much has changed over the course of June. The squad is still waiting for some critical players to come back to the lineup, especially at the back.

This fixture showed a lot about TFC’s will and stamina. A break of almost two weeks was not enough for some players to at least look competent for the full 90 minutes.

More from Toronto FC

• Federico Bernardeschi ready for new challenge with Toronto FC
• Toronto FC remodel continues with departure of Alejandro Pozuelo
• Toronto FC looking to move on from Carlos Salcedo
• As Lorenzo Insigne arrives, Toronto FC looks to get back on track
• Toronto FC: 3 takeaways from 2-1 loss to Columbus Crew

There’s also not much awareness within the box of the Reds. A lot of players in this fixture simply could not mark their man or get a foot in the passing lanes to clear the ball away. New York City did a magnificent job in the second half by winning possession in the offensive front, but Toronto also made it easy for them.

Overall, the month of June should be marked down as a disappointing one. Football is not the sport to be pointing out one or two players that if they were in the lineup, Toronto, for example, would start winning contests.

The Reds have looked discombobulated throughout many fixtures, while being very lucky to even earn ties against the Columbus Crew and DC United. A spot of 10th place in the Eastern Conference in June is not encouraging, especially since the North were a whole 15 points ahead in the table at this time last season.

To repeat what was said towards the beginning of this month, a new chapter is starting for Toronto in July. They host the New York Red Bulls at BMO Field on the first day of the new month, with hopes of returning players and three points in mind.

Next: What could the 2026 World Cup mean for Toronto?

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