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Toronto FC splits points at home against the Revs

Toronto FC splits points with the Revs because of defender, Domenico Criscito's first-ever MLS goal on August 17, 2022

TORONTO, ON – Toronto FC splits points with the New England Revolution in a high-scoring draw. Both teams had the lead during the game even though Toronto had the majority of the scoring chances.

Toronto FC splits points with the Revolution at BMO Field

Three keys to the game

First Half

Federico Bernadeschi shot was off-target in the ninth minute. Criscito got a terrific interception in the 11-minute. Mavinga and MacNaughton slowed down Rennicks. Hills’ shot was off-target in the 13-minute.

Bernadeschi delivered a terrific cross as Lorenzo Insigne did not react in the 16-minute, and did not put the ball into the back of the net. Then, Bernadeschi delivered a terrific cross to Ayo Akinola, who could not get to the ball as the cross was not accurate. Lukas MacNaughton headed the ball away in the 19-minute. Jayden Nelson passed the ball very well to Bernadesci as Akinola got the cross, but it was difficult and his header was off-target.

Ayo Akinola did a terrific job of drawing the foul inside the box and earned a penalty for his team. Federico Bernadeschi then took the penalty and made the Revolution goalkeeper guess the wrong way and score the first goal of the game. Chris Mavinga made a good defensive play in the 34-minute. Bernardeschi passed the ball to Jonathan Osorio, but Osorio was unable to get the ball cleanly in the 35-minute.

Richie Laryea and TFC’s defence did not do well to defend the second cross. Rennicks and Tommy McNamara’s shot was stopped, but McNamara’s second shot from a rebound ended up in the back of the net. Omar Gonzalez cleared the ball in the 42-minute with a good defensive play.

Second Half

Carles Gil delivered a terrific through pass to Justin Rennicks, who waited perfectly for the pass. Rennicks capitalized on the play as the Revs got their first-ever lead of the game. Then, Criscito found Bernadeschi, but his shot went straight to the goalkeeper. Farrell put the ball out of play in the 67-minute from Bernadeschi’s cross. Omar Gonzalez cleared the ball in the 70-minute from Insigne’s header. Alex Bono made a good save in the 78-minute as the call was offside.

With the chances TFC got, this one was not the best scoring chance. However, it was a tremendous goal from Domenico Criscito, whose goal from a volley went into the back of the net. Michael Bradley got credit for the cross to Criscito on the goal.

Jesús Jiménez’s left-sided shot went into the back of the net. Richie Laryea’s pass created a corner for TFC. Criscito’s shot was easily stopped in the 87-minute. Omar Gonzalez played very well, as he cleared the ball in the 89-minute.

Game Analysis of Toronto FC splitting points

TFC was the better team, but the Revolution took advantage of their chances and that is why the game ended up being tied. Toronto will feel they could have gotten two more points, especially with how well they played at home. This is what Laryea said about the game according to TSN:

“Yeah, I think we played well. Unfortunate on the goals we gave up, the first one was soft, and the second one we would all like to get back,” said Laryea.

Laryea would later say that he was happy with the performance and the fight back in the second half. TFC goalkeeper Bono could have done better on the second goal, but to be fair, he made a big save late in the game.

Thanks to the draw, the Revolution is now sixth in the Eastern Conference with 34 points while TFC is 11th with 30 points. It is important to note that Chicago, who are tied in points, and also D.C. United, who has one less point have both played one less game than Toronto. Orlando City SC, who currently has 33 points and holds the last playoff spot, has also played one less game than TFC.

With the draw, both teams also extend their unbeaten run to five games. It is also true that both teams ended their winning streak at two games. In the two games previous, TFC won against Nashville SC and the Portland Timbers. This is while the New England Revolution won against Orlando City SC and D.C. United.

Toronto FC travels to Florida to face Inter Miami CF at 8:08 p.m. ET on Saturday. That game will take place at DRV PNK Stadium and the game will be shown live on My33 and UniMas. It will also be televised nationally on TSN. This is while the Revolution continues to play at 7:38 p.m. ET. The game will be shown live on TV38 & MyRITV and also in Canada on TVA Sports.

Three takeaways from the high-scoring draw

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Toronto FC had the chance to win the game. There were chances for TFC to win the game, especially in the first half. Insigne did not read Bernadeschi’s cross and failed to put the ball into the net. Also, Bernadeschi delivered a great cross to Osorio, but he could not control the ball, and the scoring opportunity was lost. Those chances also show how valuable Bernadeschi has been in terms of creating scoring opportunities for his teammates.

Omar Gonzalez played well. The New England Revolution played very defensively, trying their best to stop TFC from scoring goals. There were three instances that he cleared the ball, including the 42 and the 89-minute. However, the clearance that really did it was in the 70-minute, when he prevented a goal from Insigne’s shot, which might have been the play of the game.

Toronto FC and the New England Revolution share points in each other’s home. The Revolution was able to secure the draw at home as their goalkeeper, Đorđe Petrović (who also started in this game), made a save on Insigne’s penalty shot. Both games had drama, where both TFC and the Revs are trying to make the MLS Cup Playoffs.

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