Toronto FC\u2019s unbeaten streak reached five games on Saturday evening, drawing 1-1 at BMO Field against New York City FC.<\/p>\n
The Theo Corbeanu and Daniel Salloi linked up for a Toronto FC goal for the second home game in a row, doing so almost exactly the same way as they did last Wednesday against Charlotte FC Corbeanu charged down the right flank and played a low pass across the face of the goal, where Salloi was there to tuck it in. <\/p>\n
Those shots are almost impossible to defend when you let a player \u2014 especially one of Salloi\u2019s quality \u2014 get to that position in front of goal, and the Hungarian winger made no mistake.<\/p>\n
Salloi had started 20 of the prior 21 matches for TFC entering Saturday, and was one of three players with Luka Gavran and Alonso Coello to play all 21 games this season \u2014 so it was a bit of a surprise to see him dropped to the bench in favour of Corbeanu. <\/p>\n
Head coach Robin Fraser said after the match that Salloi was dealing with a personal matter this week and was not ready to start. No specifics were given, but Fraser said that Salloi is fine.<\/p>\n
Derrick Etienne Jr deserved another chance to start after scoring the winning goal in Miami last weekend, but this time it was the man who replaced him off the bench that got the important goal for TFC.<\/p>\n
Nicol\u00e1s Fern\u00e1ndez put the visitors in front just before the half-hour mark, scoring his 14th goal of the season in impressive fashion. Toronto FC gave the Argentinian forward an inch and he took a mile, cutting to his left after receiving the ball on the right side of the pitch before taking a step forward and firing a shot into the bottom-right corner, past the diving Luka Gavran. <\/p>\n
Related Read: Dayne St. Clair\u2019s Inter Miami run wild on Alexis Sanchez\u2019s CF Montreal 7-1 thanks to Messi\u2019s 4-goal night<\/a><\/p>\n The goal was well-taken, but it was against the run of play in a first half that the hosts spent most of on the front foot. In fact, it was NYCFC\u2019s only shot of the first 45, and their only attempt on target until the seventh minute of second half stoppage time. They never really looked like winning the game after Toronto FC equalized, successfully opting to try and snatch a point on the road by focusing on killing the clock and keeping TFC out of their net. <\/p>\n Toronto FC will likely regret the chances they missed in the first half to open the scoring, but after the break they gave themselves a chance to win the game. <\/p>\n \u201cThe second half was really good. The first half wasn\u2019t bad but we didn\u2019t sort out how to get pressure to them quickly enough and well enough,\u201d Fraser said to reporters including Waking The Red. \u201cWhen we had the ball, we had some good moments.<\/p>\n \u201cUnfortunate that we allowed that shot. [Fern\u00e1ndez] is a very, very good player, and left-footed, so I would love if we would have not let him come onto his left foot, but these things happen, and then I thought second half we really responded.\u201d<\/p>\n After the fans at BMO Field booed the United States anthem before the game<\/a> \u2014 a response to the never-ending disrespect toward Canada from President Donald Trump and recent tariffs placed on their northern neighbours \u2014 Coello stung the hands of the American World Cup goalkeeper Matt Freese with the first big chance of the game, a powerful strike from outside the penalty area.<\/p>\n Fraser, a USMNT international during his own playing career, declined to comment on the booing.<\/p>\n \u201cI wondered if someone was going to ask me about that,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m a soccer coach. I\u2019m not a politician, so I\u2019m just going to completely stay out of that.\u201d<\/p>\n TFC kept knocking on the door early. Theo Corbeanu made a run to the byline and centred the ball for Derrick Etienne Jr, who was left wide open in front of the New York goal but couldn\u2019t reach the ball when he lunged to try and poke it on target. Walker Zimmerman, back in the starting lineup after serving a one-game red card suspension against Miami last weekend, and Benjamin Kuscevic both got their heads onto the end of corner kicks in the first half, but neither could steer their attempts on target.<\/p>\n The game was a chippy one at times. Kuscevic picked up a yellow card in the first half for a heavy challenge on Andr\u00e9s Perea, which the NYC midfielder took exception to by going nose-to-nose with the TFC man. Fern\u00e1ndez was also booked in the first half for fouling Richie Laryea \u2014 who he tussled with from the very first whistle, before Laryea and B\u00e9nie Traor\u00e9 got into it a few times in the second half when Laryea moved to right-back.<\/p>\n Djordje Mihailovic also tested Freese with a shot from the edge of the box in first half stoppage time. <\/p>\n