Colorado Rapids 1, Toronto FC 0 | 2016 MLS Match Recap

Charles Boehm

The Colorado Rapids eked out a 1-0 win over Toronto FC at Dick's Sporting Goods Park on Saturday night, but their visitors from Canada made them work hard for the three points.

Referee Ismail Elfath brandished a second yellow card at TFC midfielder Benoit Cheyrou in just the 13th minute, forcing his team to labor shorthanded for most of the evening in the mile-high altitude.

Yet the home side let them hang around until the very end, as poor finishing prevented the Rapids from padding the lead given to them by Luis Solignac in the 18th minute.

Toronto moved to a 3-3-3 formation and brought Jozy Altidore off the bench down the stretch, and were nearly rewarded as Colorado had to defend desperately in the final minutes. But Zac MacMath earned a clean sheet and TFC had to accept their second straight 1-0 defeat as their eight-game season-opening road trip rolls on while BMO Field is remodeled.

Box score

18' - COL - Luis Solignac (Marco Pappa)
Full box score
Stats

Three things

Conservative Colorado: The Rapids have brought in plenty of attacking firepower over the past year-plus, yet they still seem allergic to scoring more than the absolute minimum. They managed only one goal tonight despite a numerical advantage for nearly the entire game, and have yet to produce a multi-goal outing in 2016. Then again, they've yet to allow more than one goal in a game yet, either. Maybe Pablo Mastroeni is content to keep grinding along.
Yet Another Red Card: This match marked the weekend's third straight 1-0 result with a red card, and ran the league-wide total of ejections to 15 after barely a month of play. If referees have laid down a new, stricter standard for foul play, it's taking the players a while to adapt to the new expectations. Cheyrou's yellow was followed with a second shortly after, when he flew into an aerial clash with Bobby Burling with a high elbow.
TFC Hanging Tough: Elbows aside, the Reds have reason to feel hard done by. In back-to-back matches, they've played well in tough circumstances only to fall 1-0 amid refereeing controversy. Coach Greg Vanney can take heart from his team's resilience and unity as their long stretch of road games continues, especially with Altidore still working his way back to full match fitness.