



TFC went into Gillette Stadium hoping to end their 2 game skid against the New England Revolution. After a relatively balanced first half and a tense second, Toronto was able to walk away from Foxborough with a point thanks to a goal by Sebastian Giovinco and some skillful goaltending by Clint Irwin. But many concerns emerged in Toronto's game after landing a mere one shot on net.



I don't want to change the world, I just want a win in New England. Open Player in a New Window | Subscribe | iTunes | MP3 The Opening 45



A rather balanced half saw both teams rather equally balanced for the first 30 minutes, but unfortunately Toronto was unable to nab any chances while New England found several, including Kelyn Rowe's header off a beautiful cross by Je-Vaughn Watson that resulted in a goal in the 14th minute. TFC shifted Marco Delgado at about the half-hour mark and gained control of the ball but was unable to connect with their best chances, a header by Jozy Altidore and a shot by Giovinco, both missing the target. The more I look at it, I think Moor should have been called for a penalty. Ref got that one wrong, IMO. #TFC benefits from the non-call. — John Molinaro (@JohnMolinaro) April 9, 2016 Forgot too add my 2 cents on the #tfc match today. Thanks refs u helped us out on that one 👍 — Marc SWISS Lang (@swissrules69) April 10, 2016

The Second Half



Despite having momentum going into the second half and controlling the ball, Toronto seemed overwhelmed by New England's offence for much of the second half, with the Revs landing 7 shots to Toronto's 2. But one of Toronto's chances resulted in a goal when José Gonçalves deflected a shot by Giovinco out of reach of Bobby Shuttleworth in the 57th minute. Toronto, with some help from the refs who declared a shot by Lee Nguyen that found the back of the net in extra time void, was able to hold on for a draw.



Man of the Match



Clint Irwin



With 8 of New England's 13 shots landing on target, Irwin played a big role in this game. With a combination of Toronto's lack of chances and his several key saves, most notably against Nguyen and Teal Bunbury, Irwin was crucial to Toronto earning a draw in this game.



Notes



Toronto's offensive struggles, lack of chances and dependence on Giovinco are becoming concerning. While it is early, it is a problem that needs to be solved and more depth is needed upfront soon with the lingering risk of losing Giovinco, Bradley and Altidore come June and July. While signing Tosaint Ricketts would solve one of these issues, Greg Vanney needs to make some changes.



Canadian national team fans should also hope Gershon Koffie's FIFA status gets sorted soon; his pass completion rate was in excess of 90% and he was key to New England's performance today.



Altidore



Giovinco



Osorio Bradley Johnson Delgado



Morrow Moor Perquis Perquis



Irwin



Subs: Babouli (70th, for Altidore), Morgan (84th, for Delgado)