Any victory is welcome on the heels of a three-game losing streak, but the way that Toronto FC collected a 2-1 win against the New York Red Bulls on Saturday at BMO Field was particularly heartening, if a bit nerve-racking, for the club.
"We got the second goal at a vital time today because we weren't playing to our maximum," said forward Danny Dichio. "We weren't at our best today but we grinded one out and sometimes you need to do that."
Dichio's goal in the 43rd minute gave TFC a two-goal lead at halftime, but the Red Bulls scored just nine minutes into the second period and then threatened to equalize throughout the rest of the half. Toronto held firm in the face of the pressure, however, and kept a clean sheet the rest of the way in order to secure the triumph.
The Reds became the latest team to hand New York an away loss, as the Red Bulls dropped to 0-7-1 on the road this season. But in spite of the opposition's poor record, TFC interim head coach Chris Cummins knew his side would have a tough time in the second half.
"They're a wounded animal," Cummins said. "They're going to fight, battle for their manager and I thought they did that. ... At halftime we knew they'd come at us. They're not going to roll over, they're fighting for their lives down at the bottom and we knew we'd have to go out there and give a professional performance.
"We've been questioning ourselves to see if we can grind out results, and we showed today that we can do it. It wasn't a pretty game but we ground a result out and the most important thing today was the three points."
TFC had nine shots on goal out of 11 shots overall, a marked improvement for a team that has struggled to be clinical in front of the net this season, particularly over their three-game losing streak. The Reds had just one goal on 44 shots over those previous three matches, but were able to convert just three minutes into Saturday's contest.
Following a handball in the box by New York midfielder Seth Stammler, Amado Guevara lined up for a penalty kick that was stopped by Red Bulls goalkeeper Danny Cepero. The rebound, however, went right to TFC rookie Sam Cronin, who found the back of the net for the first time in his young professional career.
"It was an important goal for us. I don't expect Amado to miss from there, but I found myself in a good spot and I put it away," Cronin said. "My job at the top of the box is to make sure that if there's a rebound, you're there for it. So I tried to get inside of the New York guys and the ball landed right at my feet."
The goal is the latest highlight of what has been an outstanding rookie campaign for Cronin. The second overall pick in the 2009 MLS SuperDraft has started 13 of Toronto's 14 games this season and become a threat on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball.
Cronin showed some of that defensive prowess on Saturday. With regular fullbacks Marvell Wynne and Jim Brennan out of action, TFC started the match in a 3-4-3 alignment, but then switched to 4-4-2 as the Red Bulls began to pour on the pressure. Cronin dropped into the fullback role and acquitted himself quite well in keeping his club ahead.
"Sammy, he came in and did the job in a right-sided position," said midfielder Carl Robinson. "He's a good kid. He's willing to listen and learn any play in any position and that's important as a young footballer because you get to realize about other people's jobs."
Toronto hasn't made things easy on themselves this season, as six of their seven wins this season (in both league play and the Canadian Championship) have been by one-goal margins. Dichio's goal looked as if the Reds would finally have a bit of breathing room, but Albert Celades' strike early in the second half once again had the Reds hanging on.
While Cronin was pleased that his side was able to pull out the win, he also pointed out that TFC can't afford to let up, no matter the score or the opposition.
"Having the two at the start is great, and going up at halftime 2-0, you should make it easier on yourself," Cronin said. "We kind of sat back a little too deep, didn't apply enough pressure and as a result let them define the game a little bit more and obviously we gave up what I think was a soft goal.
"A team like New York, you've got to think they're questioning themselves a little bit at the bottom of the [league] table. After the two early goals you thought maybe they'd crumble, but they showed good heart and came back in the second half and fought hard."
With this win under their belts, the focus now shifts to Thursday, when the Reds will travel to Montreal with a major task ahead of them in the Nutrilite Canadian Championship. TFC will have to win by at least four goals in order to capture the Voyageurs Cup and earn the right to represent Canada in the CONCACAF Champions League. Even a 3-0 win over the Montreal Impact wouldn't be enough, as Vancouver Whitecaps FC would win the title on goal differential.
Cummins thinks the strong attacking that TFC showed against New York is a sign that Toronto is capable of a four-goal outburst.
"We've given ourselves a bit of a boost. ... We scored a couple of goals tonight which I think will give us confidence and it's important that we go into the [Montreal] game with that," Cummins said. "We weren't really looking ahead at the game since we just take every game as it comes, but the lads will have a couple of days rest and now everything is geared around getting those four goals in Montreal. We still think we're in it. It's in our hands, so if we go out there and show composure in front of goal then we'll have a chance."
