TFC eliminated from Leagues Cup, drop to 0-6 with Dunfield in charge
TORONTO — Toronto FC’s first style of Leagues Cup motion lasted simply two matches.
And the struggling Major League Soccer membership’s ugly objective drought continued to develop.
Jordy Caicedo scored within the second minute as Mexico’s Atlas FC downed Toronto 1-0 on Sunday.
The Liga MX aspect secured first place within the three-team group with a pair of victories, forward of New York City FC (1-1-0) and Toronto (0-2-0).
Toronto, which hasn’t scored in 619 minutes, wanted to win by three or extra targets to advance after Wednesday’s 5-0 highway throttling by the hands of NYCFC.
TFC interim head coach Terry Dunfield fell to 0-6 and has watched his workforce get outscored 13-0 since changing the fired Bob Bradley on June 26.
The inaugural Leagues Cup — a two-league, three-country, 47-team competitors — runs by way of Aug. 19.
Toronto, which began the season with such promise due to a roster accented by Italian stars Lorenzo Insigne and Federico Bernardeschi, has been thumped 18-1 over its final eight matches — all losses — is winless in 11 (0-8-3), and has a solitary victory in 17 video games (1-12-4) since late April.
An abysmal 3-11-10 in MLS motion, TFC received’t play once more till Aug. 20 towards CF Montreal.
Guadalajara-based Atlas, which is three video games into its home marketing campaign, opened the scoring simply 95 seconds into proceedings at BMO Field when Caicedo took benefit of a turnover and curled his shot previous outstretched TFC goalkeeper Sean Johnson.
Toronto settled down from there, with Jonathan Osorio testing Camilo Vargas from distance on a deflected effort within the thirteenth minute earlier than Brandon Servania fizzed a shot on the Atlas ‘keeper within the thirty fifth.
Caicedo practically doubled the guests’ lead within the forty fifth off one other giveaway, however the Ecuador striker’s shot hit the put up earlier than Johnson and his defenders scrambled to dam a followup effort.
Osorio had a shout for a penalty waved away by referee Nima Saghafi early within the second half as Dunfield’s workforce tried desperately to discover a breakthrough.
Atlas was by no means actually troubled, nonetheless, and Caicedo practically doubled the lead within the eightieth minute when he rattled the crossbar.
Its season already in tatters, Toronto was embarrassed in that disastrous Leagues Cup opener at NYCFC in mid-week — a efficiency that had some observers questioning the roster’s dedication and professionalism.
Dunfield dropped Bernardeschi, who hadn’t scored in 17 straight matches, to the bench Sunday.
The former Canadian worldwide — promoted from TFC’s under-17 program on a trial foundation following Bradley’s dismissal — began two gamers from TFC’s feeder workforce, together with 16-year-old defender Lazar Stefanovic of Oakville, Ont.
Toronto has skilled choice points all through Dunfield’s transient tenure, with Insigne having seen a solitary half of motion due to harm representing a main instance.
The membership began the method of remaking its roster this week.
Canadian striker Ayo Akinola was loaned to the San Jose Earthquakes and veteran defender Matt Hedges was traded to Austin FC.
The membership additionally signed South African ahead Cassius Mailula, who was unavailable towards Atlas, whereas centre again Shane O’Neill was suspended after getting despatched off towards NYCFC.
