TORONTO -- When Cuauhtemoc Blanco scored in the 59th minute on Saturday to cut Toronto FC's lead over Chicago to 3-2, there was an uncomfortable sense of deja vu settling over BMO Field. Four times this season the Reds have been victimized by late goals that turned possible wins into draws (such as last Saturday against FC Dallas) and possible draws into losses (as in TFC's previous game against Chicago, a 2-1 loss on July 12).
Was another last-minute letdown coming for a Reds side that desperately needed the win? When Blanco was awarded a direct free kick in stoppage time, TFC coach John Carver admitted that the thought crossed his mind.
"It's in your head," Carver said. "The final 30 seconds, when we broke on the counterattack and my two central midfield players are in the box attacking, that was a big concern for me. Then they break on the counter, the goalkeeper takes it quickly, they get a free kick on the edge of the box. Now, one of my midfield players might've been sitting in there and blocked that hole.
"Now, I don't care who you are, you're a human being. Whether you're a player or a coach, it will be in your head, all those goals we've conceded late."
Fortunately for TFC, Blanco attempted a pass rather than take a direct shot, which caused the play to break down and the Reds escaped without adding to their league-high 12 goals allowed in the final 15 minutes.
"We were composed and [remembered] we were still winning 3-2," said defender Kevin Harmse. "Instead of packing it in and trying to soak up the pressure, we kept playing and still had some chances."
Toronto was still alive in the MLS playoff race as of the game's final whistle, but the club could be mathematically eliminated pending the results of three other games on Saturday evening. Should TFC stay alive through the weekend, then they will have to win in San Jose next Saturday and rely on yet more results to fall their way from around the league.
Even if TFC's late-season surge falls short of the postseason, the Reds' current form has been a positive sign for a team that struggled throughout most of the summer. Toronto is unbeaten (2-0-2) in their last four games, with all four results coming against playoff-bound sides like Houston and Chicago, and contenders New York and Dallas.
"All I said to the guys before the game was, 'Give yourselves a chance. You guys deserve a chance because of what you've showed me at the beginning of the season and towards the end of the season,'" Carver said.
"I'm sure the lads will have one eye on the TV and one eye on the internet and we'll be keeping close tabs on it. Then let's wake up in the morning and see what it brings us."
The Reds approached Saturday's game with the intensity of a playoff match, and it showed in the first half. Toronto had their first three-goal half in team history, starting in the 12th minute on a nicely aimed shot by Amado Guevara from just outside the box.
Then, TFC was awarded a penalty kick a few minutes later after Marvell Wynne was fouled inside the penalty area. Rohan Ricketts lined up to take the shot, but his attempt was knocked aside by Chicago goalkeeper Jon Busch and the ball ended up laying in front of the open right side of the goalmouth. Ricketts pounced on his own rebound and buried it to give the Reds a two-goal lead after just 18 minutes.
In first-half stoppage time, with the score now 2-1, Ricketts struck again. This time the winger took a pass from Carl Robinson and delivered a shot on the turn shot that re-established the Reds' two-goal lead.
It was Ricketts' first appearance on the scoresheet since June 14, when the midfielder picked up another brace in a 3-1 win against Colorado. This offensive drought made Ricketts' spot in the lineup tenuous, according to Carver.
"I was concerned about his form with the ball. Not without the ball because all the stats told me he's still working as hard as he has been, he's still covering all the distance on the ground, but I was a bit concerned about his creativity and he hasn't been creative lately," Carver said. "He was one that was a big question mark, the only one, really. It was either him or Johann Smith. I sat and thought about it, left it as late as possible and decided to go with Rohan. ... He knew there was a little bit of pressure on him and he's come up trumps."
Saturday marked Toronto's final home game of the season, and for the second consecutive year, TFC gave their fans an exciting finish. Last year it was a stoppage-time goal from Danny Dichio that salvaged a 2-2 draw for TFC against New England, in a game that meant nothing more than pride for the last-place Reds.
This year's home finale had far more playoff implications for Toronto, one of many differences that captain Jim Brennan noted between the 2007 and 2008 editions of Toronto FC.
"[It's] night and day compared to last year," Brennan said. "The players that came in have a lot more quality, we're playing good football. This year has been good. It's been a big improvement, J.C. has come in and done a great job and next year he'll get us going again."
The Reds aren't quite ready for season post-mortems quite yet, however. Defender Marvell Wynne hopes that his side's end-game victory lap around the pitch will be for naught and TFC will be back at BMO for a playoff game in two weeks.
"It's a joyous and almost a sad occasion," Wynne said. "It's almost like having a best friend -- 20,000 best friends, you've got to say your goodbyes 'til next year.
"If there was any time to start picking it up it would be now but again we're hoping it's not too little, too late. But I think if we get a berth into the playoffs we could carry on and we might be something to reckon with."
Now that's the kind of late finish that the Reds are hoping for.
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