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Toronto FC win against Trillium Cup rival Columbus Crew SC

Learn about Toronto FC, who won 3-1 over Columbus Crew SC. As a result, TFC are currently third in the Eastern Conference.
Toronto FC vs. Columbus

Toronto, Canada — Toronto FC played their first and only regular-season game against Columbus Crew SC, who is the current Supporters’ Shield leaders. Toronto was able to get the result thanks to a strong second half, particularly from Richie Laryea. He was the player of the match for Toronto FC.

Terrific defense by Toronto FC in the First Half

Toronto struggled to get any offense going in the first half. Despite that, Toronto only gave up only two shots on goal in the first half. That is an amazing stat. There are many players who stepped up. For example, Justin Morrow cleared a threatening cross pass in the seven-minute mark.

Two minutes later, Omar Gonzalez stepped up and prevented the Crew from making a shot on goal. Then, Chris Mavinga cleared the ball twice in the 19-minute and Morrow cleared the ball in the 22-minute. Lastly, Omar Gonzalez prevented a goal from Gyasi Zardes in the 24-minute. All of these times the Crew had an opportunity to score, but Toronto was up to the challenge. Chris Mavinga was the player of the first half. He really was exceptional and he played a big role in the Crew only having a 1-0 lead after the first half.

Yes, Mavinga gave up the own goal late in the first half. Also, they might have been a mix up between him and Toronto goalkeeper Quentin Westberg. However, Pedro Santos’ cross-pass was perfect. Lastly, Zardes was right behind Mavinga. If Mavinga did not get to the ball, it is very likely that Zardes would have scored.

Columbus Crew SC failed to capitalize on strong First Half

The offense of Columbus Crew SC was strong in the first half. Furthermore, even with Toronto FC’s great defense in the first half, the Crew still had some chances to score. A large part of that was the defense of the Crew. Moreover, the TSN commentators were talking about the work rate of Zardes and Lucas Zelarayán. This allowed the Crew to take momentum and control of Toronto in the first half.

It all started with Héctor Jiménez getting a right shot in the 10-minute outside of the box that missed the net to the left. It was assisted by Zelarayán. Quentin Westberg then made the terrific stop from a Zardes shot, which came via a terrific Lucas Zelarayán cross pass in the 24-minute.

Zelarayán had a chance himself in the 34-minute, but his shot went above the net. In the end of the game, both TFC and the Crew had the same amount of shots. However, Toronto FC had three more shots on goal than the Crew. This happened because of Toronto’s defense and Crew SC’s inability to take advantage of their chances.

Toronto FC took over in the Second Half

Toronto FC had a really strong start in the second half. It started off with their first chance in the second half. Pablo Piatti started the play with a pass to Richie Laryea. He then passed it to Alejandro Pozuelo. His final pass to Jozy Altidore in the 48-minute mark leads to a 1-1 tie. This set the tone for the second half.

A few minutes later Marky Delgado cross-passed it to Ayo Akinola. However, Akinola’s header was misguided and missed the net entirely. Then Delgado passed it to Pozuelo in the 53-minute but hit the post. Laryea’s shot was stopped in the 54-minute.

However, Laryea would play a big role in the second goal. He passed it to Pozuelo who scored the go-ahead goal in the 59-minute. The game is now a 2-1 Toronto lead. They would get another chance when Jonathan Osorio’s shot was stopped by the Columbus Crew SC goalkeeper Eloy Room.

Then came Toronto’s third goal in the 76-minute. Laryea had the goal of the ages. He got past the Crew defense and shot past the Crew goalkeeper Room. This gave Toronto FC the 3-1 lead. This showed that Laryea was clearly the player of the game on Sunday.

Columbus Crew SC vs. Toronto FC Game Overview

Columbus Crew SC gave up three goals in one game for the first time in the 2020 MLS season. Toronto FC is an experienced and seasoned team. It showed against their Trillium Cup rival Columbus Crew SC. After Mavinga gave up that own goal, this is what Pozuelo said.

Pozuelo assisted in Toronto’s first goal and scored the second goal in the second half. Pozuelo fulfilled his promise to Mavinga, who just gave up the own goal in the first half at the time. As a result, Toronto is now third in the Supporters’ Shield race. They are two points behind Columbus Crew SC, who is still the Supporters’ Shield leaders.

Also, congrats to José Artur de Lima Junior, who made 100 appearances for his club Columbus Crew SC.

The Philadelphia Union has the same number of points as Toronto FC. However, the Union has a better goal differential than Toronto FC. As a result, the Union is second in the Eastern Conference and in the Supporters’ Shield race.

This was the last game of September for both Toronto FC and Columbus Crews SC. Toronto will face the Union on Oct. 3 and then will play against the New England Revolution on Oct. 7. This is while Columbus Crew SC will face FC Dallas on Oct. 3 and then the Montreal Impact on Oct. 7.

 

 

 

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