Toronto FC halts New England's comeback attempt, snap 6-game losing streak
CF Montreal defeat NYCFC; Real Salt Lake breeze past Whitecaps
Yeferson Soteldo and Kemar Lawrence scored their first goals for Toronto FC, helping the slumping MLS side snap a six-game losing streak with a hard-fought 3-2 win over the New England Revolution on Wednesday.
New England piled on the pressure with a string of late corners but TFC hung on through six minutes of added time. Toronto goalkeeper Alex Bono preserved the win with a 95th-minute stop.
Assistant coach Javier Perez was in charge of Toronto, which fired first-year coach Chris Armas in the wake of Saturday's 7-1 loss at D.C. United. It represented the heaviest defeat in club history.
WATCH | Toronto FC snaps losing skid, downs New England Revolution:
Wednesday's wide-open game featured two teams at different ends of the Eastern Conference. Toronto came into the contest mired in the league basement and winless in seven. It was 19 points behind New England at kickoff and ranked last in the 27-team league on defence, conceding 2.45 goals a game.
Toronto's only other league win this season was May 12, a 2-0 victory over defending champion Columbus.
Montreal downs NYCFC behind Toye and Quioto's scoring efforts
Romell Quioto and Mason Toye scored to help Montreal beat New York City FC 2-1 on Wednesday night at Exploria Stadium.
Quioto ran onto a through ball played by Djordje Mihailovic and beat goalkeeper Luis Barraza, who came off his line, for an empty-net goal to give Montreal a 2-1 lead in the 73rd minute.
WATCH l Quioto lifts CF Montreal past New York City FC:
It was Quioto's 10th goal with Montreal and his 25th in MLS.
"The goal was not more important than the three points," said Quioto who will represent Honduras at the upcoming Gold Cup. "I knew the goal would come, but what makes me happier is the three points before leaving for the Gold Cup.
"This year's group is really united and everyone is involved. That's what makes us successful."
Keaton Parks scored his second goal in two games in the 29th minute for New York City, and Mason Toye tied it from the penalty spot in the 43rd.
NYCFC (5-4-2) went into the game with just one loss in 11 all-time matches against Montreal and had its nine-game unbeaten streak — dating to Aug. 1, 2015 — in the series snapped.
"In the second half, I asked the players to control the game a bit more," Montreal coach Wilfried Nancy said. "I always said to the players that the idea is to try to win games and have good performances, no matter who we play."
Real Salt Lake down Whitecaps, extend Vancouver's losing skid to 8 games
The result extended Vancouver's winless drought to eight games and kept the 'Caps (2-7-4) firmly entrenched at the bottom of the Western Conference standings.
Kreilach put away his first of the night in the first minute of the game and followed it up with a header in the 57th minute. Albert Rusnak added a successful penalty kick in the 74th and Anderson Julio added a goal in injury time.
WATCH | Kreilach lifts Real Salt Lake to shutout victory over Vancouver:
Vancouver maintained 55.2 per cent of the possession throughout the game, but Salt Lake dominated the shots 18-11 and 8-2 on target.
Goalkeeper Thomas Hasal had four stops in his first game of the season for the slumping Whitecaps. At the other end of the field, David Ochoa made two saves to collect his second clean sheet of the year.
While the 'Caps were listed on the scoresheet as the home side, the game took place at RSL's Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah, where Vancouver has been based out of this year due to pandemic-related border closures.
With files from The Canadian Press
