The game in 100 words (or less): Playing on the road in MLS is no easy task — what with the extended travel that North America imposes upon teams, at the very least — so it comes as little surprise that Toronto FC, who are halfway through playing their first eight games away from BMO Field, have dropped points left and right since their opening-day victory over the New York Red Bulls. Saturday marked their second defeat in a row as a 10-man Reds side fell to the Colorado Rapids, 1-0. TFC did themselves no favors, of course, with Benoit Cheyrou being sent off inside the first quarter-hour, and TFC never looked like getting anything from the game outside of some near-brilliance from Sebastian Giovinco on a handful of free kicks. The season is only four games old at this point, but the Rapids (maybe only for another hour or two) currently sit third in the Western Conference.
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Three moments that mattered
13' — Cheyrou goes elbow-first into Burling’s face, sees red — Cheyrou had a short day’s work Saturday night, managing to be booked twice in the first 13 minutes, two minutes apart. The second of the two was probably worth of a straight red all to itself.
18' — Solignac slots home after Pappa’s chipped pass — Marco Pappa lifted the softest chipped through ball to springs Luis Solignac behind the TFC defense, and the Argentine put it away for his first goal of the season.
A little scoop from Marco Pappa and @LuchoSoli with the finish. #COLvTOR https://t.co/rMXdKDw9w2
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) April 3, 2016
45+1' & 57' — Giovinco goes oh so close with a pair of free kicks — The man is magical when it comes to free kicks, but Giovinco came up a combined 12 to 18 inches from knocking in a pair in the 25-to-30-yard range either side of halftime. Even when he doesn’t score, the Atomic Ant is a joy to watch.
#TFCLive Video: Just wide from Seba. https://t.co/6nKOI6dCba
— Toronto FC (@TorontoFC) April 3, 2016
#TFCLive Video: Seba again close with the FK. https://t.co/aA35HQCxkM
— Toronto FC (@TorontoFC) April 3, 2016
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Man of the match: Marco Pappa
Goalscorers: Solignac (18')