After a 2-2 draw with the Columbus Crew Toronto fans are left to decide whether the glass is half full or half empty. While scoring their first goal and gaining their first point on the road is another step forward, Toronto will feel that they let a chance to gain something greater get away.

While most MLS teams have international call ups to worry about in the next few weeks the problem has already hit Toronto. Both Carl Robinson (Wales) and Andrew Boyens (New Zealand) were called up for a friendly in Cardiff and it forced Coach Maurice Johnston to make changes to a side that had been fairly settled over the last four games.

In came Marco Reda as a straight switch for Boyens at centre back while Canadian Chris Pozniak came in to make his first start at left midfield. In turn Andy Welsh moved to the right side of midfield and Ronnie O’Brien took over Robinson’s spot in the centre of midfield. Also coming into the TFC side was striker Jeff Cunningham who arrived this week from Real Salt Lake in exchange for Alecko Eskandarian.

It was, however, a Columbus Crew striker who made the biggest impact in the first half. Making a return after a four-game suspension for elbowing,  Andy Herron took advantage of sloppy Toronto defending to score twice before being forced to leave the game due to a thigh injury with less than forty minutes played.

Both Crew goals left Toronto defender Marvell Wynne badly exposed after poor positional play and marking by the Toronto central defenders. In between the two Columbus goals Toronto had equalized through a classic big-man wee-man combination of Dichio and Cunningham. After Dichio controlled and knocked down a long-ball to Cunningham, the new striker played a return pass that Dichio whipped past Andy Gruenebaum in the Crew goal from the edge of the penalty box.

Mo Johnston must have administered his own form of the air dryer at half time as a more defensively sound and organized side appeared in the second half. And it didn’t take long for Toronto to tie the game up. Five minutes into the second half a simple but well executed free kick routine saw Jim Brennan hammer home a shot from 30-plus yards out. However, given that the ball hit closer to the middle of the net than the corner you would have to question keeper Gruenebaum’s positioning. 

Columbus may have enjoyed more of the possession in the second-half but it was Toronto that created more scoring opportunities as Dichio drifted into deeper positions and left space behind the Crew defense for Cunningham to exploit with his pace. Cunningham took advantage and found himself with only the keeper to beat on a number of occasions but failed to score each time.

The draw leaves both teams on the same number of points but and with a number of challenges to overcome. Without Andy Herron the Columbus Crew attack looks as threatening as a rubber knife, while Toronto’s lack of squad depth could prove costly over the next six weeks.  

Next up for Toronto is a visit from the Colorado Rapids next Saturday while the following day the Crew is away to Chicago Fire.

A 2-1 away win for DC United means they leapfrog Toronto FC in the Eastern standings and the home side returns to the cellar.

With the visitors enjoying almost two weeks of rest since their last game and Toronto FC playing their third game in a week it was not surprising that DC United’s game plan emphasized retaining possession for long stretches of the match.

An unspectacular but very effective midfield gave DC control of much of the game although Toronto FC rallied late on and keeper Troy Perkins needed to turn away a stinging Ronnie O’Brien drive with only six minutes to play to preserve the three points.

In the first half Toronto FC struggled to bring the strike pairing of Danny Dichio and Alecko Eskandarian into the play. When the ball was played forward to Dichio a battle with DC United defender Facundo Erpen was a recurring feature. The less physically imposing Erpen was eventually booked in the 35th minute after chopping down the big striker just outside the penalty box although the resultant free kick came to nothing. 

As half time approached DC United had reason to be happy with their performance. But then Toronto struck and Dichio was instrumental in creating the goal. A long throw from full back Marvell Wynne was headed down by Dichio and the ball found Carl Robinson on the edge of the box.

The shot from the Welsh international rebounded off Eskandarian but the former DC United man got a second bite at the cherry as the ball ran loose in the penalty box. Eskandarian was not about to miss such a chance and rifled a shot into the roof of the net as Troy Perkins claimed unsuccessfully for offside.   

Despite finding themselves a goal down against the run of play United never waivered from their game plan. A golden chance to equalize came with only five minutes of the second half played. Emilio was sent clean through after a route one clearance by Perkins but failed to hit the target.

However, a goal for DC United came shortly after when Christian Gomez sent in a dipping and pacey free kick into the TFC penalty area. Full back Kevin Goldthwaite stretched to clear the ball but only succeeded in heading the ball into his only net. An unfortunate first own goal for Toronto FC.

Only three minutes later United Coach Tom Soehn made a game changing decision. He opted to withdraw Erpen and replace him with forward Guy-Roland Kpene. In his on-going battle with Dichio, Erpen was sailing very close to the wind with referee Baldomero Toledo. If Soehn had not substituted him, Erpen would surely have been first to shower.

Bryan Namoff dropped back to play on the right side of the defense while Bobby Boswell took on the man-to-man marking responsibilities on Danny Dichio. The more robust Boswell proved to be a more effective marker and after twenty minutes Dichio too was substituted.

As three games in eight days began to take their toll on Toronto another goal for DC United seemed inevitable. When the goal came it was from the penalty spot after Wynne was judged to have fouled Emilio. At first glance it looked to be a harsh decision but replays clearly show that the referee’s decision was spot-on.

Jaime Moreno stepped up to score his third goal of the season and in the process he tied Jason Kreis’ MLS scoring record of 108 goals.

Next weekend DC United plays Houston Dynamo in Washington while Toronto FC visits the Columbus Crew.

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