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TORONTO — From the start, it was not a typical Seattle Sounders lineup.
By the end, it was barely recognizable, with Stefan Frei, Chad Marshall and Cristian Roldan attempting to hold things together as the spine of the team with an assortment of pieces around them.
Against all odds, this unusual group went where the full-strength Sounders couldn’t five months ago and beat Toronto FC at BMO Field — the scene of their defeat in last year’s MLS Cup. Goals from Will Bruin and rookie Handwalla Bwana — the first of his professional career — bookended a 2-1 win, with Jonathan Osorio offering up the hosts’ reply.
“It’s an unbelievable moment,” Bwana said. “It’s a kid’s dream, scoring your first professional goal. I didn’t do it without my team and the most important thing was getting that three [points] on the board.”
Afterward, Toronto coach Greg Vanney presented the media with a still on a cellphone showing Bwana was offside. For the second time in three games, he was left mystified by the use, or lack thereof, of the video assistant referee in review.
“I don’t think [it’s offside], I know it’s offside,” Vanney said. “I’m looking at it right here. It’s inexplicable. Two of our last three games, to me, is inexplicable. I don’t know the point of what we’re doing if this isn’t offside. It’s pretty clear, right? If any part of the body that can score a goal is in an offside position, the player is offside.
“We’ve got multiple looks at this — not just the run of play, but now we’ve got a secondary look at it. I just don’t understand. And we don’t even take a real look, honestly. That ball was back in play about as quick as it could get back in play on a goal. It’s incomprehensible.”
Hours earlier, Seattle coach Brian Schmetzer surprising;y decided to name his starting lineup in advance of the game. Multiple star men, including Nicolas Lodeiro, Clint Dempsey, Osvaldo Alonso and Victor Rodriguez were either injured or rested ahead of Sunday’s Cascadia Cup game against the Portland Timbers.
Toronto had absences too, with Jozy Altidore facing up to six weeks sidelined after foot surgery and none of the four defenders currently absent ready to return from injury.
The Reds still had the likes of Michael Bradley, Victor Vázquez and Sebastian Giovinco at their disposal, though, and bossed the flow of the game from start to finish. When the final whistle blew and the boos — mostly for referee Ted Unkel — rang out, Toronto’s possession figure was at 67 percent.
Early on, it looked as if that possession would convert into goals. Jay Chapman spurned two excellent chances to open the scoring, first seeing a shot saved by Frei after a good run beyond Jordy Delem and then heading weakly within the goalkeeper’s reach from close range.
Seattle’s ability to offer a threat the other way seemed to be fading until Magnus Wolff Eikrem drifted away with the ball down the right side, skipped past Bradley and Marky Delgado’s challenges and slipped a through-ball into the path of Bruin. The striker hammered a left-footed shot beyond goalkeeper Alex Bono.
That gave a Sounders team — left demoralized after its 0-0 draw against 10-man Columbus Crew during the weekend — an injection of belief. But five minutes before the half, Vázquez chipped a ball behind the defense that Giovinco hooked across goal to Osorio, who nodded into the empty net.
Then came the turning point: Vázquez, who has been nothing short of sensational since returning from a back problem, was forced off during the break due to an apparent injury.
Toronto often struggles to break down deep defenses without him. Ryan Telfer, Jordan Hamilton and Tosaint Ricketts were thrown on the pitch in an increasingly forward-heavy system, but — aside from the odd moment of magic from Giovinco and some crafty play from Ager Aketxe — chances did not flow as freely.
“It’s difficult to break down nine guys who are sitting,” Vanney said. “Especially when there’s a back line of five and a group of four and one forward… it’s a challenge. I thought we had some pretty good actions that we actually broke them down and got into some good areas. When we get into those good areas, we need to be more efficient about or shooting, about getting our shots off, about the quality of our finishes.”
Osorio slalomed into the box and dragged a shot just wide as Ricketts forced Frei into one last close-range save, but Toronto’s second half was summed up when Hamilton and Ashtone Morgan deferred to each other and a crossed ball bounced past them. The opportunity went to waste, and Giovinco slammed his boot into the advertising boards in frustration.
In the meantime, Bwana went the other way to turn what would have been a disappointing result for TFC into a disaster. Bruin was the supplier, slipping a neat pass behind the defense, and the 18-year-old Bwana rolled a low shot past Bono. It stood up as the winner.