After Toronto debacle, Union looking to keep the ‘anomaly’ of missing out on points to a minimum

In other circumstances, the Union might have been happy with a draw from Wednesday night’s match against Toronto FC.

Bradley Carnell’s side was buoyed after controlling the run of play in a scoreless draw against D.C. United on Saturday. Why should taking a point from a trip north to Toronto and extending the team’s unbeaten streak to three games be any different?

Because until the game’s final action — a goal from Toronto goalkeeper Luka Gavran to tie it at 3 — it looked like the Union would take home all three points against Toronto (3-2-4, 13 points).

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The Union (1-6-2, five points) were up, 2-0, early in the second half after goals from Milan Iloski and Danley Jean Jacques, but they conceded two goals in an eight-minute span to let Toronto back in it.

Nathan Harriel looked as if he had won it all with a header in the 89th minute that gave the Union a 3-2 lead with just stoppage time to go, but Gavran had other plans.

Gavran came forward into the Union’s 18-yard box for a free kick in the 96th minute. He rose above a crowd of Union defenders in the box and beat Andre Blake with a header to even the score.

It was the final action of a game that saw the Union hold and relinquish a lead twice in the second half. The result counts as a draw for the standings, but it certainly felt like a loss for the Union.

“I feel that this was two points lost today, for sure,” Union manager Bradley Carnell said.

Toronto’s comeback spoiled a rare offensive outburst for the Union. It was the first time they have scored three goals in an MLS match this season, and only their second match scoring at least twice.

Carnell’s side was able to generate chaos in the attacking third with its press, causing crucial turnovers and deflections.

Iloski’s goal, scored just before halftime, came in a transition. Jovan Lukić played a crafty first-time ball to send Iloski through on goal.

Jean Jacques’ goal was a direct result of his pressing efforts, deflecting an attempted Toronto clearance into the back of the net.

The Union’s set pieces looked better as well. Frankie Westfield came close to scoring from two free kicks from the right side of the pitch in the first half, hitting the post on his first attempt.

A corner set piece led to Harriel’s goal, with Alejandro Bedoya sending Jesús Bueno’s initial service on toward the back post for Harriel to hit home.

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But lapses on the back line overshadowed the Union’s success in their own attacking third.

Josh Sargent beat Olwethu Makhanya and Harriel with a simple run inside the 18-yard box on his goal in the 56th minute, and Kobe Franklin slipped past Makhanya and Westfield to end up one-on-one with Blake in the 64th.

And, as it turns out, Toronto can create chaos, too. In a last-minute frenzy, Gavran rose above Makhanya and Ezekiel Alladoh inside the penalty area to deliver his game-tying header in the 96th minute.

According to the league’s communications department, Gavran’s goal is the third goalkeeper goal in MLS history and the first since 2010.

Although they remain unbeaten in three matches, losing out on two points in Toronto is a blow to the Union. After starting the MLS season with six straight losses, they need every point they can get.

“This group is fighting, man,” Carnell said. “This group is locked in and they’re giving everything for each other. And for sure, we looked a little bit naive in some moments today. Which we just have to take on the chin and know that when the clock is 94:40, and there’s 20 seconds to go, what are we mitigating and how are we closing out the game?”

Carnell said he viewed the match as “an anomaly.”

“I think we’ve been really strong defensively,” Carnell said. “I would say this was an anomaly, for what I’ve seen over the last couple of weeks. I don’t want to say that there’s any panic stations now, we just have to make this one hurt for a few minutes. We have a long road trip. The minute we touch down in Columbus, we have to let that go and build on the positives.”

The Union will need to move on from their whiplash-inducing draw in short order. They will stay on the road, traveling directly to Ohio for a clash with the Columbus Crew at ScottsMiracle-Gro Field on Saturday (7:30 p.m., Apple TV).

A goalkeeper goal in the dying embers of a game is the type of event that can impact a team’s morale into the following match, especially for a team that began its season with a historic losing streak.

Carnell believes his group can continue to build on the positives that came out of Wednesday night’s match against Columbus (2-4-3, nine points).

“The minute we leave this locker room here, we’re going to get galvanized,” Carnell said. “We’re going to get locked in again and catch a flight to Columbus.”

And, if it comes down to it, the Union will probably remember to mark Patrick Schulte in the box.

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