Toronto FC lays an egg against Inter Miami and falls further out of the playoff picture

Toronto FC did not travel to south Florida for a vacation but it did look like lazy, clued-out tourists on Saturday night against Inter Miami, particularly the back line.

The result was a 3-1 loss to a revitalized Miami team at DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale and a further blow to Toronto’s tenuous playoff hopes.

It will take a near-miracle now for TFC to move into a playoff position. Not just because the Reds sit 12 points below the playoff line. But they would have to leap-frog over seven teams with only 13 games remaining. Almost certainly one or two of the seven teams ahead of TFC will play well as the MLS schedule unwinds, making even more difficult for the Reds to climb the table.

TFC has now gone 17 straight games without being able to record a clean sheet, the longest drought in the club’s history. And that certainly wasn’t not the fault on Saturday of goalkeeper Quentin Westberg, who made a number of great saves against Inter Miami.

Saturday’s tally would have been even more one-sided if not for Westberg. To rub salt into his wounds, he received a accidental kick in the face in the second half from Miami forward Robbie Robinson but was OK and remained in the game.

Rodolfo Pizarro scored two goals for the hosts, Robinson added one while midfielder Kieran Gibbs scored an own goal to put TFC on the board in the second half.

At times, TFC dominated possession, but did not have the pace needed to break down Miami qualify scoring chances.

TFC hasn’t won in six straight games, have posted three straight losses and has given up a MLS-high 44 goals this season, 11 in the first 15 minutes of games. Miami has won four straight at home, the longest in the club’s MLS history.

Saturday’s match was a nightmare for starting TFC defenders Omar Gonzalez and Luke Singh, though in Singh’s defence, the Brampton native is only 20 years old and started only for the fifth time against Miami. Gonzalez on the other hand, has been very inconsistent the entire season.

Afterwards, TFC coach Javier Perez blamed himself for the “very, very poor” effort, starting with his player selection, though Gonzalez waved aside that.

“Times like these the coach tries to take the blame for everything and tries to protect the players, but if we’re honest, if we’re looking at ourselves in the mirror, how many of us can say that we were ready to play tonight, ready to give it all?” said the veteran defender. “Were enough guys honestly ready to go? I don’t think so, or we would have different first 15 minutes of the game. It’s hard to swallow. We’re trying to dig ourselves out but somehow we keep digging ourselves even deeper by making these mistakes.

“Javey picked the squad and everyone was confident coming into the game, but once the game started … Maybe I didn’t word it correctly, but the group that Javey picked stepped on the field looking to get a result, and it didn’t happen. Of course we’re giving it our all. No one quit tonight. I personally was dying out there, but I kept going. Other guys kept going. But we’re not giving up. We’re not going to quit or give up on this club.”

TFC was without forward Jozy Altidore (right foot surgery), midfielder Ralph Priso (right ankle injury), forward Ayo Akinola (ACL surgery), centre back Chris Mavinga (family issue), winger Tsubasa Endoh (lower body injury), veteran Dom Dwyer (lower body injury). The Reds sincerely missed Mavinga.

Rodolfo Pizarro scored two goals for the hosts, Robinson added one while midfielder Kieran Gibbs scored an own goal to put TFC on the board in the second half.

At times, TFC dominated possession, but did not have the pace needed to break down Miami qualify scoring chances.

TFC hasn’t won in six straight games, have posted three straight losses and has given up a MLS-high 44 goals this season, 11 in the first 15 minutes of games. Miami has won four straight at home, the longest in the club’s MLS history.

Saturday’s match was a nightmare for starting TFC defenders Omar Gonzalez and Luke Singh, though in Singh’s defence, the Brampton native is only 20 years old and started only for the fifth time against Miami. Gonzalez on the other hand, has been very inconsistent the entire season.

TFC was without forward Jozy Altidore (right foot surgery), midfielder Ralph Priso (right ankle injury), forward Ayo Akinola (ACL surgery), centre back Chris Mavinga (family issue), winger Tsubasa Endoh (lower body injury), veteran Dom Dwyer (lower body injury). The Reds sincerely missed Mavinga.

TFC captain Michael Bradley did not start for the second time in three games, though coach Javier Perez brought him into the match to start the second half.

Miami had a great chance to score in the sixth minute when Christian Makoun left footed shot wide from outside the box.

Westberg, making his second straight start, kept Miami off the score board in the 14th minute when he made a great foot save on a right-foot shot by Pizarro. However, Pizarro did score one minute later when he picked up a pass from Gonzalo Higuaín, faked out Singh with a shot fake and then left-footed a shot into the goal from the centre of the box.

Miami continued to make some clever attacking plays in Toronto’s third of the field in the first half.

The Reds almost tied it when Yeferson Soteldo right-footed a free kick from outside of the box and rang the shot off the crossbar in the 23rd minute.

TFC’s other DP, Alejandro Pozuelo, almost linked up with Achara for a great scoring play in the 33rd minute but the Nigerian forward couldn’t reach the pass. One minute later, Robinson scored on a counter-attack when he faked out another TFC defender, this time Gonzalez, and left-footed a chip shot into the goal for a 2-0 lead for the home side.

Gonzalo Higuaín then danced around both Gonzalez and Singh and tried to chip a shot over Westberg, who made the save. The French-American keeper made a second tremendous save on Pizarro in the 43rd minute after the star attacking midfielder was fed a pass right through the TFC backline.

TFC captain Michael Bradley did not start for the second time in three games, though Perez brought him into the match to start the second half.

Westberg, making his second straight start, kept Miami off the score board in the 14th minute when he made a great foot save on a right-foot shot by Pizarro. However, Pizarro did score one minute later when he picked up a pass from Gonzalo Higuaín, faked out Singh with a shot fake and then left-footed a shot into the goal from the centre of the box.

The Reds almost tied it when Yeferson Soteldo right-footed a free kick from outside of the box and rang the shot off the crossbar in the 23rd minute.

Shortly after, Robinson scored on a counter-attack when he faked out another TFC defender, this time Gonzalez, and left-footed a chip shot into the goal for a 2-0 lead for the home side.

Westberg made a second tremendous save on Pizarro in the 43rd minute after the star attacking midfielder was fed a pass right through the TFC backline. Soteldo showed flashes of brilliance but his game was, again, inconsistent and he and Pozuelo have yet to really click for a full game.

Pizarro scored his second of the match at the start of the second half after another break down by the TFC back line (Singh) and scored on a right-footed chip shot. Shortly after that goal, Singh was replaced by veteran defender Justin Morrow.

Toronto’s goal came in the 62nd minute when Gibbs headed a Soteldo cross into his own goal.

Miami posted 13 shots to six by TFC and held the edge in shots on goal as well, 6-2.

GIOVINCO LINKED WITH THE CREW

Former TFC star striker Sebastian Giovinco, the Reds’ all-time leading scorer and former MLS MVP, has mutually terminated his contract with Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal and there are reports that former TFC GM Tim Bazbatchenko, now the head man with the Columbus Crew, is in talks to bring the Atomic Ant to the Ohio-based club, which would certainly not sit well with Toronto fans, who have suffered through the 2021 season. Giovinco, 34, was a key player in TFC’s great 2017 campaign when the team won the Domestic Treble.

TFC next plays on Friday night against CF Montreal.