After a bye week last weekend, Toronto FC were back in action on Saturday facing off against expansion side New York City FC. Heading into the fixture on a three game win streak, TFC were looking to extend their winning run to four games for the first time in club history.



With that successful run in mind, Reds Head Coach Greg Vanney did not experiment with his winning combination in the starting eleven, with only change seeing Michael Bradley returning to the starting XI after missing the victory over D.C. United due to International duty. Even with keeper Joe Bendik and Jozy Altidore back to fitness, the TFC gaffer elected to continue with Chris Konopka between the sticks and Luke Moore up top.



New York entered play a three game unbeaten run of their own courtesy of wins over Montreal and Philadelphia and a draw over Houston.

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The first half was a frustrating one for Toronto, with Giovinco in particularly getting extremely frustrated with both the officiating and the hack slash approach that New York brought to the proceedings.



New York quickly grabbed an early lead when Benoit Cheyrou was called for a handball in the box and David Villa confidently converted on the resulting penalty kick.



Toronto FC supporters got a major fright in the 18th minute when Giovinco was left sprawled on the ground in pain after another hack from a New York player. However, the Atomic Ant was back on his feet a couple of minutes later and looking no worse for wear.



The Reds dominated the scoring chances in the half but could not ultimately find that final ball or finish to equal things up on the scoresheet.



Toronto came closest to opening half goal in the 30th minute when Michael Bradley sent Luke Moore in alone on Josh Saunders, with the New York keeper ultimately quick off his line to cut down the angle and block Moore’s shot.



The Second Half



With Toronto continuing to struggle to engineer scoring chances, New York doubled their lead in the 58th minute when multiple defensive mistakes by Toronto on a single play ended with David Villa tapping the ball into an open net for his second goal of the game.



Following New York’s goal Vanney elected to bring on Designated Player Jozy Altidore in place of Luke Moore. That move almost paid an immediate dividend in the 61 minute when Cheyrou headed a cross that was only stopped by a fantastic reflex save by Saunders.



Toronto continued to endure a frustrating match as the game played out, with the Reds almost constantly exasperated with the officiating of referee Allen Chapman.



New York played out their tactical plan to perfection through the final whistle, with their intent to foul and physically frustrate Toronto clearly evident.



With the defeat, Toronto’s winning streak was put to an end, with the Reds unable to seal a club record fourth straight victory. While this was certainly a somewhat muted effort by Toronto, the loss should not be a major concern for Reds supporters. Whether the Reds were a bit rusty from an extended break from MLS action or just had an off night, overall TFC was still the better team even given the defeat. Referee Allen Chapman did not have a strong game while Toronto ran into a hot keeper in the former of New York City shot stopper Josh Saunders, who was the clear best player on the pitch in this fixture.

What was Damien Perquis so upset at Andrew Jacobson about? This sneaky late-game elbow #MLS #TFC #NYCFC: https://t.co/RKhcQDZeNV — Ives Galarcep (@SoccerByIves) June 21, 2015



Man of the Match



Jonathan Osorio



Canadian International Jonathan Osorio delivered a strong and assured performance in a losing effort. The Toronto-born midfielder linked up well with his teammates in a spirited performance in which his technical ability and offensive creativity was central to Toronto’s scoring chances in the match.



As per usual, Giovinco delivered a number of moments that took away the breath of the crowed and Benoit Cheyrou delivered a fine two-way performance while distributing the ball effectively from the middle of the pitch. On the back line, Ashtone Morgan once again solid defensively while being a positive offensive force on the left flank.



Toronto FC Line-up

1 Chris Konopka

38 Justin Morrow

24 Damien Perquis

15 Eriq Zavaleta

2 Ashtone Morgan

26 Collen Warner

8 Benoit Cheyrou

4 Michael Bradley

21 Jonathan Osorio

10 Sebastian Giovinco

27 Luke Moore



Substitutions: Jozy Altidore for Luke Moore (58); Jackson for Collen Warner (77); Robbie Findley for Ashtone Morgan (83). Who is your Man of the Match?