SportToronto FC score pair in first half, hold off Austin FC

Goals from Jonathan Osorio and Deandre Kerr in the first 30 minutes of the match set the bar high, then Toronto FC’s defense did enough down the stretch to hold on for a 2-1 win over visiting Austin FC on Saturday evening.

Winning the first-ever match between the sides north of the border, Toronto (11-15-3, 36 points) has won two of their three matches since the Leagues Cup break. Toronto remains eighth in the Eastern Conference and in the first position for a wild-card game with five matches left in the regular season.

The Reds wasted little time lighting the scoreboard as Osorio found the net in the seventh minute. Osorio began the scoring play deep on his own side of the field by passing to Kerr, who carried the ball into the Austin offensive end before being tackled by a defender.

But the deflected pass ended up on the right foot of Osorio, who beat Austin goalkeeper Brad Stuver low to the right side of the goal.

Kerr added to Toronto’s lead in the 30th minute, making short work of a crossing pass from Richie Laryea on a mini break after Lorenzo Insigne began the play with a clearing kick. Laryea carried the ball down the left and drew a pair of Austin defenders to his side of the field before switching to Kerr, who ran toward the far post before easily pushing the ball past Stuver.

Owen Wolff was substituted into the match in the 71st minute and had an impact almost immediately, halving the Verde’s deficit with a goal four minutes later. Wolff corralled a long pass from the defensive end by Brendan Hines-Ike and juked Toronto defender Raoul Petretta to the ground before easing a shot past Toronto keeper Sean Johnson.

But Austin (9-12-7, 34 points) could not produce the equalizer, dropping its second straight match and remaining 11th in the Western Conference, five points out of a wild-card spot with six matches to play. The Verde’s 31 goals this season are the fewest in the West.

–Field Level Media