With both teams fielding defense-oriented lineups, Toronto FC played New York City FC scoreless for much of Saturday's Eastern Conference Semifinal Leg 1 before Jozy Altidore put home a deflected cross for the winning strike in the 84th minute of an eventual 2-0 victory at BMO Field.

With Andrea Pirlo a late scratch due to a calf injury, NYCFC bunkered into a 3-4-3, creating little offense and escaping several strong Toronto chances during the first hour, with freshly minted 'keeper Eirik Johansen notably stuffing Sebastian Giovinco 1-v-1 in the 12th minute.

The game was hotly contested, with New York City committing a season-high 18 fouls and several calls earning protests from individual players and crowds of them, most prominently a 20th-minute dust-up between David Villa and TFC's Armando Cooper following a contested challenge and an apparent kickout by Villa as the duo went down.

Tosaint Ricketts tapped in his own rebound off a long cross to seal the victory in the second minute of stoppage time.