Toronto FC disappointingly came away with a 2-2 tie against the Columbus Crew. Here are three things we learned from Saturday night’s match in Ohio.

Toronto FC were fortunate to play to a 2-2 draw against the Columbus Crew at MAPFRE Stadium on Saturday night. The Reds took a 1-0 lead into the break through midfielder Jonathan Osorio’s strike from distance. Although the visitors out-possessed the Crew by a margin of 64%-36%, Osorio’s goal represented TFC’s only shot on target, while the home side tested keeper Quentin Westberg on multiple occasions.

The match was more balanced during the early stages of the second half, but Columbus’ superiority became more evident as the match wore on, with Pedro Santos and David Accam putting the Crew ahead by the 82nd minute. Jozy Altidore managed to tie the game with a thundering header in stoppage time, but Toronto FC did not deserve to come away with a draw considering the balance of play.

Here are three things we learned from Saturday night’s 2-2 tie in Columbus.

3. Patrick Mullins: Toronto FC’s underrated acquisition

In Jozy Altidore’s absence during the Gold Cup, it became maddeningly apparent back-up strikers Terrence Boyd and Jordan Hamilton were not up to snuff. Toronto FC’s top brass recognized the need to bolster the club’s strikeforce, releasing Boyd and trading Hamilton to the Columbus Crew in exchange for Patrick Mullins. The 27-year-old New Orleans native has done well since joining his new club in July, scoring twice in five total appearances, with his most recent goal securing a 1-1 draw against Orlando City last weekend.

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Mullins did not manage to find the back of the net against his former team. Nevertheless, he was the lone bright spot in an otherwise dull Toronto FC attack. His capacity to play with his back to goal was widely recognized prior to his arrival in Toronto, and thus it would have been easy to typecast him a plodding, immobile striker with limited technical ability. However, Mullins has showcased his passing range since joining the Reds and continued to do so against Columbus, as he played two perfectly placed diagonal balls to left-back Justin Morrow early on.

Moreover, he proved his hold-up play is not simply the result of brute strength by cleverly dropping into narrow half spaces in between the lines, receiving the ball, and quickly moving it on to unencumbered teammates when possible. Although pairing Mullins and Jozy Altidore up-front did not produce the desired results, Mullins’ performance in Columbus lent some credence to manager Greg Vanney’s decision to grant his new striker a starting role against the Crew.