Toronto FC’s disappointing MLS season ends in Philadelphia with a fifth straight loss

CHESTER, Pa. — Toronto FC’s MLS campaign ended in a dismal 4-0 loss to the Philadelphia Union on Sunday for a fifth straight defeat that signals more work is needed on a roster that was almost completely overhauled after last season.

Daniel Gazdag scored a hat trick and Mikael Uhre added a single for Philadelphia (19-5-10), which secured first place in the Eastern Conference with the win. 

With his first-half goal and assist, Gazdag becomes only the sixth player in league history with at least 20 goals and 10 assists in a single season.

Union goalkeeper Andrew Blake posted his league-leading 15th clean sheet of the season as Philadelphia outshot Toronto 18-6 (9-1 in shots on target).

An undermanned Toronto (9-18-7) suffered its third straight shutout and ended the season with a 293-minute scoring drought. Toronto’s season finished with a whimper with just one win in its last nine outings (1-6-2).

TFC conceded four goals in four of its last five games to match last season’s franchise-worst total of 66 goals against. Its last win was a 2-0 decision at Charlotte on Aug. 27.

Toronto was eliminated from post-season contention Sept. 17 in a 4-0 loss to Orlando City SC and consigned to a 13th-place finish in the Eastern Conference no matter Sunday’s outcome. 

That’s the same position as 2021 in a campaign that cost coach Chris Armas and his successor Javier Perez their jobs.

TFC has gone 15-36-17 since Greg Vanney stepped down as coach in December 2020.

Toronto had a horrendous start Sunday, giving up a goal to Gazdag in the fourth minute. 

The Hungarian international was left unmarked in the Toronto penalty box, volleying the ball home after TFC failed to clear it. 

It was the ninth goal Toronto gave up in the first 15 minutes of a match this season.

Ten minutes later, Argentine forward Julian Carranza hammered a shot off the crossbar with Toronto’s defence caught short again.

Toronto ‘keeper Quentin Westberg took Uhre down outside the penalty box in the 41st minute but escaped punishment when the offside flag went up. 

A minute later, Gazdag found Uhre behind the TFC defence and the Danish forward waited for chasing defender Lukas McNaughton to go past him before curling the ball into the goal for his 13th of the season.

Toronto had a chance to get a goal back in first-half stoppage time but a lunging Mark-Anthony Kaye, off a Jesus Jimenez feed, had his shot blocked by defender Olivier Mbaizo. It was TFC’s lone shot on target in the half.

Kaye appealed unsuccessfully for a penalty in the 55th minute as he tangled with defender Matt Real.

Referee Lukasz Szpala did point to the penalty spot in the 58th minute for handball on Toronto’s Shane O’Neill on a Philadelphia corner. 

The defender didn’t know much about it with the ball coming off Uhre.

Gazdag made no mistake with the spot kick in the 60th minute. He scored again three minutes later, slicing through the Toronto defence and beating Westberg for his 22nd of the campaign.

Hugo Mbongue, an 18-year-old homegrown forward, made his first-team debut for Toronto off the bench in the 68th minute. 

Philadelphia could have scored more had it not been for Westberg as the TFC defence all but crumpled in the dying minutes.

Toronto was missing four starters Sunday. 

Italians Lorenzo Insigne and Domenico Criscito were both out with lower body injuries while midfielder Jonathan Osorio remained sidelined with what he has called a “neurological dysfunction.” Fullback Richie Laryea was suspended.

With both Criscito and Laryea out, coach Bob Bradley switched to a back three.

Osorio has played just 18 minutes since a 2-1 loss Aug. 20 at Inter Miami. The veteran Canadian has been dealing with the consequences of an elbow to the head in a July 13 game at Chicago.

On the plus side, Italian winger Federico Bernardeschi, who had been listed as questionable with a lower-body injury, made the starting 11. Midfielder Kosi Thompson was sidelined by a lower back injury.

Philadelphia was without suspended star fullback Kai Wagner. Captain Alejandro Bedoya, who had missed the last two games with a hip issue, came off the bench in the 74th minute.

TFC was outscored 17-5 in losing five straight. That stretch followed a 4-1-3 run that coincided with the arrival of Insigne and Bernardeschi.

The scenario Sunday was simple for Philadelphia, which went into decision day two points ahead of CF Montreal.

A loss or tie coupled with a Montreal win would drop the Union into second place, and give Montreal a first-round playoff bye, home-field advantage through the Eastern Conference playoffs and possibly the MLS Cup if LAFC stumbles. 

Montreal had the tiebreaker edge with more wins. Montreal (20-9-5) won 3-1 at Inter Miami.

The Union had hoped to win the Supporters’ Shield, which goes to the team with the best regular-season record. But a 0-0 draw at Atlanta and 4-0 loss at Charlotte allowed Los Angeles FC to clinch first place overall — with the berth in the CONCACAF Champions League berth that goes with it.

Philadelphia had gone 11-2-1 before the late-season stumble.

Philadelphia came into Sunday’s game as the only MLS team unbeaten at home (11-0-5) this season having outscored its opponents 45-9, including 34-4 in its previous seven games at Subaru Park. 

The 34 goals and plus-30 goal difference are the most in any span of seven home games in league history.

Toronto finished 2-11-4 on the road. 

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 9, 2022

The Canadian Press