Toronto II claimed a 2-0 victory over New York City II at York Lions Stadium on Thursday evening. The MLS Next Pro Group Stage encounter finished with the hosts moving clear of their visitors in the standings. It was a straightforward afternoon for the home side, who controlled proceedings from the opening exchanges.
J. Nolan opened the scoring in the 16th minute with a penalty after J. Lopez had been cautioned. M. Henry doubled the lead shortly before the interval, finding the net in the 29th minute. Toronto never got out of second gear after that double advantage, and by then the match was already slipping away from New York City II.
Things turned ugly near the end when R. Chukwu picked up a second yellow card in the 90th minute, leaving his side with ten men. The visitors had already seen three yellow cards before that dismissal, while the hosts managed just one. Several substitutions were made around the hour mark, with A. Salaou, M. Henry and L. Stefanovic all coming on for Toronto II.
Statistics tell an interesting story. New York City II registered 89 attacks compared to 72 for Toronto II, but only managed 3 shots on target. The visitors held possession at 45 per cent but never got going in the final third. Toronto II kept 55 per cent of the ball and converted their chances more efficiently, with 4 shots on target yielding 2 goals.
The result moves Toronto II further from trouble in seventh place with 24 points from 24 games. New York City II remain fifth on 39 points, but tonight showed they cannot afford another slip if they want to stay clear of the relegation zone. The hosts have won 11 of their 24 matches this season, and this was one of their cleaner performances.
