Toronto FC (10W-14L-3T, 33 points) resumed their Major League Soccer campaign with a 1-0 road victory against Houston Dynamo FC (10W-8L-7T, 37 points) at Shell Energy Stadium in Texas, courtesy of Prince Owusu’s second-half game-winner.

First Half:

TFC Head Coach John Herdman made three changes from his starting eleven that featured against Inter Miami CF in the Leagues Cup Round of 32 match on August 8 with Henry Wingo, Raoul Petretta and Lorenzo Insigne making way for Sigurd Rosted, Matty Longstaff and Prince Owusu.

After an evenly contested opening 20 minutes, Toronto FC goalkeeper Sean Johnson was called into action to produce a fantastic save to deny Ezequiel Ponce’s long-range effort in the 21^st minute.

With goalscoring attempts few and far between on the hot Texan evening, the two sides entered the interval goalless after the opening 45 minutes.

Second Half:

The Reds began the second half on the front foot knocking on the hosts’ door and broke the deadlock nine minutes into the second half. On the play, German forward Prince Owusu rose highest to head home Federico Bernardeschi’s out-swinging corner to give TFC their first lead in the 54^th minute.

Efforts from Derrick Etienne Jr. and Federico Bernardeschi soon after nearly added to the visitors’ lead before Houston’s Franco Escobar saw his effort crash off the crossbar in the 63^rd minute.

With Houston seeking an equalizer, TFC’s defensive resolve was put to the test for the remainder of the affair but showed no signs of breaking in front of the Houston faithful. The Reds ultimately secured all three points with the 1-0 road victory, courtesy of Prince Owusu’s game-winning goal and the resolute and collective team effort, marking the club’s first win in Houston, Texas since September 2010.

Up next, Toronto FC return home to host Forge FC of the Canadian Premier League in the 2024 TELUS Canadian Championship on Tuesday evening. The second-leg of the semi-final match-up kicks off at 7:00 p.m. ET at BMO Field in Toronto, Ontario and will be broadcast on OneSoccer across Canada.

LINEUPS

HOUSTON DYNAMO FC – Steve Clark; Griffin Dorsey, Erik Sviatchenko, Micael, Franco Escobar; Héctor Herrera (C), Artur, Latif Blessing (Sebastian Kowalczyk 60’), Amine Bassi, Ibrahim Aliyu (Lawrence Ennali 60’); Ezequiel Ponce

Substitutes Not Used: Andrew Tarbell, Brad Smith, Ethan Bartlow, Daniel Steres, Ján Greguš, Brooklyn Raines, Sebastián Ferreira

TORONTO FC – Sean Johnson; Sigurd Rosted, Kevin Long, Shane O’Neill (Kobe Franklin 73’); Federico Bernardeschi (Henry Wingo 60’), Matty Longstaff (Kosi Thompson 73’), Deybi Flores, Richie Laryea (Aimé Mabika 79’); Derrick Etienne Jr. (Charlie Sharp 79’), Jonathan Osorio (C), Prince Owusu

Substitutes Not Used: Luka Gavran, Brandon Servania, Deandre Kerr

MEDIA NOTES

• Prince Owusu scored his 10^th goal of the 2024 season across all competitions.
• Richie Laryea made his 100^th MLS regular season appearance for Toronto FC.
• Sean Johnson recorded his sixth clean sheet of the 2024 MLS season and seventh across all competitions (MLS regular season and Leagues Cup).
• Toronto FC recorded a road clean sheet in Houston, Texas for the first time since a goalless draw against the Houston Dynamo on June 22, 2013.
• The Reds recorded a road victory against Houston Dynamo FC for the first time since a 2-1 win at Robertson Stadium on September 18, 2010.
• The result also marked TFC’s first-ever victory at Shell Energy Stadium (formerly BBVA Compass Stadium) in Houston, Texas.

POSTMATCH SOUND

• Link can be found here