Article author:
Canadian news agency
Neil Davidson
Toronto — Unmanned Seattle Sounders to Toronto FC with goals from Dylan Teves and Freddie Montero on Saturday's MLS play 2- I won with 0.
Teebs scored at his first career start and used Toronto's loose defense to take the lead in Seattle (8-7-2) in the 39th minute. Former Vancouver White Cap striker Montero added a lead in the 60th minute due to a lack of TFC backlines again.
Toronto (5-10-3) scored goals in 26 consecutive games. TFC kept their opponents scoreless in the league match when they drew 0-0 in Colorado on July 25, 2021.
Italian newcomers Lorenzo Insigne and Domenico Criscito were part of a crowd of 23,954 people announced at BMO Field on a warm night. Both players are eligible to make their TFC debut next Saturday against San Jose Earthquakes after the league's secondary transfer window officially opens on Thursday.
The two Italians received a standing ovation when introduced in half-time.
Toronto visited Columbus in the middle of the week and lost 2-1 and won two of the last four league contests (2-0-2), but in the final match. It was 2-7-1. 10 outings.
The Sounders recovered from the start of 2-5-1 towards the season, but the four-game undefeated run (3-0-1) visited the CF in the middle of the week to 2-1. I lost in. Montreal marked the first Seattle defeat since May 22nd.
Seattle lost only two of the previous eight MLS contests (5-2-1) despite a list of injuries including Star Peru forward. Ruidías, striker Will Bruin, Ecuadorian defender Xavier Arreaga.
Seattle goalkeepers Stefan Frei, Jordan Morris, Christian Rodin and Albert Rusnák didn't go to Toronto, so Sounders coach Brian Schmetzer has designated players Ruidías and Rusnák. I couldn't use both of them, so I dug deeper into the roster.
The Sounders started scoring in the second half of the first half on their first shot at the target. Precise clearance by goalkeeper Stefan Cleveland discovered that Jimmy Medranda controlled the ball near the midfield and sent it to Leo Chu. Chu surpassed defender Carlos Salcedo and sent in a cross. Tevez defeated centre-back Chris Mavinga and diverted from close range.
Hawaiian 22-year-old midfielder Tives is a college star at the University of Washington, and Huskies won the 2021 NCAA Men's Soccer Championship second place. Before the match on Saturday, he played just 18 minutes off the Sounders bench.
Toronto's defense was reopened in the second half by captain Nicolas Lodeiro, who has two teammates to choose from, with the TFC's backline confused. He chose Montero, who easily defeated defenseless goalkeeper Quentin Westberg in his second season and 82nd MLS career.
Saturday was the first meeting between the two teams since the Sounders defeated Toronto 3-1 in the 2019 MLS Cup final in Seattle.
Only five Toronto starters from that championship game remain on the team. Another Designated Sounders player, Lodeiro, was the only Seattle starter from the 2019 MLS Cup starting Saturday 11th. Regular season play (Sounders hold the edge of 9-3-2 in the series).
Seattle has won the last three conferences, with Toronto's final victory in the 2017 MLS Cup final. TFC's 2-0 victory in BMO Field.
This game has made its 100th appearance in Toronto at all competitions of Spanish playmaker Alejandro Pozuero. A 30-year-old designated player who joined Toronto in 2019 and won the League MVP honor in 2020 will lose his contract at the end of the season.
Again, Pozuero was Toronto's most aggressive threat.
Westberg, who missed by knocking on Columbus in the middle of the week, returned to his goal in Toronto. Salsed and Canadian midfielder Jonathan Osorio have also returned to replace Shane O'Neill and Ralph Prizo.
Despite being absent, Seattle got off to a good start, driving Toronto into a series of shifts.
However, although Jesus Jimenez aimed for Seattle's goal in the first minute, he had little chance of scoring in the first half. Osorio and Pozuero had a chance with a free kick, but they shot big.
Canadian referee Silviu Petrescu issued three yellow cards in the first half (two in Seattle and one in Toronto) and barely overtook him. He handed out two more to Seattle in the second half.
Toronto forward Ayo Akinola was drawn in half-time for two consecutive games. He made only 11 touches with a loss in the middle of the week and 10 touches on Saturday.
Montero approached Seattle on the 52nd, but a shot from the Medlanda cross hit the crossbar.
Cleveland made an acrobatic save in the 54th minute and kicked his foot to deny Pozuero after a great setup by Jimenez and Mavinga. Osorio shot a wide shot in the 73rd minute from Pozuero's corner.
Like the mid-week match against Columbus, Toronto put pressure on him because he was wearing it in the second half, but he couldn't break Seattle's defense.
—
This report by Canadian Press was first published on July 2nd
