By Canadian Press

Tajon Buchanan comes as advertised, helps New England defeat Toronto FC 2-1

Aug 14, 2021 | 8:28 PM

TORONTO — Gustavo Bou’s 83rd-minute penalty gave the league-leading New England Revolution a 2-1 win over Toronto FC in MLS play Saturday night.

The penalty was called after Eriq Zavaleta took Adam Buksa down in front of goal. Bou, in his 50th regular-season game for the Revs, stepped up and slotted home his 12th goal of the season — and 11th in his last 13 appearances.

Bou’s goal came three minutes after Jonathan Osorio had tied up the game. Winger Yeferson Soteldo dribbled past several defenders from a corner and sent the ball to Alejandro Pozuelo who found Osorio in a mass of players in front of goal for his fourth of the season.

Canadian Tajon Buchanan had earlier added to his growing highlight reel, with a glorious headed goal on his BMO Field debut in front of 15,000 fans.

New England (13-3-4) tied a club record with its sixth away win of the season. Toronto (3-10-6) is winless in its last four games (0-2-2) and has yet to record a victory in five games at BMO Field since returning north of the border.

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The Revs came into weekend play with a six-point lead in the Supporters’ Shield race and 10-point bulge atop the Eastern Conference. Toronto, meanwhile, languished 25 points below in the 27-team league’s basement.

The Toronto lineup contained several surprises with captain Michael Bradley dropping to the bench and striker Jozy Altidore not in the matchday 20 due to a previously unannounced injury. Bradley came on to cheers in the 69th minute.

Buchanan put New England ahead in the 20th minute. The 22-year-old from Brampton, Ont., who won the Youth Player Award at the recent Gold Cup, was one of the Revs’ storylines coming into the game with the rising star targeted by European clubs.

Buchanan came as advertised, full of pace and guile. It’s hard to believe he had to pay to take part in a Syracuse University ID camp in 2016 to make his case to join the Orange. Five years later, he has star written all over him.

The game pitted the high-flying Revolution attack, ranking second in the league at 1.84 goals a game against TFC’s league-worst defence, conceding 2.11 goals per outing.

The Revs arrived unbeaten in their last six games (5-0-1). But Toronto was the last team to defeat New England, winning 3-2 at Gillette Stadium on July 7 in Javier Perez’s debut as coach. And TFC was unbeaten its last six meetings (4-0-2) with the Revs.

The gap in the standings was not visible on the field Saturday on a beautiful night at the Toronto lakefront. But New England showed its class in the 20th minute.

DeJuan Jones curled in a cross that found the six-foot Buchanan, who rose high above the five-foot-three Soteldo. Buchanan’s soaring header was powerful and well-placed with ‘keeper Alex Bono only able to push the ball onto the goalpost and into the goal.

Buchanan celebrated his fourth goal of the season, to boos, with a forward double-somersault. It was the league-worst 15th goal Toronto has conceded in the first 30 minutes of a game this season. And it heaped pressure on a TFC side that was 0-8-3 coming into the contest when conceding the first goal.

Perez saw his team rally to tie New York City FC last weekend after falling behind 2-0 in the first half. Perez helped engineer the turnaround by replacing Bradley and Altidore at halftime, injecting pace and energy in the form of Ifunanyachi Achara and Ralph Priso.

Both were rewarded with starts Saturday, the eighth career start for the 19-year-old Priso and second for the 23-year-old Achara, whose young career was interrupted by knee surgery in July 2020.

Bradley had started 240 of his 242 previous MLS regular-season and playoff games. The club said Altidore did not dress after feeling some discomfort in his foot in training Friday.

Pozuelo captained the side.

Down 1-0, Achara’s shot glanced off the post in the 30th minute just seconds after Toronto unsuccessfully argued for a Buchanan handball in the New England box.

Toronto had 61.2 per cent of possession in the first half but none of its three shots were on target.

Mark Delgado earned a yellow card early in the second half for bowling over Buchanan. New England’s Matt Polster limped off in the 55th minute and had to be replaced.

Delgado had a gilt-edged chance in the 59th minute when Richie Laryea found him in front of goal but his shot went straight at goalkeeper Matt Turner.

It looked like Priso to the rescue with a goal-line clearance in the 67th minute after Bou got behind the defence and cruised around Bono. Priso had to be replaced after falling awkwardly on the play, which eventually drew an offside flag.

The young midfielder had to be helped back to the locker room.

The visitors were without captain and playmaker Carles Gil, who missed his third straight game with a muscle injury. 

Canadian international Ashley Lawrence, who won soccer gold at the Tokyo Olympics, was honoured prior to the game.

Toronto hits the road for four straight away games next, playing at Atlanta, Miami, Montreal and Cincinnati. New England returns home to host D.C. United.

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Follow @NeilMDavidson on Twitter

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 14, 2021

Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press