Toronto FC won a key game on its journey to a berth in the MLS playoffs with a 3-2 win over the Colorado Rapids Saturday afternoon.
Dwayne De Rosario put Toronto up 1-0 in the 20th minute when he received a cross in the penalty box from defender Marvell Wynne. Taking his time to control the ball and lose a defender in front of a crowded net, De Rosario made no mistake but to take a shot and burry the ball in the back of the goal.
O'Brien White, fresh off the bench, scored in the 70th minute after he found himself in the 18-yard box with possession from a pass off Dwayne De Rosario, tipping the ball overhead Colorado keeper Preston Burpo for his second goal of the season.
And then Nana Attakora got the insurance goal, making it 3-1 four minutes later, heading in a ball from Amado Guevara's curving corner kick.
Attakora's aerial goal in the box comes on the heels of some frank advice given by Toronto FC coach Chris Cummins.
I said to Nana the other day 'You're not the best looking kid, so go in and put your head in there,' Cummins said at a post-game news conference. And he's been strong and he's been aggressive.
The game was Toronto's home tie of it's two-game series with Colorado, with the Rapids winning the last match 1-0 in Colorado.
Toronto was desperate for a win tied for eight place in their conference, which is also the final playoff spot.
The Reds were also without two key players fan favourite Danny Dichio who retired this week and new signing Julian de Guzman, rolled out as TFC's first designated player a couple days later.
De Guzman didn't dress for the club, however, since his paperwork wasn't processed in time.
The game was slow at times, but had just enough periods of fast-paced action to provide for some excitement and goals.
About six minutes after Toronto opened the scoring, Ali Gerba had another attempt to cushion Toronto's lead when he was fed the ball from De Rosario in the box, but the Toronto native was well-marked by a Colorado defenceman.
Jacob Peterson posed a dangerous threat in the 29th minute after he picked off an unmarked pass just outside of the 18-yard box.
He carved a route towards goal, shaking off defender and captain Jim Brennan, but his shot went inches wide of the Toronto goal and the outstretched fingers of 'keeper Stefan Frei.
But the Rapids pressed on through Toronto's sloppy defence. In the 41st minute, Casey collected a ball right in front of the penalty box. Toronto defender Marvell Wynne was properly positioned to clear the ball from what could have certainly been a goal-scoring opportunity.
Despite the win, Cummins thought the conceded plays were disappointing.
We have to start learning from these mistakes and such, says Cummins. We need to start defending better.
By the end of the first half, Toronto had the statistical edge over the visiting side with six shots on net as opposed to three. The Reds also had two shots on target, while Colorado had none.
But these statistics were nothing new Toronto often outshoots the other clubs only to give up heartbreaking goals during the dying minutes of the game.
Fans were rejoicing for what appeared to be a goal soon after the second half got started when Gerba collected the ball inside the penalty, back-heeling it into the net. Despite the ball taking a deflection off a Colorado defender before landing in the goal, the referee called it offside.
Colorado's Conor Casey scored in the 49th minute when he headed in a well-placed cross. His height and accuracy were no match for Toronto's defence, which had been loose throughout the game.
The Rapids' assault continued, and Stefan Frei was forced to make a diving save in the 52nd minute.
Colorado scored a second goal in the 88th minute when Michael Holody chested down the ball in front of Toronto's net amidst a flurry of activity, turning to drive the ball home.
