VANCOUVER — A Canadian clash between the Vancouver Whitecaps and Toronto FC ended in a 1-1 draw on Friday night.
The game was scoreless for more than 80 minutes before a pair of late goals ruined clean sheets for both sides.
Fredy Montero put away a penalty kick for the ‘Caps (4-6-3) in the 84th minute.
Nick DeLeon tied the game for Toronto (5-6-3) six minutes later.
Toronto ‘keeper Quentin Westberg was tested several times but didn’t register a single save for the Reds.
Vancouver’s Maxime Crepeau stopped four of Toronto’s five on-target shots.
Whitecaps striker Yordy Reyna set up the first goal of the game, powering down the field toward Toronto’s net. He was tripped up by TFC’s Drew Moor, drawing a penalty kick.
Montero took the shot, putting it away for his fifth goal of the season.
The Reds responded minutes later, with a nice passing sequence between Liam Fraser and Marco Delgado.
Delgado got the ball off to DeLeon who sent a long shot bouncing past a diving Crepeau.
The action followed a lacklustre 80 minutes of soccer for both teams.
Toronto got a solid chance in the 15th minute when midfielder Alejandro Pozuelo beat Vancouver’s Russell Teibert at the top of the box and sent a shot just wide of the ‘Caps net.
Teibert responded with a similar move in the 41st, taking a hard-angle chance from deep inside the box. The shot skipped just wide of Toronto’s goal.
Reyna set up another prime opportunity for the Whitecaps in the 70th minute. The striker streaked into TFC’s end but was tripped up by Drew Moor. The ball popped out to Vancouver’s Fredy Montero, who sailed a shot just over the crossbar.
Friday’s game was the ‘Caps last contest before the FIFA international break.
TFC will be back in action on June 7 when they host Sporting Kansas City.
Toronto FC moved the game’s start time so fans can also cheer on the Toronto Raptors. Kickoff will now happen at 7 p.m. local time and the stadium stay open after the matchup so the crowd can watch Toronto take on the Golden State Warriors in Game 4 of the NBA Finals.
NOTES: The Whitecaps celebrated the 40th anniversary of the club’s North American Soccer League championship. Tony Waiters, coach of the 1979 squad, was inducted into the ‘Caps “ring of honour.” … Reyna returned to Vancouver’s lineup for the first time since suffering a hamstring injury against the Philadelphia Union on April 27. … Toronto’s Chris Mavinga and Richie Laryea both left the game with apparent injuries. TFC already has a number of notable pieces out hurt, including midfielders Michael Bradley and Jonathan Osorio.
Gemma Karstens-Smith, The Canadian Press
