Altidore stunner leads Toronto past Cincinnati

Updated: May 17, 2023, 05:21 am

Jozy Altidore scored for the fourth consecutive game as Toronto FC held on for a 2-1 win over visiting FC Cincinnati on Saturday.

In the 50th minute, Altidore launched a well-placed strike from outside the box that curled its way into the right side of Cincinnati's net.

Altidore's recent hot streak has upped his total to nine goals for the season, even though injuries and international duties have limited the star forward to just 13 games for Toronto.

The victory was Toronto FC's third in their last four games, allowing the club to keep pace in the Eastern Conference. Toronto (9-9-5, 32 points) remains a point behind the New England Revolution and Montreal Impact for the final East playoff berth.

Toronto heavily controlled play in the first half, culminating in Nick DeLeon's goal in the 16th minute. An Alejandro Pozuelo corner kick found Omar Gonzalez for a header, which was then re-directed by DeLeon with another header at close range.

The goal was DeLeon's fifth of the season, continuing his emergence as an attacking force with Toronto. The midfielder scored only seven goals over 152 league games with D.C. United from 2013-18.

Jozy Altidore
Jozy Altidore
Gerry Angus-USA TODAY Sports

Emmanuel Ledesma brought Cincinnati (5-16-2, 17 points) within a goal in the 58th minute. Allan Cruz made a strong rush into the box and was taken down amidst four Toronto defenders. The loose ball fell out to Ledesma's feet, and he made no mistake in converting his third goal of the season.

After being dominated in the opening 45 minutes, FC Cincinnati's attack came to life after halftime, as the visitors outshot Toronto 10-2 (4-2 in shots on target) over the final 45 minutes.

The late surge wasn't enough to keep FC Cincinnati from its third consecutive defeat. The expansion side is now 2-9-0 over its last 11 league games.

Maikel van der Werff made his MLS debut for Cincinnati, one of seven changes to the lineup fielded in FC Cincinnati's 2-0 loss to New England last Sunday.