TORONTO — As the Toronto FC players walked off the pitch in disappointment Thursday night, the scene spoke volumes about just how far the team has come.
Marco Velez earned his first Major League Soccer goal Thursday, but Toronto had to settle for a 1-1 tie with the New York Red Bull and saw its franchise-high three-game win streak come to an end.
"They're disappointed in there, and they're disappointed because they know how far we've come," Toronto coach John Carver said after the game.
Dave van den Bergh scored the lone goal for New York (2-1-2) on a free kick in the first half.
Toronto FC Danny Dichio battles for the ball with New York Red Bulls Hunter Freeman, left, during the first half of their MLS soccer match in Toronto, May 1, 2008. (Mark Blinch/Reuters)
Toronto (3-2-1), which won just six games all of last season but is now unbeaten in four straight outings, opened the scoring for the fourth consecutive game, when Laurent Robert's curling free kick from 20 yards out found the head of a wide open Velez in the 22nd minute.
Velez, who's in his first MLS season after stints with Puerto Rico and Seattle of the United Soccer Leagues, sprinted by the Toronto bench in celebration.
"He hit me right in the jaw, I think he broke my jaw," Carver said laughing. "But you could see from Marco his delight. It was a great header, a great ball in by Laurent, and I think a little bit of his frustration came out there. He's been under a little bit of pressure from everybody, and he's done ever so well."
Velez said he was swept up in the excitement of scoring his first goal at home, in front of the crowd of 19,816 fans that braved the cold at BMO Field
"I just felt a passion in me, and just ran around yelling," said the defender. "I just wanted to get everybody involved in the celebration, when I score I feel everybody scores, so I wanted everybody to be involved and celebrate at the same time."
New York replied 16 minutes later, when Toronto defender Tyrone Marshall was called for a hand ball just outside the penalty area, and van den Bergh fired a free kick to the left corner past Toronto 'keeper Greg Sutton.
Play was evenly matched throughout the game on the chilly night, the draw being a just result in Carver's view.
"We got a 'scruffy point' as I call it, we've not really been on top form, we've not really played a great deal of football," said the coach. "But I will not fault their effort, I thought their effort was fantastic."
And while the coach will take the draw, the team's early-season push has the players thinking bigger.
"If this was last year and we were to get a tie at home, we'd be all over the place, saying at least we got a point," said defender Marvell Wynne. "Now knowing what we can do, we want to try for perfection as much as we can."
Added Sutton: "I think we've got higher expectations this season and you could see it after the game. Obviously we were very disappointed we couldn't come away with a win, but at the same time, we're still positive with our defensive effort again."
Carver was pleased with his team's defensive effort as well, after the Toronto back line came under some criticism in the first couple of games of the season. The defence did a good job of containing Red Bull strikers Juan Pablo Angel and 18-year-old Jozy Altidore.
Besides the goal, the Red Bull had just one decent scoring chance in the first half when Angel headed a shot just high of Toronto's net.
The two goals were the only shots on net in the first half.
"First half (Toronto) had one chance and they scored," said van den Bergh. "Give them credit for that — that shouldn't have happened. If we were a little more focused on the play, that wouldn't have happened.
"I thought we dominated a good team in their house."
The game threatened to get ugly in the second half when Robert picked up a yellow card for shoving New York's Hunter Freeman after Robert was knocked down from behind. Two minutes later, Toronto newcomer and former MLS MVP Amado Guevara was shown a yellow for a reckless foul.
Guevara had a chance to steal another victory for Toronto in the 90th minute. The crafty midfielder had a wide open shot from just outside the 18-yard box, but he fired it straight at the 'keeper, raising his hands in frustration at his near-miss.
Guevara was facing his former team Thursday. The Honduran midfielder played for New York — then the MetroStars — from 2003 through 2006. Guevara was coming off a two-goal performance in Toronto's 2-0 win over Kansas City last Saturday, the first time in Toronto's short history that a player scored twice in a match, but he was unable to find the net against his old squad Thursday.
New York came in on the heels of a 2-0 victory over the San Jose Earthquakes.
NOTES: A rowdy Toronto fan raced onto the field late in the game, and lay down on the centre circle to the cheers from the crowd. . . Toronto has two more home games before heading out on the road. The team hosts Columbus on May 17, then D.C. United on May 21. . . Claudio Reyna left the game in the 47th minute with a lower left leg injury. . . Toronto went 1-2 against New York last season.
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