The New York Red Bulls drew 1-1 away at Toronto FC at BMO Field in an uninspiring showing that was quickly soured by the loss of star forward Lewis Morgan.
The Scottish international made his first start since the opening match of the season in February after recovering from a knee injury, but lasted only 24 minutes when he suffered an apparent quad injury.
Toronto was sluggish in the first half and New York was able to capitalize, creating a host of dangerous chances. In the 20th minute, Mohamed Sofo was able to steal the ball off Maxime Rodriguez to start a counter-attack well into the TFC half. Forsberg was able to feed in Morgan between two men, but saw his shot saved by captain Sean Johnson. The rebound fell kindly to Sofo, who tapped it into an open net from six yards out for his eighth goal of the season.
Wiktor Bogacz, who subbed in for the injured Morgan, nearly doubled New York’s lead 10 minutes later, but Johnson got low quickly to save a right-footed shot at the near post.
TFC had a chance to equalize right before the halftime break, when Alonso Coello found himself with time on the right wing to cross a ball towards the far post. Kosi Thompson connected with the ball, and some home fans thought the ball went in and started celebrating, but it was just wide of the post and in the side-netting.
Toronto seemed to gain some rhythm and had another chance, as Theo Corbeanu’s low cross fell to Derrick Etienne in the fourth minute of added time, but the shot was skied horribly high and wide.
The Red Bulls started the worse of the two sides after the break, and the Toronto side carried their momentum into a corner in the 51st minute. Coello’s initial ball in was returned to him, and this time, he opted for the far post, where Sigurd Rosted headed the ball back into the danger zone. Corbeanu rose above everyone else to thump home the equalizer in front of his home fans. It was Toronto’s first shot on target all match.
New York’s luck with injuries worsened when Raheem Edwards had to be taken off in the 62nd minute after suffering a non-contact injury. Omar Valencia replaced him and made his first appearance since an injury in late May. Bogacz also had to be taken off due to an injury in the 77th minute due to a concussion, with Dennis Gjengaar replacing him.
Neither team could threaten the defence in the end, and Toronto would presumably be the happier of the two sides, having been on a three-match losing streak. They sit three points off the bottom of the Eastern Conference in 14th, while the Red Bulls could not solidify their playoff position and remain in seventh. However, New York City FC, below them, are tied on points with a game in hand, while Inter Miami, above them, are a point ahead but have three games in hand due to Club World Cup activities.
The Red Bulls have a quick turnaround as they return home to play Minnesota United on Saturday at Sports Illustrated Stadium. The Loons are third in the Western Conference, having just beaten the Houston Dynamo 3-1 thanks to a Bongokuhle Hlongwane brace.
