By Canadian Press

Atlas FC downs Toronto FC 1-0 in Leagues Cup; Dunfield falls to 0-6 as TFC coach

Jul 30, 2023 | 7:51 PM

Toronto FC’s first taste of Leagues Cup action lasted just two matches.

And the struggling Major League Soccer club’s ugly goal drought continued to grow.

Jordy Caicedo scored in the second minute as Mexico’s Atlas FC downed Toronto 1-0 on Sunday.

The Liga MX side secured first place in the three-team group with a pair of victories, ahead of New York City FC (1-1-0) and Toronto (0-2-0).

Toronto, which hasn’t scored in 619 minutes, needed to win by three or more goals to advance after Wednesday’s 5-0 road throttling at the hands of NYCFC.

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TFC interim head coach Terry Dunfield fell to 0-6 and has watched his team get outscored 13-0 since replacing the fired Bob Bradley on June 26.

The inaugural Leagues Cup — a two-league, three-country, 47-team competition — runs through Aug. 19.

Toronto, which started the season with such promise thanks to a roster accented by Italian stars Lorenzo Insigne and Federico Bernardeschi, has been thumped 18-1 over its last eight matches — all losses — is winless in 11 (0-8-3), and has a solitary victory in 17 games (1-12-4) since late April.

An abysmal 3-11-10 in MLS action, TFC won’t play again until Aug. 20 against CF Montreal.

Guadalajara-based Atlas, which is three games into its domestic campaign, opened the scoring just 95 seconds into proceedings at BMO Field when Caicedo took advantage of a turnover and curled his shot past outstretched TFC goalkeeper Sean Johnson.

Toronto settled down from there, with Jonathan Osorio testing Camilo Vargas from distance on a deflected effort in the 13th minute before Brandon Servania fizzed a shot at the Atlas ‘keeper in the 35th.

Caicedo nearly doubled the visitors’ lead in the 45th off another giveaway, but the Ecuador striker’s shot hit the post before Johnson and his defenders scrambled to block a followup effort.

Osorio had a shout for a penalty waved away by referee Nima Saghafi early in the second half as Dunfield’s team tried desperately to find a breakthrough.

Atlas was never really troubled, however, and Caicedo nearly doubled the lead in the 80th minute when he rattled the crossbar.

Its season already in tatters, Toronto was embarrassed in that disastrous Leagues Cup opener at NYCFC in mid-week — a performance that had some observers questioning the roster’s commitment and professionalism.

Dunfield dropped Bernardeschi, who hadn’t scored in 17 straight matches, to the bench Sunday.

The former Canadian international — promoted from TFC’s under-17 program on a trial basis following Bradley’s dismissal — started two players from TFC’s feeder team, including 16-year-old defender Lazar Stefanovic of Oakville, Ont.

Toronto has experienced selection issues throughout Dunfield’s brief tenure, with Insigne having seen a solitary half of action because of injury representing a prime example.

The club started the process of remaking its roster this week. 

Canadian striker Ayo Akinola was loaned to the San Jose Earthquakes and veteran defender Matt Hedges was traded to Austin FC. 

The club also signed South African forward Cassius Mailula, who was unavailable against Atlas, while centre back Shane O’Neill was suspended after getting sent off against NYCFC.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 30, 2023.

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Follow @JClipperton_CP on Twitter.

Joshua Clipperton, The Canadian Press