SOCCER: New England, Toronto play to scoreless draw

The New England Revolution played visiting Toronto FC to a scoreless draw Wednesday in Foxborough, Massachusetts, as Major League Soccer returned with its first full slate of matches since the World Cup break.

Toronto (3-6-7, 16 points) and New England (8-5-2, 26 points) both missed key opportunities throughout the match, leaving the 10-point gap between the teams unchanged. The result also kept Toronto outside the playoff picture.

Toronto defender Richie Laryea, back at his usual fullback position after representing Canada at the World Cup, nearly opened the scoring in the 38th minute when he sent a low cross across the face of goal. However, Jules-Anthony Vilsaint failed to make proper contact with the ball.

New England quickly responded, with Carles Gil striking the crossbar with a powerful shot from outside the box. Toronto goalkeeper Luka Gavran then denied Peyton Miller at the far post from Gil’s curling free kick moments before halftime.

The Revolution had another close call in the 59th minute when defender Will Sands accidentally hit his own crossbar while attempting to clear the ball. Sands recovered quickly, however, beating Deandre Kerr to a loose ball after Josh Sargent managed to keep the play alive.

Sargent started the match on the bench, possibly due to a busy schedule, but provided a spark after entering at halftime. The Toronto forward nearly scored in the 76th minute, sending a header just wide off a corner kick.

Canadian youth international Richard Chukwu made his Major League Soccer debut for Toronto’s defense, playing 71 minutes before leaving the match because of cramps. Djordje Mihailovic, who made his first league appearance since March last Thursday, was not included in Toronto’s lineup.

Toronto extended its winless run to 11 matches across all competitions, although Gavran recorded his second straight clean sheet. The club has yet to score or concede in its two matches since returning from the World Cup break.

The draw was only the second time this season that New England failed to earn all three points at home. Goalkeeper Matt Turner recorded his fourth clean sheet of the campaign.

-Field Level Media/Reuters