Toronto FC were not able to create much danger during the opening half of their match against the Portland Timbers -- but the same could not be said about the Reds in the second half.
Toronto added to their lead in the race for the Supporters' Shield on Saturday night by defeating the Timbers 4-1 at BMO Field. All the goals came after halftime, with Justin Morrow bagging a brace, and Victor Vazquez and Marky Delgado adding a tally each before Diego Valeri found a late consolation goal for Portland.
The victory moved table-topping Toronto FC to 47 points on the year.
Goals
- 58' – TOR – Justin Morrow Watch
- 72' – TOR – Victor Vazquez Watch
- 78' – TOR – Justin Morrow Watch
- 87' – TOR – Marky Delgado Watch
- 89' – POR – Diego Valeri Watch
Three Things
- TALE OF TWO HALVES: The opening stanza proceeded mostly uneventfully, but things changed for the better after the break. Thanks to a blunder from Alvas Powell, Toronto FC forced the Timbers to open up. Toronto made good use of that extra space in behind, as evidenced by their gorgeous team goal in the 78th minute, and they piled it on from there.
- LACKING VENOM: Aside from Valeri's solo run in the dying moments of the game, Portland just did not offer a whole lot in the attacking half. The absence of the injured Fanendo Adi played a role in that, of course, but still, the Timbers as a whole fell flat when it came to generating ideas in the final third. Lone forward Darren Mattocks and winger Darlington Nagbe were especially quiet, which hurt the Western Conference side's cause tremendously.
- MORROW THE MAGNIFICENT: While Toronto as a whole impressed in the closing 45 minutes, no one should underrate Morrow's overall performance. He defended sturdily and attacked with quality, getting forward well and scoring two well-taken goals. His first came via an authoritative finish into the roof of the net after Powell's hiccup, and the second was a solid strike to cap a beautiful passing sequence.
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