Crew too much for Toronto FC, 2-0

Diego Rossi and Jacen Russell-Rowe scored for the host Columbus Crew in a 2-0 victory to extend the Toronto FC losing streak to eight matches in MLS play.

Rossi scored in the 21st minute and Russell-Rowe made it 2-0 in the 89th minute, scoring as a substitute for the second straight match.

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The Crew (12-7-6, 42 points) are 10-1-3 at home but play six of their final nine on the road, where they are 2-6-3.

Toronto (3-13-10, 19 points) is 0-8-3 in the past 11 league matches and has lost 10 in a row in all competitions.

Patrick Schulte made three saves, all in the second half, for the rookie's sixth shutout, second in a row.

Tomas Romero stopped six shots for Toronto, which was outshot 31-9.

The Crew went ahead due to their pressure in the attacking third. Aidan Morris intercepted a pass and fed Julian Gressel. He pushed the ball to Darlington Nagbe for a shot from 22 yards that Romero saved to his right but spilled the rebound to Rossi.

Rossi in his second match -- first start -- since signing as a designated player on Aug. 2, scored his first Crew goal after getting 48 in 105 matches for Los Angeles FC from 2018-21, including leading MLS in goals in 2020. He played in Turkey the past two years.

The Crew's 26 first-half goals are the most in the league.

Toronto FC almost equalized four minutes later when Federico Bernardeschi set up Lorenzo Insigne in the middle of the box, but his shot pinged the crossbar.

Columbus at the half led in attempts (17-3) and shots on goal (4-0). The Crew also had all five corner kicks.

The Crew kept firing away and on their 21st shot in the 62nd minute, Romero extended to his left to get a hand on an Morris try.

Toronto's first shot on target was a header to the left post by Cassius Mailula that Schulte saved in the 65th minute.

Schulte assisted on the Russell-Rowe goal with a long goal kick.