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Toronto FC and New England Revolution advance via scoreless draw

Toronto FC and the New England Revolution are both heading to the knockout rounds of the MLS is Back Tournament, after a thrilling, but scoreless, draw.
Toronto FC MLS is Back

Orlando, Florida — Toronto FC and the New England Revolution have advanced to the MLS knockout stage with a scoreless 0-0 draw. TFC looked like the better team in the first half, but the Revolution was the better team in the second half. Toronto FC had the majority of the possession and chances in the first half while the Revolution had the majority of the possession and chances in the second half.

Both Teams Advance Through Scoreless Draw

Toronto FC vs. New England Revolution Game Overview

Defensively, the first half was Toronto FC’s best performance in the tournament. They gave the Revolution hardly any chances to score. However, Toronto was surprisingly not sharp near the goal. This was the complete opposite of the Montreal Impact, where TFC took full advantage of their chances. Ayo Akinola had several chances but only threatened the goalkeeper once in both halves. Furthermore, Omar Gonzalez also had two headers that were far off the target.

However, the Revolution was able to cancel out Michael Bradley with Diego Fagúndez presence. The Revolution would then dominate the game in the second half.

In the second half, the Revolution were on full-attack mode for the first 10 minutes. This almost resulted in a goal for the New England Revolution. The shot took a deflection off a Toronto FC player and almost ended in the back of the net.

The New England Revolution would continue to attack for most of the second half. However, the Toronto FC defense and Alex Bono would stand tall. Chris Mavinga, Gonzalez and even Akinola played key roles in defending against the attack of the New England Revolution.

Alex Bono should be given credit for his play as he made some big-time saves in the second half. This includes stopping a shot from point-blank range.

There was some controversy at the end of the game. First, Michael Bradley’s tackle on Gustavo Bou should have ended with a penalty. This is because Bradley did not get any of the ball when he tackled Bou. However, Toronto gets away with it and the scoreline remained scoreless.

Jozy Altidore made his first appearance in the MLS is Back Tournament late in the game as a substitute. His pass to Akinola almost led to the goal as Toronto got a free-kick. However, there is an argument that the free-kick should have been a penalty instead.

Players of the Game

There were many players in the game that played well. Bou should have gotten a penalty for the Revolution team late in the game. Gonzalez played excellent defense for Toronto FC. Furthermore, both goalkeepers were ready to step up in this morning game. Goalkeepers Matt Turner and Bono deserve a lot of credit. This was Bono’s first clean sheet in MLS since late March of last year. It was also very well deserved.

However, the players of the game are Chris Mavinga and Diego Fagúndez. Fagúndez was able to limit Bradley and take him out of the game. Meanwhile, Mavinga made vital stops on defense and limited the scoring chances of the New England Revolution.

The Status of Group C for both Toronto FC and New England

Both teams are through to the knockout stage. The only question now is where they finish in Group C. There is a game later today between D.C. United and the Montreal Impact that will impact where Toronto and the Revolution finish. Toronto and the Revolution both finish with five points each with the same wins and goal differential. However, Toronto FC scored more goals than the Revolution and are right now sitting atop of Group C.

However, this could change though if D.C. United defeat the Montreal Impact. If D.C. United wins by one goal against the Montreal Impact, United will take second place in Group C. If United wins by a goal differential of two or more goals, they will win Group C. However, if United loses or draws against the Impact, TFC will finish first and the Revolution will finish second. Whoever finishes second in Group C will face the Philadelphia Union, runner-up of Group A on July 25.

The last game of Group C between D.C. United and the Montreal Impact will take place at 10:30 p.m. ET this evening.

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