Toronto FC Beats Rapids 3-2

O’Brian White and Nana Attakora scored goals three minutes apart in the second half to help keep Toronto FC’s Major League Soccer playoff hopes alive with a 3-2 victory over the Colorado Rapids Saturday.

White made an immediate impact coming in as a substitute in the 68th, flicking a ball over goalkeeper Preston Burpo for the go-ahead goal in the 71st minute on a pass from Dwayne De Rosario.

Three minutes later, Toronto moved ahead 3-1 as Attakora outjumped two defenders to head home an Amado Guevara corner kick.

De Rosario’s 10th goal of the season gave Toronto a first-half lead in the game but Colorado tied it early in the second half with Conor Casey’s 13th.

Michael Holody scored in the 88th minute for Colorado before more than 20,000 at BMO Field.

Toronto, which lost 1-0 to the Rapids last Saturday in Colorado, has 34 points from 25 games and still have much work to do before in the final five games of the season before qualifying for the playoffs for the first time in three years in MLS.

Toronto just missed an early strike in the sixth minute. Chad Barrett, on the left wing, made a pass that found Ali Gerba in front of the goal but the forward flicked the ball just wide of the post.

Colorado had its own chance in the 13th minute but Omar Cummings pass from the right side just failed to connect with Jacob Peterson in front.

De Rosario scored in the 19th minute after he took Marvell Wynne’s pass from the right side outside of the penalty area. Unmarked, De Rosario stopped the ball with his back to the goal just inside the penalty area, turned and his shot found the net.

Attakora picked up a yellow card for impeding Nick LaBrocca in the 21st minute. LaBrocca made a show of it, going down and that possibly influenced the call.

In the 26th minute, Guevara, De Rosario and Gerba hooked up for a chance that just missed. Gerba put a shot just high in the 32nd minute.

Defender Julien Baudet was playing up on Colorado’s 37th-minute corner kick and headed the ball over the goal.

Cummings again gave TFC trouble from the right side in the 41st minute, weaving into the box and passing to Casey whose attempt was blocked by Wynne and TFC’s lead was safe until the half.

Baudet saved a TFC goal in the 47th minute when he blocked Gerba’s back heel at the line after Pablo Vitti’s cross.

Colorado came right back in the 49th minute with Casey using his height advantage to out-nod defender Nick Garcia for his league-leading 13th goal of the season. It was passive defending by Toronto with Wynne backing off the play and goalkeeper Stefan Frei electing to stay on the line.

Cummings fought off defenders to work in for a close shot in the 59th minute, but scuffed the ball and Frei stopped it.

Barrett picked up a yellow card for dissent in the 66th minute after a skirmish in the corner with Scott Palguta.

It was the second goal of the season for White and first for Attakora.

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