Federico Higuain missed his first match of 2017 last Saturday with a sore right ankle. Crew SC, in turn, sorely missed Higuain. The 32-year-old logged two secondary assists in Crew SC's 2-1 win over Toronto FC on Saturday, bringing his season total to four.

Federico Higuain missed his first match of 2017 last Saturday with a sore ankle.

Crew SC, in turn, sorely missed Higuain.

His variety added to the Crew SC attack was again on display Saturday as the 32-year-old notched a pair of secondary assists in a 2-1 win over Toronto FC.

Higuain was credited with one chance created, a pair of shots and 88.1 percent passing accuracy on 42 passes Saturday. But it was where he distributed the ball that had the most impact.

Higuain completed 32 passes in the offensive half as well as 15 passes in the final third, his ball movement a key to helping break Toronto’s midfield and back line.

Ola Kamara got on the end of a Niko Hansen pass in the box and buried it in the 37th minute to tie the game 1-1, but it was a hesitation move and well-placed pass from Higuain to Hansen that pulled Toronto apart.

“I think it’s clear to see how much we missed Pipa last week. That’s a credit to Federico. He’s an outstanding player,” Crew coach Gregg Berhalter said. “I think his ability to tie people together and to control the game is excellent. He’s so calm on the ball, he’s a guy that amidst chaos he makes everything look calm, and you love players like that.”

A second secondary assist came on a corner kick. With Jukka Raitala serving as a decoy, Higuain booted a right-footed cross into traffic in the box late in the 43rd minute. He linked up with 6-foot-5 center back Alex Crognale, who headed a ball near Justin Meram’s right foot, setting up an easy second goal for Crew SC.

“He’s immense for us. He moves, he always wants the ball, he’s an outlet, he’s someone that the other team has to worry about, his quality of final passes,” midfielder Wil Trapp said. “You look at Niko’s assist to Ola, Pipa set it up in a lot of ways. For me it’s a huge help, for Artur, he’s someone we can combine with and move with and it changes the game for us in a lot of ways.”

With the pair of assists, Higuain now has at least one in three straight appearances and has four on the season, already passing his total of three from the 2016 season.

He narrowly missed out on a third assist in the 69th minute, drawing two defenders near the right sideline after a quick interchange with Ethan Finlay before just missing a charging Kamara in the box.

“We love having Pipa on the team,” Kamara said. “He creates something special on our team and we need Pipa in every game.”

Steffen holds Crew together

A Jozy Altidore goal put Crew SC down 1-0 in the 21st minute, and things could have spiraled from a rough start to the first half if not for a pair of timely saves by goalkeeper Zack Steffen.

In the 24th minute, Vazquez found Altidore on the run. Steffen stopped an Altidore strike. Although he didn’t corral the ball, he diverted the play long enough to allow Artur to regain possession for the Crew.

A minute later, Toronto’s Sebastian Giovinco found space in the box and curled a left-footed shot that required a full-extension save from Steffen.

“That got us back into it. (Steffen) made a big save at a crucial time and then we found our way into the game. It was big,” Berhalter said. “I think without that we would have been looking at a deficit that would have been tough to overcome.”

Rookies impress

Hansen, the No. 9 overall pick in the 2017 MLS SuperDraft, got the nod on the right wing Saturday for the first start of his MLS career.

The 22-year-old provided a few dangerous runs, one leading to an Higuain shot in the 12th minute and another resulting in his assist of Kamara’s goal in the 37th. He came out in the 60th minute for Ethan Finlay.

Including Saturday, Hansen has appeared in four straight games.

“It was a classic case of a guy who forces his way into the lineup by performing in games when he gets the opportunity and performing in training,” Berhalter said. “We saw enough to say it was his time.”

Another rookie who played college soccer last year, center back Alex Crognale, helped Crew SC’s defense manage a potent Toronto attack. Crognale led the Crew with four interceptions and six clearances.

“They’re both miles ahead of where I was as a rookie, so it’s definitely very impressive,” Meram said. “I think we’re all proud of them the way Niko, getting his first start and first assist and he was very dangerous today. Both have just been fantastic, even in training.”

Stoppage time

With another goal Saturday, Meram has four on the season, one shy of his total from the 2016 season.

Berhalter called Meram a “special player,” but said the 28-year-old “has better” to show. Meram lamented being out of position in the first half and called goals and assists “gratifying,” but reiterated they aren’t a focus.

“I’m really just trying not to focus on that. I think years past I focused so much and there was a lot of pressure,” Meram said. “Now the maturity level is there and I want to be successful as a group and when I score, it’s a bonus. If it’s an assist, it’s a bonus.”

@AEricksonCD