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Toronto FC had a historical first-half in 4-0 win over Charlotte FC

Toronto FC had a historic first-half as Jonathan Osorio scores first of four goals on July 23, 2022

TORONTO, ON – Toronto FC had a historical first-half performance as they scored four first-half goals for the first time in club history. As a result, they ended their five-game winless run and got their first clean sheet since September 2021.

Toronto FC had a historical first-half performance at BMO Field

Three keys to the game

First half

Lorenzo Insigne delivered a great cross to Jonathan Osorio, whose shot missed the net in the second minute of play. This was the start of an incredible first half for Toronto. Domenico Criscito and Federico Bernardeschi both missed the net in the sixth minute. Criscito and Michael Bradley then had scoring chances in the ninth minute but were unable to convert on their scoring chances.

After Toronto scored the second goal, Charlotte started to press to score a goal of their own. Brandt Bronico’s shot was stopped by TFC goalkeeper, Alex Bono, in the 13-minute. Andre Shinyashiki’s shot then missed the net in the 15-minute. Lastly, Kamil Józwiak shot was stopped in the 30-minute.

Even with the momentum on Charlotte’s side, it was Toronto, who scored another goal. Mark-Anthony Kaye found Federico Bernardeschi outside the box. He then took a shot and beat the Charlotte goalkeeper to extend Toronto’s lead to three goals.

Charlotte would once again get shots on target. For example, Kamil Józwiak’s shot in the 34-minute was saved by Bono. It was not a comfortable save by Bono, but it got the job done. Karol Swiderski then missed the target in the 35-minute. Again though, even when Charlotte had some momentum of the game, Toronto once again scored. This time thanks to Lorenzo Insigne’s fantastic assist to Bradley, who scored his second goal of the game.

Second half

Charlotte played some good football, however, the shot was easily stopped by Alex Bono in the 50-minute. Doneil Henry made a terrific defensive play in the 52-minute. Henry defended McKinze Gaines’ ball very well in the 55-minute. Then, Gaines shot was stopped by Bono, as it almost went into the back of the net in the 56-minute.

Jimenez’s shot was off-target in the 62-minute. Then in the 65-minute, there was some controversy. Doneil Henry tackled Kamil Jóźwiak. It looked like it could have been a penalty, as Jóźwiak had to be helped off the field. Then, in a quick counter-attack, as Jayden Nelson was running, Christian Fuchs took Nelson down in the 65-minute and as a result received a red card. Lastly, Kerwin Vargas shot outside the box was superbly stopped by Alex Bono in the 76-minute. Guzmán Corujo had the last chance of the game in the 89-minute, but his shot missed the target in the 89-minute.

Game Summary

TFC got a critical win against Charlotte as they got further away from winning the dubious Wooden Spoon honour. More importantly, they got a clean sheet for the first time since September in MLS play (does not include the 4-0 win against CF Montréal at BMO Field in the Canadian Championship) and finally got a win at home on BMO Field. They were winless in their last five, including a draw at home against the San Jose Earthquakes and a loss to the Seattle Sounders FC. TFC though still has work to do though in order to make the MLS Cup Playoffs. They also have great momentum heading into the Canadian Championship Final against the Vancouver Whitecaps FC on Tuesday.

This is while Charlotte FC drops three valuable points on the road. They were a point behind before the game began and are now two points behind FC Cincinnati for that last MLS Cup Playoffs spot in the Eastern Conference. As mentioned previously, TFC will play in the 2022 Canadian Championship Final at BC Place against the Vancouver Whitecaps FC. The game will take place in Vancouver, British Columbia live on Tuesday on OneSoccer.

TFC will then travel to New England to face the Revolution at Gillette Stadium on July 30, 2022. The game is set to take place at 8:00 p.m. ET and it will be televised nationally on TSN. It will also be shown on WBZ 4 & MyRITV also at 8:00 p.m. ET. This is while Charlotte will host Columbus Crew SC at Bank of America Stadium. That game will be shown live on MLS Live on DAZN, WAXN, Telemundo, and Bally Sports Great Lakes.

Three Takeaways as Toronto FC had a historical first-half performance:

Alex Bono made five saves. There were a few instances when TFC goalkeeper, Bono, looked shaky in the net. However, he was able to make five saves, including an acrobatic save made in the 75-minute and as a result, Toronto got their first clean sheet since September of 2021 in MLS play when they had a scoreless draw against the Colorado Rapids on September 25, 2021.

Lorenzo Insigne and Federico Bernardeschi were excellent. A major reason why TFC won was because of these two players who made their debuts on Saturday. Bernardeschi assisted in Bradley’s first goal and scored his second goal with a fantastic strike. This is while Insigne assisted in Bradley’s second goal.

Injury concerns for both teams as both Kamil Jóźwiak and Mark-Anthony Kaye got injured. Kaye had to leave late in the game as he could not continue as he walked out of the game. What might be more concerning is the injury of Charlotte’s Kamil Jóźwiak, who had to be carried off the field.

Photo Credit: Toronto FC on July 23, 2022.

 

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