Toronto FC's playoff chances continue to fade with loss to Atlanta United
Short-handed Whitecaps suffer road loss to Rapids
Toronto FC's slim playoff hopes took a huge hit Saturday in a 4-2 loss to Atlanta United with Mexican defender Juan Jose Purata scoring an unlikely hat trick.
All three goals came off corners, with the cherry on the cake coming in the 88th minute as Purata doubled his Major League Soccer season output in one outing.
Thiago Almada scored in the 74th minute to give Atlanta a 3-2 lead after Toronto had twice pulled even. The Argentine designated player took advantage of the Toronto defence backing up — and captain Michael Bradley over-running the play — before unleashing a shot from the edge of the box that beat a diving Quentin Westberg.
Atlanta dominated a scoreless first half, denied the lead by Westberg's penalty save.
Purata put Atlanta ahead in the 47th minute, rising above Lukas McNaughton to head home a Brooks Lennon corner. The set piece was prompted by a fine Westberg save off Almada after a Mark-Anthony Kaye giveaway.
WATCH | Purata's hat trick lifts Atlanta United over Toronto FC:
Akinola tied it in the 52nd minute, beating goalkeeper Raul Gudino with TFC's first shot on target. Bradley started the play with a surging run before finding substitute Jesus Jimenez, who slipped the ball over to Akinola for his second of the season.
Purata conceded a penalty, taking down Jimenez after Bernardeschi found the Spaniard just inside the penalty box. The call survived video review and Bernardeschi slotted the ball home in the 67th minute for his eighth goal, including five from the penalty spot, in 10 MLS outings.
Westerg made a terrific save in the 87th minute to deny Almada. Toronto forward Deandre Kerr hit the goalpost in stoppage time.
Coming into weekend play, 10th-place Toronto (9-15-7) was four places and five points out of the playoff picture in the Eastern Conference. And time is running out with just three games remaining: away at Orlando and Philadelphia and at home to Inter Miami.
Atlanta (9-12-9) was one place and one point behind Toronto.
Insigne, who is married with two children, had a scare in early August as Toronto was preparing to return home from a 4-3 win in Nashville. News of a "family health situation" after the team boarded its charter prompted TFC to delay the flight so the Italian could get more information. The former Napoli captain subsequently pulled out of the MLS all-star skills competition in Minneapolis but returned to training later that week.
Going into weekend play, Bernardeschi (seven goals and three assists), Insigne (six goals and two assists) and Criscito (one goal) had been involved in 17 of Toronto's last 20 goals in MLS action, including 11 of the last 12.
Atlanta was missing star striker Josef Martinez, suspended for one game after a reported locker-room altercation with coach Gonzalo Pineda after a 2-1 loss last weekend in Portland. Former TFC forward Dom Dwyer started up front for Atlanta.
Short-handed Whitecaps fall to Rapids
In a matchup of teams that desperately needed a win to keep their playoff hopes alive, the Colorado Rapids took all three points from a 3-1 win over the Vancouver Whitecaps in Commerce City, Colo.
Gyasi Zardes, Diego Rubio and Jonathan Lewis scored for Colorado, which improved to 9-12-9 with 36 points in the Western Conference standings. The Rapids still have a mountain to climb, sitting three spots out of the top seven that make the playoffs and seven points out of seventh place.
Lewis sealed Colorado's win with a goal from the right side of the net, elevating a shot into the target in the 75th minute for a two-goal Rapids lead.
Brian White's fourth goal of the season came in the ninth minute as Vancouver (9-14-7, 34 points) took the early lead. On a failed attempted clearance from the Rapids' Lalas Abubakar, White took the ball away from Abubakar and another defender and scored easily for a 1-0 lead.
WATCH | Key goals from Rubio, Lewis lift Rapids past Whitecaps:
Vancouver was short-handed without its top goal scorer this season, Lucas Cavallini, who was serving the second game of a four-match suspension for a red card and violent conduct from an Aug. 27 incident on the pitch.
Colorado drew even in the 21st minute. Zardes used his left foot to kick in his ninth goal of the season with Colorado and 10th overall after he was acquired from the Columbus Crew. The goal came off an assist from teammate Felipe Gutierrez, who decided to dump off the ball to Zardes rather than try an open shot himself.
Vancouver is in 11th place in the West.
With files from Field Level Media
