TFC Held to a Draw Against 10-man Houston
HOUSTON — Greg Vanney walked into the halftime locker room, looked around and said two words: San. Jose.
At least that’s what most of us imagined. It was just last month that Toronto FC briefly became a league-wide punching bag after losing to nine-man San Jose.
So when Houston’s Abdoulie Mansally was sent off in first-half stoppage time after form-tackling Sebastian Giovinco, the Reds recalled that feeling. Losing to an undermanned team is like getting beat up by your kid brother.
Sunday night’s 1-1 draw wasn’t that. A missed opportunity, perhaps. But this was very much a point earned more than two points lost — especially considering the Reds trailed on the road following Cristian Maiden’s first-half strike.
Keep in mind the Reds also lost their two starting fullbacks amid an awkward first half that ended with an ejection and TFC looking like they’d go on to win. They appeared destined to lose until an injury to Mark Bloom forced a tactical change.
