TORONTO – There is an old saying about draws: in the end, nobody is happy.
That was the case on Wednesday night, as Toronto FC and D.C. United exited BMO Field after a 4-4 draw that could only be described as wild.
D.C. took the lead through three first half goals, only for TFC to storm back in the second half, equalizing in the 86th minute. The visitors then retook the lead in the final minute of regulation, but Nick Hagglund again rose up at the back post for his second towering header of the match, to tie it at 4-4 in stoppage-time.
“It's tough to get a hold of your thoughts after a match like that,” said D.C. coach Ben Olsen after the game. “To [be] up with a few minutes to go and to then give up the fourth is a tough blow. But if I can step out of the moment, and the emotion of the game... getting a point in Toronto, against a very good team, that's OK. But given the circumstances it hurts to not get more.”
His players shared that anguish.
“Disappointed,” said defender Steve Birnbaum. “It is unacceptable being up 3-0 and then 4-3. Away, if we get four goals, we've got to win the game.
“It’s tough. The guys tried really hard tonight; there was a lot of grit throughout, but we've got to be sharper in certain moments: defend the goal; make some plays in the end to not let that happen,” he continued. “We're going to have to look at some film. It is a point on the road, but it feels like a loss right now.”
Even Paul Arriola, who scored a goal and picked up an assist in the rampant first half, could not enjoy the night.
“It is very frustrating to just come away with a point,” said Arriola. “I would take three points over a goal any day, especially in the difficult situation we're in right now.”
Both teams felt there was another element at play that emphasized the two-sided nature of the night: the wind, rushing from north to south throughout the match on a stormy day in Toronto, pinning TFC back in the first half and D.C. in the second.
“It was always going to be two halves,” said Olsen. “Elements that meant more joy for one team on that far end.”
That caught Toronto off guard at the start and was at their backs in the end.
“We didn't set up the team to play against a strong wind. We didn't have an outlet in terms of size; kept finding ourselves playing backwards and the ability to release the ball wasn't really there, it was just holding up in the wind. And some poor choices: too slow to clear balls, back passes when we needed to move forward. We were a little naive with some of our choices,” admitted Toronto head coach Greg Vanney. “Second half we readjusted our shape, we're able to build momentum, finish some of our attacks to win balls back higher and build pressure.”
He credited Hagglund as an emergency forward with the final push needed: “Nick getting up in the box was a huge reason why we were able to get something out of this game. It was an aggressive, relentless second half.”
The turnaround was a reversal of Toronto's performance in Columbus on June 2, when they posted a 3-0 lead before conceding three times and settling for a draw against Crew SC.
“Wild game,” added Vanney. “But given the way it started, we can't be too picky about taking a point out of this one. It was a touch of the game in Columbus, but we were on the other side of it.”
Draws, nobody likes them.
“Inconsistency. Not being good enough,” said Toronto midfielder Michael Bradley. “I don't have a whole lot more than that right now. It was a crazy night. In the first half we were poor. The second half is a decent response, but these are games that we should win.”
