• Suspended last week, Altidore scores winner in tight 2nd leg
• TFC to host MLS Cup final at BMO Field on Dec. 9
TORONTO – It wasn’t exactly a Bobby Baun moment, but Toronto FC will still take it.
Hobbled by an ankle injury suffered earlier in the game, Jozy Altidore emerged as the hero on Wednesday night when he scored the lone goal in Toronto’s 1-0 win over the Columbus Crew in the second leg of Major League Soccer’s Eastern Conference final.
With the victory, TFC advances to the league championship final for a second consecutive year, and will host the MLS Cup on Dec. 9 at BMO Field.
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Altidore took his chance brilliantly on the hour mark, ignoring the pain in his ankle and latching onto a pass from Victor Vazquez before firing home to clinch the aggregate series for the Reds.
Played out before 30,392 spectators, this was a tightly contested match between two sides who engaged in a cat-and-mouse contest in last week’s 0-0 draw in Ohio. Altidore and fellow forward Sebastian Giovinco were suspended for the first leg, but both had a hand in Wednesday’s lone goal, with the Italian serving as the set-up man and the American finishing it off.
Toronto is now 90 minutes away from completing what would surely go down as the single greatest campaign in MLS history. The Reds repeated as Canadian club champions in 2017, and set a new record for most points in a single regular season with 69. All that remains is hoisting the MLS Cup trophy.
TFC coach Greg Vanney made a number of lineup changes from the first leg, reverting back to his preferred 3-5-2 formation with Giovinco and Altidore starting up front instead of lone striker Tosaint Ricketts. Eriq Zavaleta was also inserted back into defence. Nicolas Hasler and Marky Delgado were relegated to the bench. Columbus was missing influential midfielder Artur, as the Brazilian was suspended for yellow-card accumulation. Mohammed Abu started in his place.
The opening half was a tactical chess match, with TFC dominating possession and the Crew dictating the tempo and hitting out in transition. Set up in a 3-2-4-1 formation, Columbus dropped back its two wingbacks and played five across the back line when defending in its half. As a result, Giovinco and Altidore were starved of service, and combined for only a few meaningful touches on the ball.
The Crew nearly opened the scoring on the counter-attack, but Justin Meram dawdled on the ball while closing in on TFC goalkeeper Alex Bono, and Reds captain Michael Bradley made a lung-busting recovery run to prevent the Crew midfielder from getting his shot off. Minutes later, Toronto’s Drew Moor was pulled down inside the 18-yard box. Vazquez stepped up to the penalty spot, and though he stuck it sweetly Columbus goalkeeper Zack Steffen came up with a brilliant save to deny the Spaniard.
Vanney brought on Delgado for Zavaleta at the start of the second half, switching to a 4-3-1-2 formation, with Vazquez pushed forward in support of TFC’s forwards.
Altidore appeared as though he had to come off moments later with an ankle injury after being clattered into from behind by a Crew defender. He struggled at first, but stayed on the pitch, fighting through to the pain to break the deadlock with a marvellous goal.
Giovinco held up the ball on the edge of the box and played a back-heeled pass to Altidore. The American finished off a great give-and-go with Vazquez, burying his shot inside the far post past a helpless Steffen. Altidore carried on, but he eventually he had to be subbed out, and he was replaced by Armando Cooper.
Needing just one goal to win the aggregate series on the away goals rule, the Crew furiously pressed in attack for the final 20 minutes. Their chances were largely fleeting, and came to nothing as TFC saw things out.
NOTES: Toronto will host the winner of the Western Conference final between the Seattle Sounders and Houston Dynamo in the MLS Cup final. Seattle won the first leg 2-0 in Texas. The second leg goes Thursday in Seattle… The Sounders beat TFC at BMO Field in last year’s MLS Cup final via a penalty shootout.
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