Toronto FC overcome big hurdle in win over New York City FC

For the second straight game, Toronto FC scored late to advance in the MLS playoffs beating New York City FC to advance to the Eastern Conference final.

After putting up four goals in extra time against D.C. United, Toronto FC got some late-game heroics again to advance to the Eastern Conference final with a 2-1 win over New York City FC.

Alejandro Pozuelo came up big for TFC when Maxime Chanot tried to head the ball back to the goalkeeper but it was intercepted by Pozuelo who hit a strike past Sean Johnson. It was truly a baffling error that you usually don’t expect to see in a playoff match.

While that was a bizarre play, it would get worse for the home team as Pozuelo would get a late penalty kick and would pull off the cheeky chip shot that fooled the keeper and send Toronto to the third round.

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Jozy Altidore was still absent in the lineup with an injury which could be seen as a positive considering the team has been able to thrive without a key player. Hopefully, Altidore can return when TFC plays on Oct. 30.

The game was moved to Citi Field because the New York Yankees were preparing for a potential World Series at Yankee Stadium and didn’t want to have any potential scheduling conflicts.

Unfortunately, baseball stadiums don’t exactly play well as soccer stadiums as fans were complaining about seeing the foul net being in the T.V. camera shot the entire match.

Fortunately for Toronto, they won’t have to worry about that going forward but they also have a tough road ahead if they have to play either Atlanta or Philadelphia in the next round.

This team might not have the same hype around the 2016 and 2017 squad, you can’t help but be impressed with how TFC has seized the opportunity in front of them. Of course, anything can happen in the playoffs but we also what both L.A. teams are capable of.

How far do you think TFC can go in the playoffs? Are they capable of winning another championship? Let us know in the comments below.