SANDY, Utah — Toronto FC remains a work in progress early in the MLS season, a group that can delight at one end and disappoint at the other. But it seems headed in the right direction under veteran coach Bob Bradley.
There was more proof of that Saturday when highlight-reel first MLS goals by 19-year-olds Kosi Thompson and Jayden Nelson helped Toronto rally for a 2-2 draw against Real Salt Lake.
It was a rare point for Toronto (2-2-2) in Utah. TFC has not won in the Beehive State since its first visit there, a 2-1 victory in July 2007. Since then, Salt Lake has won eight of 10 (8-0-2) against Toronto.
"This is a very difficult place to play," said Bradley, who has given youth its chance this season and benefited from it Saturday.
RSL outshot Toronto 16-7 (4-3 in shots on target) and had eight corners to Toronto's three.
Nelson secured the tie when he stole the ball off Damir Kreilach after the Salt Lake captain got it from goalkeeper Zac MacMath. Nelson looked up, saw McMath was out of position and fired it home from 35 yards-plus in the 79th minute.
"A fantastic goal," said Bradley, who has seen a few. "The confidence, just the recognition of the moment where the 'keeper's out and now you can take advantage of it."
Salt Lake cried foul but the goal survived video review with referee Marcos de Oliveira ruling Nelson had not fouled. The goal came in Nelson's 20th MLS regular-season appearance.
"It looks like there was contact," said RSL coach Pablo Mastroeni. "It's the referee's discretion … I was hoping that he was going to overturn the call but I didn't work out in our favour tonight. I hope in the future we'll get a break."
Toronto defender Carlos Salcedo, who had a difficult game in returning to where he started his MLS career, was sent off in the 86th minute for a high boot that caught Sergio Cordova in the face.
It's the second red card this season for the Mexican international, who was assessed a retroactive ban by the MLS disciplinary committee for serious foul play in TFC's home opener, a 4-1 loss to the New York Red Bulls.
Salcedo, who has played in Mexico, Italy and Germany between his MLS stints, is a talented defender but is somewhat of a riverboat gambler when it comes to challenges. Most work. Some come at a cost.
Veteran Justin Meram opened the scoring in the seventh minute for Salt Lake (3-1-3) after Jacob Shaffelburg lost the ball to Maikel Chang in midfield. Two passes later it was on the feet of the American-born Iraq international who, despite facing four TFC defenders, hammered a shot into the top corner past Alex Bono from just outside the penalty box.
Some fancy footwork by Meram made room for the shot, with onrushing TFC captain Michael Bradley unable to adjust. It was Meram's 49th career regular-season goal.
Shaffelburg made amends two minutes later with a fine run down the left flank, that started on Toronto's side of midfield, before floating a cross that found Thompson, who acrobatically volleyed it home with his left foot in his second MLS start.
Kreilach made it 2-1 for the home side in the 43rd, ghosting into the penalty box and chesting down Chang's perfect cross before knocking it past Bono from close range. Defender Lukas MacNaughton went up for the ball but failed to get his head on it and the Croatian midfielder made him pay.
Chang was given too much time to aim his cross at the far post.
Toronto was coming off back-to-back home wins over D.C. United and New York City FC. And Bradley stuck with the winning lineup, going with the same starting 11 as last time out against NYCFC.
Midfielder Jonathan Osorio extended his club record by making his 298th appearance for Toronto in all competitions.
Salt Lake has not lost a home match to an Eastern Conference opponent since July 2017 when it was beaten 1-0 by Orlando. RSL has gone 10-0-5 at Rio Tinto Stadium against Eastern Conference visitors since.
In 2021, RSL was 9-4-4 at home, a club record, with seven straight victories.
Salt Lake is now 2-0-1 at home this season. Toronto is 0-1-2 on the road.
While Toronto snapped a nine-game winless streak dating back to early October with the consecutive home victories, it has not won in its last 11 away games (0-7-4) since a 2-1 win in Chicago in early July.
Its last victory at a Western opponent was September 2017 at the Los Angeles Galaxy, albeit with limited meetings with Western foes during the pandemic-disrupted 2020 and '21 seasons.
Toronto was without wingback Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty (knee) and forward Ayo Akinola (recovering from knee surgery).
RSL's injury list was longer with Zack Farnsworth (ankle), Justen Glad (hamstring), Bret Halsey (ankle), Erik Holt (foot), Johan Kappelhof (calf), Jonathan Menendez, Jasper Loffelsend (hamstring), David Ochoa (quad) and Bobby Wood (hamstring) not dressed.
Salt Lake started 17-year-old centre back Jaziel Orozco for the second week in a row. Last time out, the Mexican youth international became the youngest RSL player to start an MLS game, breaking Freddy Adu's 2007 club record by five days.
It was “Utah Jazz Night” at Rio Tinto Stadium.
---
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 9, 2022
The Canadian Press
