• New England Revolution 1 (Penilla 10’), Toronto FC 4 (Giovinco 36’; Janson 53’; Vazquez 58’; Delgado 81’)

• TFC still alive in MLS playoff race with 4 games left

• Giovinco scores team-leading 12th goal of season



TORONTO — The reigning MLS Cup champs have a little bit of fight left in them.

Facing elimination from playoff contention on Saturday night, Toronto FC managed to remain in the picture thanks to an emphatic 4-1 win over the New England Revolution before 24, 710 fans at BMO Field.

TFC would have been officially eliminated had they lost to New England, and if the Montreal Impact won their road game against D.C. United.

Instead, the Impact lost, and Toronto won to improve its record to 9-15-6 on the year, and close the gap to seven points on Montreal, who hold down the sixth and final playoff berth in the Eastern Conference.

For a TFC side that has struggled in MLS this year, this effort against the Revolution was easily their best overall performance in quite some time, and served as a throwback to the type of soccer they played last year. It was also encouraging to see Lucas Janson, who came on as an early substitute, put in a man-of-the-match outing and effectively link up with Victor Vazquez and Sebastian Giovinco.

The result shouldn’t give TFC fans a false sense of hope, though. It still looks pretty dire for the Reds, who remain in ninth place in the East and only have four matches left in the season. They have a game in hand on the Impact, and will visit Montreal next month. But they’ll have to run the table and win out in order to have a shot at the playoffs, and even that might won’t be enough.

Where do they go from here? What do they do after this win?

“Keep playing. Keep winning. That’s what we have to do. With every win, we put a little bit of pressure on the teams in front of us to have to keep getting results. We play it that way,” Toronto coach Greg Vanney said.

“We know that, ultimately, it’s not in our control. But what is, is trying to get four more wins from four games.”

It was a sentiment echoed by captain Michael Bradley.

“It’s one game. A good game, for sure. But you’re not going to make any sweeping conclusions based on one game. … We’re going to continue to fight, we’re going to continue to play, and we’re going to try to continue to take care of our business,” Bradley said.

“Until somebody says the math no longer checks out, we’re going to keep trying to play, put wins together and see where it takes us.”

Veteran defender Drew Moor missed his third straight game with a calf injury for Toronto on Saturday. As a result, Bradley once again shifted from midfield to the centre of a three-man defence, flanked by Chris Mavinga and Gregory van der Wiel. New England was without centre back Antonio Delamea due to suspension.

The opening half resembled a track meet, with end-to-end action and quick counterattacking by both sides. It took only 10 minutes for the visitors to break the deadlock. Luis Caicedo slipped in behind Toronto’s defence and burst into the penalty area where a mad scramble ensued. TFC couldn’t clear its lines, and Caicedo slipped a pass to Cristian Penilla, who beat goalkeeper Alex Bono with a low shot from eight yards out.

Things went from bad to worse for the Reds minutes later. Forward Jozy Altidore, who was nursing an ankle injury, fell to the ground in a heap after a challenge. He was subbed out and went straight back to the locker-room, and was replaced by Janson.

The game appeared to be slipping away from the home side, but they hung in there and eventually equalized. Following some muck work in midfield by Marky Delgado, Vazquez played an exquisite through ball for Giovinco. The Italian took it in full stride and then hit a gorgeous shot from just outside the penalty area into the far top corner past Revolution goalkeeper Brad Knighton. It was Giovinco’s team-leading 12th goal of the season.

Toronto owned the second half with a blistering attack, registering nine shots on target, compared to just two through the first 45 minutes. New England’s pressing game wasn’t effective, so Vanney decided to push Bradley forward, and encouraged his attacking players to get out wide and pull New England’s centre backs out of position.

“Once we got the momentum moving forward, then great [scoring] opportunities began to present themselves,” Vanney said of his team’s dominant showing in the second half.

He later added, “The performance was very professional … I’d be lying to say if it didn’t cross my mind how this team is not in the playoff picture right now.”

Jonathan Osorio looked to have given Toronto a 2-1 lead shortly after the halftime break but his goal was disallowed after being reviewed by the Video Assistant Referee, presumably for a foul by the Canadian in the buildup.

Janson’s goal moments later wouldn’t be ruled out, though. The Argentine latched onto a pass from Giovinco and then scored on his rebound from inside the box to put Toronto ahead.

“To have Lucas available, every time he’s played he’s given everything he’s had on the field. … [He] came on and gave us a great spark,” Vanney offered.

Vazquez padded TFC’s advantage when he converted from the penalty spot after Bradley was hacked down inside the 18-yard box.

Delgado sealed the win with a late goal, nodding home at the far post after Knighton tipped Osorio’s centering pass.

NOTES: New England leads the all-time series against Toronto, with 13 wins and nine draws in 29 meetings… TFC hosts the Vancouver Whitecaps next Saturday at BMO Field. After that, the Reds visit D.C. United and Montreal before wrapping up the season at home against Atlanta United on Oct. 28.