Toronto FC’s Playoff Hopes Alive With 1-0 Win Over Real Salt Lake

Jim Brennan and goalkeeper Brian Edwards made sure Toronto FC’s playoff hopes lived to see another day.

Brennan scored in 47th minute and seldom-used Edwards made several spectacular saves as Toronto FC won 1-0 over Real Salt Lake Saturday afternoon at BMO Field.

By winning its final home game of the regular season, Toronto has 39 points from 29 games. Toronto must win its final game on the schedule next Saturday in New York and hope for other favourable results to gain the first playoff berth in the team’s three-year Major League Soccer existence.

“We’ve still got next week,” Toronto FC interim head coach Chris Cummins said. “If we don’t go out and perform next week then today has been worth nothing as such. Of course, we’ve still got to rely on other teams.”

Real Salt Lake is left with 37 points and is nearly eliminated from the playoff chase, but still had a slight chance after the New England Revolution drew the Chicago Fire 0-0 later Saturday. New England went into Saturday holding the final playoff spot and now has 39 points, the same as TFC.

Brennan scored his second goal of the season in the 47th on a half-volley off a rebound. Edwards, a second-year player who was starting for the second game in a row because rookie and regular starter Stefan Frei’s dislocated finger, made nine saves, six in the first half before a crowd of 20,384.

“They threw everything at us but the kitchen sink,” Cummins said. “Eddie’s come up with some massive saves for us today. He’s been outstanding.

Although Real Salt Lake applied pressure and came close, TFC was able to avoid the late-game goal against that has been its downfall this season. Toronto has allowed an MLS-leading 15 goals in the 76th minute or later that has cost it 15 points. RSL leads the league with 17 goals scored in the 76th minute and beyond.

“(Edwards) made some fantastic plays, that is what it is about – guys making big plays,” Real Salt Lake head coach Jason Kreis said.

“Having been a forward in this league I know our strikers could have and should have done better with their opportunities.”

Toronto gave up a goal in stoppage time to come away with a 1-1 draw against the San Jose Earthquakes on Oct. 10 at BMO Field and the net of one point instead of three severely damaged its playoff chances.

Asked what his reaction was after Saturday’s win, Cummins said: “Relief. It’s always in your mind isn’t it when you concede late goals and you’re coming into the last 15 minutes.”

Toronto began the game using a 3-5-2 formation that sometimes left the team vulnerable, but Edwards came up with the saves, including one on Fabian Espindola in the game’s first minute.

In the 26th minute, Yura Movsisyan took Espindola’s diagonal pass and beat defender Nana Attakora before testing the TFC goalkeeper but Edwards was up to the challenge.

After Brennan’s goal, TFC went to a 4-3-3 formation.

“We dug in, we defended well, we got ahead on things, we blocked things,” Cummins said.

Like last week, Toronto scored early in the second half but unlike last week and in other games this season, the team held on.

“It felt a lot like last week and games in the past,” Edwards said. “But we were able to keep the high line. We were able to get out, to connect passes and get in behind them a couple of times, kind of put pressure on them and not just suck it up for 20, 30 minutes.

“That was key this week and everybody dug in, blocking crosses.”

On one of Toronto’s counter attacks, midfielder Julian de Guzman shot high on an open chance in the 83rd minute.

“We were confident that we could hold them out for the last few minutes there and we did,” Brennan said.

Brennan’s goal came on a rebound after Salt Lake goalkeeper Nick Rimando came out to block Chad Barrett’s shot.

“It looked like an odd situation with the ball bouncing around as it often does on the (Field) Turf,” Kreis said. “The ball bounced right to Jim Brennan on his right foot and you are thinking he is not going to make it happen on his right foot because he is a natural lefty – but he is able to convert the shot and it goes into the corner of the goal.”

“I don’t care how it goes in as long as it goes in,” Brennan said.

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