Charlotte Toronto FC comeback fails, Herdman regrets sloppy goals conceded.

CHARLOTTE, NC – Toronto FC decided to make a double comeback against Charlotte FC on Saturday. But again, it came at the cost of what coach John Herdman called “moments of self-destruction.”

Goals from substitute Prince Owusu helped tie the game at 1-1 and 2-2, with Toronto securing a point with the German striker's second in the 78th minute.

But a horrendous defense led Toronto (3-4-1) to its third straight loss in a 3-2 loss.

“Three weeks, two in particular, were self-defeating moments,” lamented Herdman, whose team lost 4-0 in Vancouver last week.

Toronto, which is missing a midfielder due to injury, has gone 10-3 in its last three games.

Charlotte used massive defensive breakdowns to win.

In the 85th minute, Toronto gave away a corner kick, but Charlotte won the ball right back and passed it to an unmarked Brecht Dejaeger with acres of space on the right flank. Under no pressure, the Belgian midfielder fired in a low cross that six-foot-four substitute Patrick Agyemang pounced on to get past two Toronto defenders in front of goal.

“It's just a crime. … How come we don't have a player go to (Dejae) and press?” Herdman thought.

Charlotte's second goal in the 70th minute was equally difficult to watch.

Newly acquired Israel international Liel Abada pounced on an errant pass from Toronto midfielder Alonso Coello and beat defender Nixoen Gomis with a well-placed low shot past Sean Johnson. The young signing, who has been dangerous all night, is making his third start since joining the club from Scottish side Celtic.

There was also Charlotte's first goal in the 39th minute.

Toronto couldn't handle a long ball aimed at forward Enzo Copetti. The ball fell to Charlotte's Kerwin Vargas, who beat Johnson from the edge of the penalty area with a low shot past the defender's legs. The 22-year-old Colombian striker celebrated his first season with a back-to-back strike in his 50th regular season MLS game.

“We can't give up on goals like that,” Herdman said. “We had this conversation (after the game) together. There were a lot of things I liked about the show.”

In the 49th minute, Owusu leveled the score at 1-1 when he stuck out his left foot to beat Federico Bernardeschi from close range. The German forward, who had just come on, perfectly timed his run to stay in the game.

Owusu was in the right place at the right time in the 78th, tapping home Jahkiele Marshall-Rutty's deflected cross for his third of the season. TFC's attack started with a robbery by Bernardeschi.

“A real big step for him.” Herdman talked about Owusu, who may have won the starting center forward position with his outstanding play.

Salt was added to Toronto's injury when centre-back Kevin Long was sent off for a second yellow after bringing down Agyemang in second-half stoppage time. Long, a defensive anchor, is suspended for next Saturday's home game against New England.

Charlotte (3-3-2) improved to 3-0-1 at home this season.

“It feels really good,” said Dean Smith, Charlotte's veteran England coach. “The guys are asking me for extra time off because they scored three goals.

“But I told them no,” he added with a laugh. “We still have work to do.”

Scoring has been an issue for both teams, with just six goals against in their first seven games – an average of 0.86, which ranks the two 25th in offense. But that wasn't the case on Saturday afternoon.

The visit to Bank of America Stadium marked TFC's fifth road game in eight games and its second against Charlotte.

When the two teams met at home in Toronto on March 9, TFC won 1-0. Lorenzo Insigne, who won that day, was among the injured in Toronto. The win improved TFC's record to 2-0-1.

Since then, Toronto has gone 1-4-0.

Injuries didn't help. Toronto was without Charlotte Yinxin, Richie Laria, Shane O'Neal, Jordan Perruzza, Brandon Servania and Tyrese Spicer.

Injuries prompted TFC to sign 17-year-old Toronto FC II midfielder Andrej Dumitru to a short-term MLS deal.

Herdman made three changes to his starting XI, with Sigurd Rosted, Raoul Petretta and Coello replacing Shane O'Neill, Marshall-Rutty and Spicer.

Former Canadian captain Scott Arfield started in a backup role for Copetti for Charlotte, who were without defenders Nate Byrne and Adilson Malanda and midfielders Ben Bender and Brandon Cambridge.

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This Canadian Press report was first published on April 13, 2024.

Canadian Press