WASHINGTON, D.C. – Jonathan Osorio was the late-game hero as TFC finally earned a point in MLS play. Washington, D.C. was the better team, but TFC fought resiliently and fought back two times to earn a point on the road.
Jonathan Osorio’s late goal at Audi Field ends Toronto FC’s five-game losing streak
Three keys to the game
Full Game Summary: #TFCLive had trouble dealing with #VamosUnited’s crosses.
D.C. United had the more dangerous chances but was unable to convert on their scoring chances.#TheyWillSeeRed’s Jonathan Osorio is a big reason why the game ended in a draw.#DCvTOR | 2-2 | #MLS
— Last Word on Soccer (@LastWordSC) May 22, 2022
First half
7’ The relentless pressure by #VamosUnited was finally rewarded! Michael Estrada passes the ball to Edison Flores, who puts the ball into the back of the net! #DCUnited #DCvTOR | 1-0 | #MLSpic.twitter.com/pyOfGO4hgj
— Last Word on Soccer (@LastWordSC) May 21, 2022
Jayden Nelson defended the ball well early in the game. Taxiarchis Fountas connected on Julian Gressel’s cross, but his header was wide. D.C. United really played well to start the game. As a result, Michael Estrada passed the ball to Edison Flores, which resulted in the first goal of the game. D.C. United earned a turnover but is unable to take advantage of it. Fountas’s shot went to Edison Flores, Flores shot, but his shot was stopped and blocked by Kosi Thompson. Deandre Kerr with some terrific footwork, before passing the ball to Jesus Jimenez in the 19-minute. Not a great clearance from Michael Bradley in the 28-minute.
36’ #TFCLive ties the game! A #VamosUnited turnover, resulted in Ayo Akinola scoring a terrific goal! The goal was assisted by Jesús Jiménez. #MajorLeagueSoccer#DCvTOR | 1-1 | #MLSpic.twitter.com/Zi8cJb5VEB
— Last Word on Soccer (@LastWordSC) May 21, 2022
From a turnover, TFC took advantage. Jesús Jiménez passed the ball to Ayo Akinola, who scored a fantastic goal to tie the game. Gressel, ball into the box, Estrada and Bono collide in the 37-minute. Auro Jr. gave up the ball in the 45+3-minute of play. Estrada’s shot hits the post in the 45+3-minute of play. He was offside anyway.
Second half
Jayden Nelson had great wheels to run and get past some D.C. United players, but his shot was off-target in the 48-minute. Gressel had a glorious chance to score in the 51-minute but missed the target. Fountas was the one who made the incredible cross to Gressel.
56’ #VamosUnited scores! Michael Estrada scores from very close range to put the home team in front. Julian Gressel and Taxiarchis Fountas both played a big role in the goal. #DCUnited#DCvTOR | 2-1 | #MLSpic.twitter.com/oO8DkTouFA
— Last Word on Soccer (@LastWordSC) May 22, 2022
Toronto had trouble dealing with crosses. This included Julian Gressel crossing the ball to Fountas. Fountas was able to get it to Michael Estrada, who put D.C. once again in the lead. Gressel’s shot was stopped by Alex Bono in the 53-minute. Hamid had to make a big save in the 54-minute from a Ralph Priso shot. Deandre Kerr finds Akinola, but Brendan Daniel Hines-Ike was there to stop the ball. Fountas almost scored in the 60-minute. Kerr passes the ball to Akinola. Nigel Robertha’s shot in the 71-minute was saved by Alex Bono. Gressel’s shot from the right side of the box was saved in the centre of the goal. Fountas in the 82-minute almost scored with his shot. However, Lukas MacNaughton got a deflection to prevent the shot from being on-target.
89’ #TFCLive ties the game late! Jonathan Osorio gets to the rebound first and scores! #MajorLeagueSoccer#DCvTOR | 2-2 | #MLSpic.twitter.com/cJvht46w0L
— Raheem (@bashirra) May 22, 2022
The game-tying goal for Toronto came in the 89-minute. Luca Petrasso shot was stopped by D.C. United goalkeeper, Bill Hamid. Jonathan Osorio then grabbed the rebound and put the ball into the back of the net.
Game Summary:
We come away with 1 👊#DCvTOR | #TFCLive pic.twitter.com/8ApTXOuCfr
— Toronto FC (@TorontoFC) May 22, 2022
D.C. United will feel like they were hard done by the draw. They might also feel like Jonathan Osorio should have gotten a red card late in the second half. They certainly generated more dangerous scoring opportunities to score. A big part of that was their ability to get crosses to dangerous areas, which troubled Toronto all day long. It was the reason why Michael Estrada scored and also for the other scoring opportunities that Washington, D.C. did not convert.
For Toronto, after a tough start, they began to find their own in the first half. Deandre Kerr was a stand-out performer for Toronto. His ability to create scoring opportunities for players like Ayo Akinola cannot be overstated. They in fact had the same number of shots on goal in the first half as D.C. United. TFC will need to improve on their defending from crosses. That was how D.C. United got most of their scoring opportunities. This was how Estrada scored D.C.’s second goal of the game. This could have been worse, but fortunately for Toronto, D.C. was unable to capitalize on their scoring opportunities.
Games coming up:
🌊🚨 Single-match tickets for our #CanChamp match against @TorontoFC are on sale NOW!
Don't miss your chance to cheer on the Wanderers in our quest for the Voyageurs Cup 🍁
Secure your seats 🔽🔽🔽
— Halifax Wanderers FC (@HFXWanderersFC) May 13, 2022
Toronto will now travel for the first to Atlantic Canada. They will face CPL-side, the HFX Wanderers FC at Wanderers Grounds on March 24, 2022, in Halifax, Nova Scotia. This will also be the first CPL grounds TFC has played on. That game will be televised live on OneSoccer and Telus.
They then host the Chicago Fire FC next Saturday at 7:00 p.m. ET. This is while D.C. United will travel to Harrison, New Jersey to face the New York Red Bulls at Red Bull Arena. That game will also take place next Saturday at 7:00 p.m. ET. The TFC will be televised nationally in Canada on TSN and it will also be shown live on WGN-TV. This is while Washington, D.C.’s game will be shown live on TeleXitos, dcunited.com, NBCSWA, MSG, and MLS LIVE on DAZN.
Three takeaways:
Game Ends: @dcunited 2@TorontoFC 2#TFCLive got a late goal from Jonathan Osorio to end their five-game losing streak as they earned a draw against #VamosUnited at #AudiField.
— Last Word on Soccer (@LastWordSC) May 22, 2022
Toronto FC once again did not start the game well. Looking specifically at the first 10 minutes of the game, TFC did not play well. It started in the third minute when Fountas shot was blocked. Julian Gressel with the cross almost meant a Steven Birnbaum goal in the fifth minute. Then Fountas was able to score thanks to a Michael Estrada pass into the box. It was not as bad as a start as the one on the road against FC Cincinnati, but Toronto needs to find a way to start the game ready to go and prepared.
Deandre Kerr was a stand-out for Toronto FC. His ability to win set-pieces and set-up his players for potential scoring chances made Kerr stand-out for TFC. One example was his ability to get Jesús Jiménez the ball into the box, but Jiménez was unable to get a shot off.
Toronto FC ends their five-game losing streak. It was not a win, but it was still a hard-earned draw on the road for the young TFC side. Also, it is great to see Ayo Akinola and Jonathan Osorio score for their team as both players dealt with injuries.
