Vancouver Whitecaps went into Toronto this evening with revenge on their mind.
Following their feeble failings in the Voyageurs Cup, there was much talk pre-game of the Caps’ players desire to make amends for themselves, the club and the fans.
They seemed to forget that when they took to the pitch and turned in a mostly uninspiring performance, as they went down 3-2 to TFC at BMO Field.
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With Davide Chiumiento’s transfer to FC Zurich earlier this afternoon, the Caps had a whole to fill on the left side of the attack, which Camilo Sanvezzo came in to fill.
Darren Mattocks returned from suspension, for the newly suspended Eric Hassli, as the Caps went for a 4-2-3-1 line up for the third away game in a row.
Toronto also made two changes to their starting line up with Luis Silva and Julian de Guzman coming in for Eric Avila, who was on the bench, and Reggie Lambe, who was back in Bermuda for personal reasons.
It was an uneventful start from both sides, with a long range Barry Robson drive in the 13th minute the closest either team had come to opening the scoring.
Julian de Guzman and Torsten Frings had wild long range efforts for Toronto in response, as neither team looked likely to bother the stats counters too much.
Robson had Milos Kocic scrambling from an inswinging corner in the 23rd minute, which he was only able to palm out to Sebastien Le Toux. The Frenchman sent the ball back into the six yard box but Camilo could only direct his header high and over.
As the half hour mark approached, Camilo sent a dangerous ball across the face of the goal for the Caps, but no-one was on hand to bury the danger.
From nowhere, Toronto nearly had the lead in the 41st minute.
Silva hit a long ball forward, which was carelessly flicked backwards by Jay DeMerit. Martin Bonjour tried to head the danger clear but only succeeded in heading the ball off Ryan Johnson, sending the Jamaican clean through.
As he bore down on goal, Joe Cannon came up huge once again with the save.
Toronto kept the pressure on and substitute Doneil Henry played a delightful through ball to de Guzman, who could only look on as Cannon saved the day once more to turn the ball past for a corner.
The home side were having the better chances and were left to rue their luck again in stoppage time.
Silva played another long ball forward to Johnson, this time over the Caps defence. The Jamaican easily outpaced Bonjour and as Cannon came out to reduce the angle, the Toronto players could only look on in anguish as the ball cannoned of the right hand post.
Vancouver were certainly living dangerously at the back, whilst also struggling to produce any real attacking threat and the half time whistle couldn't come quick enough for them,
Whatever Martin Rennie said at the break worked a charm and Vancouver took the lead in the 50th minute.
A neat eight pass move, saw the Caps spraying the ball around the pitch and ended when Robson played a delicately lobbed pass over the TFC defence and into the path of Darren Mattocks.
Kocic came out and made himself big, blocking Mattocks' first attempt but the Jamaican was quick to pounce on the rebound and with no Toronto players on the posts or goal-line, slotted home the opener from a tight angle.
It was the Jamaican's fifth MLS goal of the season, helped by some poor decision making by the TFC backline.
Torsten Frings had a free kick deflected for a corner in the 58th minute, as the home side looked a shadow of the team that finished the first half.
Against the run of play, Toronto drew level in the 68th minute.
With Young-Pyo Lee recovering from a wrist injury at the other end of the pitch, the Caps were exposed on their right and Toronto exploited the weakness to the full when Ashtone Morgan sent a dangerous low cross into the box.
Silva reacted quickly and got a lovely touch with the outside of his foot to guide the past Cannon and into the corner of the net.
The goal put some spark into TFC and they nearly took the lead from a long range Frings free-kick in the 72nd minute, kept out once again by a great save from Cannon.
Toronto kept the pressure on from the corner and Cannon punched a cross from Eric Avila out to Frings, who hit a 25 yarder low into the net for a 2-1 TFC lead.
Vancouver didn't have the urgency of a team that were a goal down but nearly tied things up in the 85th minute.
Gershon Koffie played the ball through to Le Toux, who neat little back flip set up Y-P Lee. The Korean rounded Kocic but crashed his effort of the right hand post.
It looked like Vancouver were going to go home from Toronto empty handed once again as the game moved into four minutes of stoppage time.
Jordan Harvey hit a high ball into the TFC box, more in hope than expectation, but with Kocic favourite to get to the ball, Mattocks made an amazing leap above the keeper and Logan Emory to head the ball home and silence the home crowd.
As it turned out, that goal still didn't stop them heading home empty handed for there was still time for more drama as the game moved into the fifth minute of stoppage time, when former Whitecap Terry Dunfield rose amongst a crowd of players to bullet home the winner from a Frings corner.
It may have looked like a five goal thriller on paper, but both sides struggled at times to get anything going and in the end, Vancouver got exactly what they deserved from the game - nothing.
FINAL SCORE: Toronto 3 - 2 Vancouver Whitecaps
ATT: 19,821
TORONTO: Milos Kocic; Jeremy Hall (Doneil Henry 28), Richard Eckersley, Logan Emory, Ashtone Morgan; Terry Dunfield, Julian de Guzman (Eric Avila 60), Torsten Frings, Luis Silva; Danny Koevermans, Ryan Johnson [subs Not Used: Quillan Roberts; Miguel Aceval, Aaron Maund, Matt Stinson]
VANCOUVER: Joe Cannon; Young-Pyo Lee, Martin Bonjour, Jay Demerit, Jordan Harvey; Alain Rochat, Gershon Koffie; Sebastien LeToux, Barry Robson, Camilo Sanvezzo (Michael Nanchoff 82); Darren Mattocks [subs Not Used: Brad Knighton, Greg Klazura, Carlyle Mitchell, Jun-Marques Davidson, Russell Teibert, Etienne Barbara]
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