Toronto FC battles Benfica to draw
A raucous crowd of 18,730, many wearing Benfica jerseys, gave a warm reception to the 31-time Portuguese champions. Noted international stars Rui Costa and Manu were cheered every time they touched the ball.
The game itself got off to a slow start, as neither club managed a shot on goal in the first half. The Benfica attackers wowed the BMO FIeld crowd with their one-on-one moves, but there always seemed to be a TFC defender nearby to break up the play and end the scoring chance.
Near the end of the half, striker Manu nearly scored on a wonderful individual effort. The striker carried the ball past two Toronto defenders and appeared to have TFC goalkeeper Greg Sutton off-balance, but his shot was deflected off of the far goal post.
Both teams seemed much more attack-minded in the second half. TFC opened the half with an offensive flurry that included a corner kick and their best scoring chance of the game. Toronto defender Marvell Wynne collected a long downfield ball and sent it to forward Danny Dichio in front of the net. Dichio's shot required an acrobatic falling save by goalkeeper Jose Moreira to keep the game scoreless.
A few minutes later, Benfica answered with a scoring chance of their own. This time it was forward Fabrizio Miccoli who collected a long pass and ran past two Toronto defenders before shooting at point-blank range. Sutton was able to knock the ball out of bounds.
Midfielder Beto followed that chance up with a prime scoring opportunity in the 60th minute that sailed over the net. The Brazilian star was foiled again a few minutes later when his quick shot in front of the net was stopped by substitute keeper Srdjan Djekanovic.
Ronnie O'Brien had a close call in the 69th minute. The Toronto midfielder was in place for a chip shot after a flurry in the Benfica penalty area left Moreira well out of the goalmouth. O'Brien hit the shot with just a bit too much strength, however, and the ball landed on top of the net.
The match was TFC's fourth in the past 12 days, and Toronto coach Mo Johnston took the opportunity to give some of his lesser-used players some field time.
Midfielder Chris Pozniak and striker Andrea Lombardo, who have seen a combined 93 minutes of play this season, were both in the starting lineup. Also starting were midfielders Miguel Canizalez and Marco Reda, both of whom have been hampered by injuries over the last month. Johnston also made seven substitutions in the second half.
Toronto FC will continue their MLS schedule on Saturday in Columbus. Toronto is looking for the first road win in club history after starting the season with three away losses. Saturday is also expected to mark the TFC debut for striker Jeff Cunningham, who was acquired on Tuesday in a trade with Real Salt Lake.
Mark Polishuk is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
