FOXBOROUGH — One week after a relatively solid outing against Columbus, Antonio Delamea would be the first to tell you that he didn’t have that solid of a night against Toronto FC; he was, of course, indirectly and directly responsible for two of the Reds’ three goals on Sunday
But it was more than just Delamea at fault.
In fact, Brad Friedel noted that a series of errors led to the 14th-minute equalizer and should not be squarely set on the Slovenian’s shoulders.
“Let’s not talk individual,” Friedel said Tuesday afternoon. “I think most goals that go in is a series of consecutive errors, if you rewind the footage a little bit. We have to eradicate the consecutive errors, and in the life of a midfielder, the onus goes on you a little bit more; the life of a defender, it goes on you a little bit more, and as a goalkeeper, it’s on you even more. The closer you get to your goal, you have to make fewer and fewer errors.
“What’s important is that the team learns from our mistakes.”
The mistake on the first Reds goal came in the midfield. Wilfried Zahibo had played a rather lazy ball toward Carles Gil, but Michael Bradley had pounced on it and sent it slightly wide to Auro, Jr.
Then, a series of five passes and between 14-20 touches between this Toronto quartet — Alo Akinola, Bradley, Justin Morrow, Jay Chapman, and finally Akinola for the second time — led to the goal. Morrow, once on the ball, tried to shake Scott Caldwell off him.
Chapman would wheel to Brandon Bye’s left, and Akinola, who had moved from the center channel toward the ball as Bradley volleyed to Morrow, took the pass from Chapman.
Then comes the moves that leveled the contest: Akinola made Zahibo bite to his left, and Akinola scurried ahead.
That put him in direct line with Delamea.
Like a knife cutting through butter.
Akinola scores his first MLS goal to level the score! #TORvNE https://t.co/mN08ol4xCd
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) March 17, 2019
SC?TTY pic.twitter.com/BewacfpYAw
— New England Revolution (@NERevolution) March 18, 2019