Soteldo on the mark as Toronto FC rallies to defeat Chicago Fire 3-1

It was the 10th assist of the season for Soteldo, who missed a penalty in the first half.

Soteldo made it 3-1 in the 70th minute with his third goal of the season, beating teenage goalkeeper Gabriel Slonina after Jonathan Osorio’s lovely through ball split the defence. Toronto captain Michael Bradley won the ball to set the stage for the goal.

Mark Delgado also scored for Toronto on a wet, grey Military Appreciation Day before an announced crowd of 7,552 at BMO Field. Robert Beric scored for Chicago (7-16-6) and had another goal — in the 83rd minute — called back for offside.

Looking to get something out of a nightmarish season, Toronto has now won four of its last five (4-0-1) in all competitions. The fact TFC remains in 13th place in the Eastern Conference shows just how poor the campaign has been.

It marked the first time this season that Toronto has posted back-to-back league wins.

Chicago was coming off a 2-0 victory over New York City FC that snapped a five-game winless run (0-4-1). Despite the victory the Fire axed coach Raphael Wicky, replacing him with assistant coach Frank Klopas on an interim basis. Klopas was the club’s head coach from 2011 to 2013 before taking over Montreal, which fired him in August 2015 following a 2-1 loss to Toronto.

Chicago went ahead in the 16th minute Sunday when Fabian Herbers carved open the Toronto defence with a through ball that found Beric. His shot — Chicago’s first on target — appeared to hit a sliding Bradley and went over Alex Bono at the near post for his fifth goal of the season.

Toronto muffed a chance to pull even in the 26th minute when Slonina saved Soteldo’s penalty kick. Chicago captain Jonathan Bornstein conceded the penalty, called for handball when he slid to stop a Jacob Shaffelburg cross and the ball bounced up and hit his arm.

Shaffelburg may have been offside on the play but it survived video review. It became moot when Slonina guessed right and got his hands on Soteldo’s poorly placed penalty.,

Slonina was making his fifth straight start. He earned the midweek victory against NYCFC — at age 17 years 137 days, becoming the youngest ‘keeper in MLS history to record a win. It was his third shutout in five career appearances.

Delgado, on a cross from Shaffelburg, tied it up in the 44th minute when his shot from just inside the Chicago penalty box deflected off Bornstein past Slonina. It was Delgado’s second goal in as many games and third of the season.

Shaffelburg, who had a goal and two assists midweek, has been on a tear of late with two goals and five assists in his last five games.

The 21-year-old from Port Williams, N.S., appeared to put Toronto ahead in the 48th minute, knocking in a cross from Brazil’s Auro at the far post. But Bradley’s through ball to Auro was ruled offside. Minutes later Slonina got a foot in the way of a Shaffelburg shot.

Toronto could have added to its total, with Ifunanyachi Achara making some poor choices in front of goal.

It marked the second game in a row that TFC had faced a club under new management.

Toronto’s win over Cincinnati came just two days after Cincinnati fired coach Jaap Stam. That victory moved TFC out of the league basement.

Toronto continued to be short up front with Ayo Akinola, Jozy Altidore, Dom Dwyer and Jordan Perruzza all injured. Also out were midfielders Tsubasa Endoh and Ralph Priso and centre backs Chris Mavinga and Eriq Zavaleta.

Not spoiled by choice, coach Javier Perez went with the same starting lineup that beat Cincinnati midweek. Spanish playmaker Alejandro Pozuelo, the league’s reigning MVP, was on the bench after sitting out the last six games with a lower body injury. He did not see action.

Toronto had more of the ball in the first half but failed to take advantage.

It didn’t take long for Soteldo to get a burr under his saddle. The volatile Venezuelan was cautioned in the ninth minute for dissent, unhappy at referee Nima Saghafi.

Minutes after setting up Chicago’s goal, Herbers had to come off injured.

Toronto does not play again until Oct. 16, at home to Atlanta United, because of the international break. Six TFC players will join their national teams: Richie Laryea, Osorio and Shaffelburg (Canada), Zavaleta (El Salvador), Kemar Lawrence (Jamaica) and Soteldo (Venezuela).

Toronto won 2-1 when the clubs met earlier this season, despite Chicago launching a franchise record 31 shots July 24 at Soldier Field. TFC then fell into a nine-game winless run (0-7-2).

TFC came into the game unbeaten in its last 12 meetings (9-0-3) with Chicago, dating back to Sept. 26, 2015. The Fire’s last victory in the series came on April 4, 2015, a 3-2 win in Bridgeview, Ill., that capped a 12-game Fire undefeated streak in the series (6-0-6), dating back to 2010.

TFC was undefeated in the past nine meetings at BMO Field.

At 1-10-1, Chicago arrived sporting the league’s worst road record (Toronto was second-worst at 2-11-2, not counting the home games it played in Florida when based south of the border due to pandemic-related travel restrictions).

Soteldo on the mark as Toronto FC rallies to defeat Chicago Fire 3-1

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