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In a reverse of the first meeting between the teams on April 15, it was Philadelphia this time that took a 2-1 decision from a late penalty kick.
Toronto was set for a fortunate 1-1 draw when Chad Barrett equalized 20 minutes after Michael Orozco Fiscal's opener at the 61st for Philadelphia. But a double-handball from Maxim Usanov (who replaced an injured Dan Gargan minutes earlier) in added time gave Sebastien Le Toux the chance to send Stefan Frei the wrong way, hitting a 95th minute penalty for the winner. The loss ended an eight-match MLS unbeaten streak - Reds held pointless for the first time since May 1.
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Toronto made a string of unusual defensive errors that harked back to the forgettable memories of seasons past. The Reds' defenders were unable to withstand sustained Philadelphia pressure at the restart, which led to the opening goal, forcing Toronto to chase the game.
After a series of giveaways and mistimed challenges allowed Philly to park its attack in the Toronto third, the Union offence led by Le Toux cracked the opener when Orozco Fiscal headed in the French player's corner, unmarked at the near post. Toronto's attack failed to inspire and even after Barrett's equalizer, the team as a whole looked vulnerable.
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Rarely does this space get used to highlight the contributions of an opposing player, but Le Toux is a worthy winner on this day.
Aside from his late penalty strike, he was a dangerous aggressor throughout the match and Toronto simply didn't know how to mark him out of action. He showed intent with a long, skipping drive at the 27th minute and exploited the Reds' defence to setup a Jordan Harvey chance that went off the post in first half injury time. He didn't seem affected by the heat that plagued Toronto players when he coolly setup the opening goal and later perfectly placed the match winner.
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Toronto (4-3-3): Stefan Frei, Nana Attakora, Adrian Cann, Dan Gargan (Maxim Usanov 84'), Nick Garcia, Julian de Guzman, Amadou Sanyang, Nick LaBrocca (Jacob Peterson 72'), Fuad Ibrahim (Maicon Santos 63'), Dwayne De Rosario, Chad Barrett.
Unused Subs: Jon Conway, Ty Harden, Gabe Gala, Raivis Hscanovics
Goals: Philadelphia: Orozco Fiscal 61' Le Toux 95' Toronto: Barrett 81'
Discipline: Philadelphia: Califf 38' (caution), Arrieta 48' (caution) Toronto: Gargan 28' (caution)
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Thursday, July 24 v. Dallas
MLS - Week 17
4:00 PM (CBC)
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GAME NOTES:.
Toronto's next match is actually against Bolton Wanderers FC of the English Premier League in a BMO Field friendly. But their next meaningful fixture will be against another club in the thick of the postseason hunt, FC Dallas.
The Frisco, Texas side was tied with Toronto on 22 points heading into Week 16 and boasts a dangerous attack led by the red-hot David Ferrerira, who is complemented by Jeff Cunningham, Brek Shea and Atiba Harris.
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| 9-7 |
Philadelphia outshot Toronto and looked more purposeful on attack. |
| 3 |
Both teams had an equal amount of shots on target in this match. |
| 27 |
A large number of total fouls in this match (Toronto had 12). |
| 5 |
How many matches Toronto has lost in MLS this season - all of them coming on the road (against a win and a draw). |
| 22 |
Points at the halfway mark of 2010 for Toronto. On pace for its best season yet, but can't afford many more outings like the one in Chester to get there. |
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"We had nothing in us in the second half. I though in the first half, we controlled the game. But (I'm) very disappointed by the second half" - Preki when asked about Toronto's second half performance in his postgame interview.
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"Every game is different ... we have to learn from our mistakes in this game." - Dwayne De Rosario on Toronto conceding a late goal when they seemed destined for a point. The captain doesn't believe this trend from last season will creep back into the Reds' play.
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"It's a shame that we couldn't get the points we needed from this game ... Philadelphia deserved the result ... we have to sort this out before Dallas." - Julian de Guzman on Toronto's inability to assert itself from the start of this match and his disappointment in dropping points against the last place team in MLS.
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