Toronto FC strongly reacts after the defeat suffered in the 13th round of the MLS

On May 11th, Toronto FC would end up being defeated by New York City FC, with BMO Field witnessing TFC's five-game winning streak across all competitions come to an end. NYC FC would be the reason behind this streak's end, securing victory with a 2-3 scoreline.

Throughout the match, TFC demonstrated themselves as a highly competitive team despite the scoreline being against them. The hunger and desire for a comeback were evident, but unfortunately, they wouldn't be enough to overturn the result. This, coupled with several errors by the team in ball management, led to NYC FC's goals.

After the match concluded, chaos erupted on the field, with a massive brawl breaking out between both clubs, which wouldn't be brought under control until certain actions were taken. However, the worst part fell on TFC, resulting in Bernardeschi being sent off for a second yellow card.

Post-match statements didn't take long, and John Herdman was one of the protagonists in the press conference alongside captain Jonathan Osorio.

"There was a lot of animosity because of what happened last time. Their coach starts saying things to certain players that I think maybe are crossing the line a bit. One of their players crossed the line and head-butted Sean Johnson. Sean, like any person, is going to react."

- Jonathan Osorio

Certain statements drew attention as there are strong accusations regarding the New York City FC coach. However, NYC FC's coach has denied what happened in the match between both clubs in March.

"The 19-year-old reported being hit by the coach in that stadium. There were things that had happened in the previous game in the tunnel that I think just spilled over into this game."

- John Herdman

All signs point to the player who was hit by the coach Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty. However, one should only rely on Rutty's word since he was the one who experienced the incident firsthand.

"That was the unofficial report that came into the dressing room at halftime from a 19-year-old who said he was cornered and punched in the face."

- John Herdman

In this major incident of the match, the statements were also quite unexpected regarding what happened in the game, highlighting how actions that were not apparent in the March encounter and the one on May 11th have come to light.

This will leave a bitter taste for Toronto FC, awaiting a chance to have a rematch against New York City, demonstrating what they are truly made of on the field.