A late equalizer denied Toronto FC all three points on Saturday night at BMO Field

Such was the case on Saturday night as Toronto FC drew 2-2 with the San Jose Earthquakes at BMO Field.

It was the visitors who struck first in the 26th minute when Benjamin Kikanovic pounced on an errant clearance and picked out San Jose’s top scorer, Jeremy Ebobisse in the box to place a right-footer into the bottom left corner of goal.

They would carry that lead into half-time, but come the 71st minute TFC responded when Deandre Kerr collected a ball from Jonathan Osorio in the San Jose half. Progressing up-field and in, backing off the defence, Kerr worked into a shooting position and picked out the bottom left corner himself to draw level.

Four minutes later Kerr and Osorio would again combine when a low ball into the box from Kerr bounced off a San Jose player and fell into the path of a driving Osorio to touch over the keeper.

With 15 minutes plus stoppage-time remaining, all Toronto had to do was see out the clock. Quentin Westberg came up massive in the 92nd minute, denying Ebobisse a second after he got in down the right, but another partial clearance seconds later fell onto the foot of Jack Skahan who made no mistake burying the equalizer. 

“We started moving the ball okay, but we weren’t aggressive enough with the way we made runs and really threatened them,” said Bob Bradley post-match. “We didn't do a good enough job at times in the first half of collectively going after them, stepping up a little higher.”

“The first goal we give up is a poor goal, but then the response before half is better and then overall in the second half, we do step up in a more aggressive way, we do play at a higher tempo, and now you’ve got to finish the game. It’s just a game you have to win,” he continued. “When you get a good response, when you get some goals, when you have a chance now at the very end to just finish the game, take your points, reward yourself, then it's impossible that at the end you don't make a play or two.”

“When the ball comes loose, we don't make a good decision, they get a foot on it and we're caught,” Bradley closed. “We let the points slide away.”

Disappointment at the conclusion aside, the match did mark the debut of Domenico Criscito, who featured at both left-back and left centre-back on the night.

“I am happy to have played my first game with TFC,” said the Italian defender through a translator. “It's a shame how it ended because we had a lot of chances.”

Seeing his first action in months, Criscito went 80 minutes in his debut.

“My last game in Europe was in May. I've been training for the last month or so and I've been training with the team only three or four times,” he explained. “We were thinking about playing the first half, maybe a little bit more, and I made it to 80 minutes. Because of cramps I had to leave, but I'm very happy and, actually, I wanted to play more.”

Criscito enjoyed his first taste of BMO Field: “It was really beautiful.”

“A great atmosphere and the fans helped us a lot,” he continued. “It was a great welcome and I want to thank the fans for it.”

His veteran calm was evident, as Bradley noted: “He’s a steady presence. He’s smart, he's experienced, he's got a good way about him. That was very positive.”

There are a lot of moving pieces for Toronto at the moment. 

It will take a second for the dust to settle, but with Mark-Anthony Kaye set to arrive back home on Sunday after a blockbuster trade with Colorado, Lorenzo Insigne working towards his debut, a goal and an assist from Osorio, back fit after finally getting a full week of training under his belt, and a really well-taken strike from Kerr, who grew into the match, there are plenty of positive elements brewing.

Toronto now hits the road to two matches in quick succession, away to the Chicago Fire on Wednesday and then at CF Montreal next Saturday, before returning to BMO Field on July 23 for a clash with Charlotte FC – the match pencilled in for Insigne’s debut.

MLS isn’t Serie A, but the game is the same: wasted chances will come back to haunt.

“Both teams ran a lot tonight,” observed Criscito. “Maybe tactically we are more focused in Italy, but I think we played very well.”

“We had a lot of occasions in front of the goal,” he added. “It was just missed opportunities.”