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After drawing against the Vancouver Whitecaps on Wednesday, Toronto FC was back in action on the road Saturday night against the Houston Dynamo.
Houston entered the match having lost their last four contests, including a 4-2 defeat to Toronto at BMO Field just last weekend.
Manager Ryan Nelsen opted for a 4-4-2 formation, pairing Luke Moore with Gilberto up front to start.
The Opening 45
Toronto and Houston played a lively and wide-open first half, as both clubs traded chances (and mistakes).
A miscommunication in the 11th minute between keeper Joe Bendik and defender Bradley Orr proved costly for Toronto, as Will Bruin staked Houston to a 1-0 lead.
Orr poked a pass by Bendik straight on to the foot of Bruin, who made no mistake in finishing off the gift from the Toronto defender and calmly slotted home.
Toronto wasted little time to draw level, with the breakthrough coming from Gilberto’s second goal of the season in the 18th minute. The Brazilian placed his shot from the top of the 18-yard box into the bottom left corner after receiving a brilliant touch pass from Justin Morrow.
A sloppy Toronto turnover in the midfield helped Houston pull ahead in the 26th minute, as Giles Barnes’ rocket shot from distance beat Bendik to the bottom left corner.
The Reds nearly pulled even just seconds later, but Michael Bradley rang his shot from the penalty spot off the right post after Corey Ashe brought down Luke Moore in the Houston box.
Brad Davis almost doubled Houston’s lead in the 37th minute, but his shot from just outside the box flew past the right post.
In stoppage time, Dominic Oduro chested in from close range following a great run and pass from Moore to tie the game for Toronto once again.
The Second Half
The opening minute of the second half picked up right where the first left off, as Toronto nearly pulled ahead on a shot from Moore that was punched wide by Houston keeper Tally Hall.
Just seconds after coming on, substitute Daniel Lovitz set up Moore for a blast from outside the box, but he saw his shot turned aside confidently by Hall.
Bruin and Davis both came close to putting Houston ahead in the final 15 minutes, however Bendik was up to task in denying both opportunities from close range.
In the final minutes Jermain Defoe and David Horst nearly came to blows, but curiously, only Defoe was shown a yellow card after the altercation.
Man of the Match
Luke Moore
The forward was all over the field for Toronto, setting up Dominic Oduro’s goal just seconds before the half-time whistle and creating several offensive opportunities for Toronto.
Honourable Mention
Gilberto scored a brilliant goal for the Reds and appears to be gaining confidence as the season progresses. Bendik made several key stops to help preserve a point for Toronto.
Toronto FC Line-Up
12 Joe Bendik
2 Justin Morrow
16 Bradley Orr
15 Doneil Henry
17Nick Hagglund
21 Jonathan Osorio
18 Collen Warner
4 Michael Bradley
23 Dominic Oduro
19 Luke Moore
9 Gilberto
Substitutions: Jermain Defoe for Gilberto (63), Daniel Lovitz for Jonathan Osorio (70), Dwayne De Rosario for Luke Moore (80).
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