Toronto FC rolls five past FC Cincinnati

Updated: May 17, 2023, 05:20 am

Toronto FC scored three first-half goals and coasted to a 5-1 victory against host FC Cincinnati on Saturday to extend its unbeaten streak to five games.

Patrick Mullins, Nick DeLeon and Marco Delgado scored in an 18-minute stretch beginning in the 10th minute for Toronto (11-10-8, 41 points).

Michael Bradley and Nicolas Benezet scored, and Alejandro Pozuelo had two assists before a crowd of 25,339.

The Reds are on a 2-0-3 run to move into a fifth-place tie with the New York Red Bulls in the Eastern Conference with five matches left.

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Expansion Cincinnati (5-21-3, 18 points), which has been eliminated from playoff qualification, has lost four straight and is 0-8-1 in its past nine games.

Emmanuel Ledesma broke the shutout for Cincinnati via a penalty kick in the second minute of second-half stoppage time after a handball against Toronto. He has six goals.

In the 10th minute, Toronto struck against the inexperienced club. Cincinnati's starters had 320 career MLS games (29.09 average) compared to Toronto's 1,073 (97.5).

Mullins made it 1-0 with his second goal in six games for the Reds since being acquired from the Columbus Crew on July 7. He took advantage of a poor outlet pass that bounced directly to him and scored from distance on Przemyslaw Tyton.

DeLeon increased the lead in the 21st minute when a corner kick was deflected off Cincinnati forward Joseph-Claude Gyau. DeLeon volleyed his sixth goal.

Michael Bradley
Michael Bradley
John Dorton/ ISI Photos/Getty Images

Delgado's uncontested header from Pozuelo put Toronto up 3-0 with his second goal.

Bradley padded the margin in the 63rd from a layoff by Pozuelo for his third goal this season after the U.S. midfielder had not score in 62 games over the previous two seasons.

Benezet got his second in the 83rd thanks to another Cincinnati ricochet.

Toronto's Eriq Zavaleta entered in the 71st minute and earned his second caution 17 minutes later and was ejected.

Toronto plays at New York City FC on Wednesday. Cincinnati travels to Montreal on Sept. 14.