TORONTO – Toronto FC’s homecoming didn’t go exactly as planned.
The energy at newly renovated BMO Field on Sunday evening was at an all-time high. The crowd was the largest in stadium history, nearly filling the expanded stands, hungry to see their new-look side and stars Jozy Altidore and Sebastian Giovinco for the first time.
But a 2-1 loss to the Houston Dynamo left a bitter taste in what otherwise promised to be a memorable day in Toronto FC’s history.
INTERVIEWS: Chris Konopka | Jonathan Osorio | Ashtone Morgan | Michael Bradley | Jozy Altidore | Sebastian Giovincol | Greg Vanney
“There are no excuses,” Vanney said after the match. “I said to the guys in there, our fans want us to come out and fight and be proactive and be the aggressors. Today we were way too passive. It's a lesson on how we are going to win at home. Once we establish that today, that lesson, it will be totally different as we move forward.”
Vanney explained that life on the road – where TFC played their first seven matches as renovations to the stadium were completed – meant his team learned how to survive by taking a more conservative approach, one that he says must be changed at home. He’s hoping Sunday’s match, which saw Houston take a 2-0 lead before TFC awoke late in the second half, served as a lesson for his players on what the expectations are at BMO.
Toronto FC found one silver lining in the goal scored by Altidore, a 77th-minute header that made for an exciting finish as the Red pushed for an equalizer. It was Altidore’s fifth goal of the season, but while he said the result was a “tough one” he’s also optimistic that performances at home will quickly improve.
“You want to open up the game to a crowd like that and get a result out of it,” Altidore said. “It took us a while to get going, but at the end of the day we have a lot more home games. Seeing the crowd the way it was today, hopefully they got our back, and going forward it will be very difficult for any team to come in here and play.”
Team captain Michael Bradley offered a mea culpa on Houston’s first goal, after a mistimed tackle gave the Dynamo a penalty kick at the stroke of halftime that was converted by Boniek Garcia.
“I let us down and made a bad play to give up a penalty, and at that point we're chasing the game a little bit in the second," Bradley said. "I have to make a better play. I certainly let us down in that moment tonight, and I have no problem admitting that."
Still, Sunday’s match marked a new beginning for Toronto FC, and it was billed as exactly that. But despite the disappointing result, Vanney said all will be forgotten if TFC find the success that has eluded them since joining MLS in 2007.
“It was a very nice vibe and a beautiful atmosphere,” said Giovinco, who received the loudest reception from TFC faithful. “It’s too bad for the loss. In the second half, we tried to come back into the game. We’re sorry, but for the next game, we’ll try to win in front of the home fans.”
