Toronto FC may have shown improvement of late, but a rematch against the Revolution in Foxborough, Mass., rekindled some early-season struggles.
Toronto failed to win its first road game in franchise history after dropping a 3-0 decision to the New England Revolution at Gillette Stadium on Saturday night.
A costly defensive miscue by Toronto FC defender Kevin Goldthwaite, left, allowed New England to gain an early lead.
(Michael Dwyer/Associated Press)
Midfielder Andy Dorman tallied twice and striker Pat Noonan added another goal for the Revolution (6-2-4), which snapped a three-game winless streak with the win.
New England goalkeeper Matt Reis stopped all six shots he faced to earn his fifth shutout for New England this season and his third in his past five games.
For Toronto (4-7-1), the loss was clearly a step backward for a team that had looked much improved of late, going 4-2-1 in its last seven games after an 0-4 start, including a 4-0 drubbing in New England on April 14. But poor defensive play and an inability to convert opportunities on offence dropped Toronto to 0-4-1 on the road this season and started a tough six-game road trip on a sour note.
"I just lambasted (my team)," said Toronto head coach Mo Johnston after the loss. "I'm clearly disappointed in almost all of them. In the first half and second half we defended poorly.
"We had two or three clear-cut chances in the first half, in the second half nothing. I'm not happy with the way we played, the way our attitude was, the way we came out in the second half."
Dorman strikes twice
Dorman opened the scoring for New England in the 13th minute thanks to a sloppy play by Toronto in the defensive end. As Toronto defender Kevin Goldthwaite attempted to control a long ball into the 18-yard box, he tapped the ball directly onto the foot of Dorman, who ripped a shot past Srdjan Djekanovic for a 1-0 Revolution lead.
The Revolution doubled their lead in the 33rd minute, thanks to a pretty header from Noonan. New England midfielder Jeff Larentowicz flicked a high diagonal ball into the penalty box and Noonan, a former MLS scoring champion, deftly deflected it past a sprawling Djekanovic.
Trailing by two goals at the half, the odds certainly weren't in Toronto's favour, as the team has yet to win a game (0-4-1) when trailing at the half. The team has also been outscored 7-0 in two games against the Revolution at Gillette Stadium this season.
The game was put away by Dorman in the 81st minute, as he took a smart touch pass in stride off the heel of Adam Cristman at the top of the box and buried a bullet of a shot for his second goal of the contest.
Sutton continues to sit, Dichio returns
Toronto was hindered by the absence of starting goalkeeper Gregg Sutton, who continues to suffer the effects of a concussion sustained while training with the Canadian national team at the CONCACAF Gold Cup in early June.
With Sutton unable to play, reserve Djekanovic got the start on Saturday and made six saves in a losing effort for his first loss in three games this season.
But with Sam Reynolds on loan from Chivas USA as the lone reserve goaltender, Toronto head coach Mo Johnston can ill-afford to continue with his current situation. Johnston may put Sutton on injured reserve for the remainder of the season in order to appeal to the MLS for a replacement.
Toronto did receive a boost on Saturday with the return of leading scorer Danny Dichio, who sprained his ankle in Toronto's 4-0 win against Dallas on June 17.
The team also welcomed back defender Adam Braz and midfielder Chris Pozniak following Canada's Gold Cup semifinal loss to the U.S. on Thursday, though both suited up as reserves on Saturday.
With the U.S. playing in the Gold Cup final against Mexico on Sunday, New England was also missing players, as midfielder Steve Ralston, defender Michael Parkhurst and striker Taylor Twellman all remain with the U.S. National Team.
Toronto will look to rebound against the Kansas City Wizards on July 1.
With files from the Associated Press
