Altidore scores in Toronto FC's return to BMO Field in draw with Orlando City
Whitecaps upset Galaxy to end losing skid; CF Montréal rallies past FC Cincinnati
Jozy Altidore celebrated his return to action with a goal off the bench as Toronto FC, playing at home in front of fans for the first time since March 2020, tied Orlando City 1-1 in MLS play Saturday.
But Altidore's 72nd-minute feel-good moment at BMO Field was negated minutes later by an Orlando goal from the penalty spot.
Altidore, who last played May 22 due to a falling out with former coach Chris Armas, came on in the 64th minute to a standing ovation. And eight minutes later, Yeferson Soteldo fed fullback Justin Morrow whose cross found the big man in front of goal and Altidore, between two defenders, rose high to head the ball home.
Altidore and his teammates headed to the southeast corner of the pitch en masse to celebrate.
But Orlando (6-3-4) tied it up in the 77th minute on a Nani penalty kick with video review convincing referee Marcos de Oliveira to point to the spot after goalkeeper Alex Bono took out Orlando's Benji Michel. Bono was left exposed after Brazilian fullback Auro misread a long high ball, allowing the Orlando attacker to go in alone.
WATCH | Altidore scores in his return to action in front of home fans:
Bono got a hand to Nani's penalty kick but could not stop it.
It marked the first game at BMO Field for Toronto (2-8-3) since Sept. 1 and the first with fans in the stands since March 7, 2020.
"Football's Come Home," read one sign in the South Stand.
It was also the first time all of TFC's designated players — Altidore, Soteldo and Alejandro Pozuelo — were on the field at the same time this season.
Toronto went 11-15-5 in all competitions in the 10 1/2 months since its last BMO Field outing, with eight of those wins coming last year. Prior to Saturday, the club had won just three of its last 17 matches (3-12-2) in regular-season and post-season play away from home.
7k fans in attendance
Attendance was capped at 7,000 with the crowd drawn from frontline health-care workers, first responders and season ticket-holders.
Saturday's crowd was supposed to be masked and spread out around the stadium. Still the downsized supporters' groups in the South Stand made their voices heard.
Like former Toronto star Sebastian Giovinco, Soteldo is short in stature but long on talent and trickery. And he routinely gets battered by bigger, slower defenders. The pocket-sized Venezuelan spent a fair bit of time on the ground, arms raised in disbelief at the treatment he was receiving.
WATCH | Nani scores on a penalty in the 77th minute:
Soteldo had his way with Orlando fullback Kyle Smith for most of the evening.
Attendance will increase to 15,000 for next Wednesday's home match against the New York Red Bulls.
The next home match after that is Aug. 1 against Nashville SC. TFC and Major League Soccer have not yet announced plans for that game and beyond.
National Interest Exemption
The league and its Canadian teams have applied for a so-called National Interest Exemption, which would allow players who aren't fully vaccinated to cross the border with a modified quarantine. While most teams are almost fully vaccinated, they want to have access to all their roster.
Toronto, in its second game under interim coach Javier Perez, looked well organized.
Chances were few and far between in the first half. Dom Dwyer had the best chance for Toronto in the 35th minute after Soteldo pinched the ball off an Orlando player and raced into the opposition end. He fed Dwyer but the forward's touch was heavy and he lost the ball.
The visitors came close in the 58th minute when Michel found substitute Chris Mueller in the penalty box. But Morrow got back to get a foot to the ball, sending it away from Mueller and off the post.
Toronto was coming off a 3-2 win July 7 at New England that snapped a six-game losing (and seven-game winless) streak. TFC came in to the game with the league's worst defence, conceding 2.42 goals a game.
Toronto was missing five players on international duty at the Gold Cup: Ayo Akinola, Richie Laryea and Jonathan Osorio (Canada), Eriq Zavaleta (El Salvador) and Kemar Lawrence (Jamaica). Orlando was without Daryl Dike (U.S.).
TFC goalkeeper Quentin Westberg remained out with a finger injury.
Perez made three changes to his starting lineup with Chris Mavinga, Morrow and Dwyer slotting in for Luke Singh, Lawrence and Akinola.
Whitecaps snap 8-game losing skid with win over Galaxy
Cristian Dajome's goal in the 77th minute propelled the Vancouver Whitecaps to a 2-1 come-from-behind upset win over the LA Galaxy on Saturday night in Sandy, Utah.
Dajome and Deiber Caicedo, a pair of forwards from Colombia, scored both Whitecaps goals in the second half after Vancouver trailed 1-0 at halftime.
Last-place Vancouver (3-7-3, 12 points) had not won a game since early May. The Galaxy (8-5-0, 24 points), the third-place team in the Western Conference, came into the Whitecaps' temporary home having won three of their last four matches.
Things looked good for the visitors early on. Rayan Raveloson scored in the fifth minute, finding space onside in the box and getting a header on target off Victor Vazquez's pass. The Whitecaps' defense was playing too far off the ball, and the poor marking gave the Galaxy the room to get in good scoring position.
WATCH | Dájome's goal lifts Vancouver over Los Angeles:
Ethan Zubak appeared to have a second goal for the Galaxy in the 26th minute, but upon video review it was taken off the scoreboard for him being offside.
Samuel Grandsir made a quick move to get some room for a shot in the 37th minute, and it hit the goal framework, again denying the Galaxy of a second goal.
Caicedo had a chance for Vancouver in the 44th minute, off a turnover in the box gathered by Russell Teibert. But Caicedo's shot went wide right of the net.
Caicedo got his reward for the hard work early in the second half. A cross into the box from Javain Brown came to Caicedo off carom, and he deposited the ball into the back of the net to tie the game at 1 in the 48th minute.
Brian White assisted on Dajome's 77th-minute goal, and had a chance himself to make it 3-1 late in the second half but missed.
CF Montréal completes comeback against FC Cincinnati
Ahmed Hamdi scored two late goals as CF Montréal rallied twice from a pair of two-goal deficits for a 5-4 win against the visiting FC Cincinnati on Saturday.
Hamdi tied it 4-4 in the 74th minute and gave Montreal the lead from just above the goal mouth in the 87th minute.
Brenner had two goals for Cincinnati (3-6-3, 12 points), which saw its four-game unbeaten streak snapped. The Orange and Blue lost to Montreal for the first time in four all-time matches.
Montreal midfielder Joaquin Torres nearly gave the home crowd an early boost when his shot in the second minute hit the crossbar.
WATCH | Hamdi's brace secures win over Cincinnati:
But it was the visitors who would ultimately strike first. Haris Medunjanin took a cross from Luciano Acosta and struck to the right when goalkeeper James Pantemis positioned himself for a straight-on kick to make it 1-0 in the sixth minute.
Montreal had a pair of chances a few minutes later, including a post from Torres in the 10th minute, but it was once again the visitors who capitalized.
Pantemis was slow to return the ball to his defender and a speedy Brenner ran in to get his foot on it first to double the lead to 2-0 in the 14th minute.
Mason Toye directed a header off a cross from Lassi Lappalainen by goalkeeper Kenneth Vermeer to cut it to 2-1 in the 21st minute.
Vermeer made a save on Victor Wanyama but the ball was loose in front of him and Torres beat defender Nick Hagglund to it to even the score 2-2 in the 34th minute.
Gustavo Vallecilla deflected midfielder Alvaro Barreal's free kick in the 42nd minute to put Cincinnati back in front, 3-2.
Brenner restored the two-goal advantage in the 46th minute with a behind-the-back kick to send the ball by defender Joel Waterman and Pantemis.
Toye narrowed it to 4-3 on a penalty kick in the 72nd minute.
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With files from Field Level Media
