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Lorenzo Insigne scored his first BMO Field goal in a Toronto FC win

Lorenzo Insigne scores first goal at BMO FIeld as Toronto FC wins on August 13, 2022

TORONTO, ON – Lorenzo Insigne scored for the first time at BMO Field as TFC took it 3-1 at BMO Field. They were a lot of players that stepped up for Toronto, which is why they won the game.

Lorenzo Insigne scored his first goal at BMO Field in a 3-1 win

Three Keys to the Game

First Half

Lorenzo Insigne’s shot was caught by the Portland Timbers FC goalkeeper Aljaž Ivačič. Insigne made a perfect pass to Federico Bernardeschi, which was stopped by Ivačič. Toronto FC was really working on the left side of the field as Insigne’s cross had too much pace heading to Bernardeschi. The shot was blocked by Christian Toa of TFC.

Jayden Nelson’s shot was stopped by the Portland goalkeeper. Insigne crossed the ball to Bernardeschi, in the 21-minute, and that pressure awarded TFC a corner in the 22-minute. Insigne’s cross following a corner almost scored, but it hit the side-netting and went out of goal. Jesus Jimenez’s shot was blocked. Sebastian Blanco made a terrific cross in the 33-minute, but Lukas MacNaughton defended the ball well.

Toronto finally was awarded a goal in the 41-minute. Richie Laryea was a big reason why as he set up Jonathan Osorio for the goal.

Second Half

Toronto FC almost scored early in the second half. Jesus Jimenez had a glorious chance to score but was unable to keep the ball within his feet as Lorenzo Insigne’s shot went wide. Insigne made a fantastic cross to Bernardeschi, who collided with the Portland goalkeeper. Chara got a great pass as he got behind TFC’s backline, but his shot was stopped by goalkeeper Alex Bono. Insigne’s shot was fantastic, but Ivacic made a terrific save in the 60-minute to keep it a one-goal game.

Chris Mavinga made a good defensive header in the 63-minute. Sebastian Blanco tried to score from the back post but was unable to get the ball on time. Laryea started the play very well and passed the ball to Bernadesci. Bernardeschi then passed the ball to Ayo Akinola but was unable to finish in the 70-minute. Criscito then had shot two shots on goal, as both were saved by the Portland goalkeeper.

Josecarlos Van Rankin scored his first-ever MLS goal. It was a great goal as Jimmy Charas set up the play and Sebastián Blanco delivered a terrific flick pass for the assist.

TFC though would strike back. Insigne scored his first-ever goal at BMO Field with a fantastic shot to score the go-ahead goal. Toronto would end up with the 3-1 win at home.

Game Summary

Bernardeschi scored TFC’s third goal as Laryea got credit for his second assist of the game.

Toronto was the better team from beginning to end. Portland only had two shots on goal and none in the first half. This is while Toronto FC had 12 shots on goal. The Portland goalkeeper was the biggest reason why the Timbers were in the game for so long. This is Laryea said about the win according to Toronto FC:

“Best place in the world!”

Richie Laryea continues his impressive form for TFC. He was involved in four goals since Laryea came on loan from Nottingham Forest FC. This included playing a major role in TFC’s road win this season, which was against Nashville SC.

Toronto also extended their unbeaten run to four games while also ending the Portland Timbers’ unbeaten run at 10 games. For Toronto, they are now four points behind Inter Miami CF and Orlando City SC, with 33 points. Both of them occupy the last two MLS Cup Playoff spots. However, there are two points that need to be made. One is that there are a lot of teams ahead of TFC. They will need to get ahead of five teams to get into the MLS Cup Playoffs.

The second reason is the New England Revolution. Miami and Orlando won the tiebreaker over New England, but they have played one less game than both Miami and Orlando. So, technically, they could also jump up to a playoff spot with a draw or a win in their next game.

Portland is now closer to an MLS Cup playoffs spot than Toronto, despite the loss. They are tied with teams occupying the last two MLS Cup Playoff spots, Nashville SC and the LA Galaxy. The problem though is that the Timbers have played more games than any other MLS team right now with 26 games played.

Games Coming Up

Speaking of the Revolution, TFC has a big game coming up on Wednesday, August. 13. That game will be televised nationally in Canada on TSN and it will also be shown on TV38, and MyRITV & CoziTV at 7:30 p.m. ET. Toronto should see this game as a six-point game, as a win could really bolster their chances of making the MLS Cup Playoffs. This is especially true when Toronto only has four home games left for the season.

Similarly, Toronto has another big six-point game margin with Inter Miami CF at DRV PNK Stadium. That game will take place on Saturday, August. 20, and it will be shown on My33 and UniMás and also nationally in Canada on TSN at 8:00 p.m. ET. This is while Portland has the week off and will continue playing on Sunday, August. 21 against Sporting Kansas City at Children’s Mercy Park.

Three Takeaways as Lorenzo Insigne scores first-ever BMO Field goal:

Lorenzo Insigne scored his first goal at BMO Field. Insigne was magnificent today linking up plays with Bernardeschi in the first half. His goal happened as Michael Bradley set up the play.

Portland Timbers did not have many chances and did not connect on some of them. There were only two occasions where they got behind TFC’s backline, and only one of them was a clear goal-scoring chance, which they converted.

Toronto FC’s defence played well.  This will probably be overlooked, but Toronto played well defensively. For example, MacNaughton defended well in the 53-minute while Mavinga made a good defensive header in the 63-minute.

Photo Credit: Toronto FC on August 13, 2022.

 

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