Toronto FC loses MLS opener
CBC Sports
Toronto FC put in a solid effort but still came up short in its Major League Soccer debut.
Toronto dropped a 2-0 decision to Chivas USA Saturday night at the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif., the first contest in MLS for the expansion franchise.
Toronto FC, owned and operated by Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, officially became MLS's 13th team last spring, and the first club outside the United States since the league officially kicked off in 1996.
Despite the score, Toronto coach Mo Johnston could hardly be disappointed with the effort of his players.
Goalkeeper Greg Sutton had a solid night in net, fellow Canadian Marco Reda was magnificent in defence, Miguel Canizalez (playing in place of the injured Ronnie O'Brien) ran himself ragged in midfield, and the duo of Edson Buddle and Alecko Eskandarian looked dangerous in attack.
Of note, four of the starting 11 players were Canadian: Sutton, Reda, Canizalez and Jim Brennan.
A fast-paced first half saw Chivas enjoy the bulk of possession, but it was Toronto who created the best scoring chances early on.
Buddle nearly scored in the 13th with a header off a free kick, but Chivas goalie Brad Guzan denied the Toronto forward with a fine save. Three minutes later, Guzan robbed Buddle a second time, stopping a blistering shot from close range.
Eskandarian capitalized on a defensive breakdown at the half-hour mark and fired a wicked shot on net, but Guzan again made a fantastic save to keep Toronto off the scoreboard.
Chivas broke the deadlock five minutes later when Maykel Galindo played a perfect pass into the box for Ante Razov who sidestepped the Toronto defence and slipped the ball into the empty net.
Razov, the league's third all-time leading scorer, now has 99 goals in his MLS career.
Sutton, who was partly to blame for the goal after coming off his line too quickly, made up for it by making two great saves late in the half.
Toronto looked tired and flat in the second half, so Johnston made a tactical change, switching from a 3-5-2 formation to a 3-4-3 lineup when he replaced Scottish winger Andy Welsh with American forward Conor Casey in the 65th minute.
The move did little to spark the offence, though, and Chivas put the game with two minutes left in regulation when Sacha Kljestan fired a bullet from 24 yards out just inside the post past Sutton.
Toronto FC's next game is April 14 against the New England Revolution and the club makes its home debut at BMO Field on April 28 against the Kansas City Wizards.
In other action Saturday, the Colorado Rapids beat D.C. United 2-1, FC Dallas and Real Salt Lake battled to a 2-2 draw, the New York Red Bulls and Columbus Crew ended 0-0, and the Chicago Fire defeated the New England Revolution 1-0.
The Houston Dynamo, the reigning MLS champions, host the Los Angeles Galaxy Sunday.
