Toronto FC were unable to build on their impressive 4-1 victory over D.C United as they were beaten 1-0 by Philadelphia Union on Saturday to bring up their third defeat in four games.
Ryan Nelson’s side were denied a point by an injury-time goal from the hosts when Kleberson converted his free-kick to give the play-off hopefuls maximum points.
Philadelphia were able to grab the winner despite playing the last 15 minutes of the game with just ten men when Fabinho was shown a straight red for his stomp on the back of Alvaro Rey.
Former Wales international Robert Earnshaw had the visitors’ best chance of the game when he came off the bench in the second half. His shot hit the underside of the crossbar but was unable to bounce over the line.
Toronto now have two games left in their season as they are unable to qualify for the play-offs, a development that surprised few fans who bet on soccer.
They are expected to bolster their squad in January as they look to improve next season on their league form. Nelson is likely to have a large budget to play with when it comes to making big name signings to help them extend their campaign past the regular season in 2014.
The Canadian side will face Chicago on October 19 in their final game on the road in 2013. The latest betting on the bet365 website suggests that Fire still have a chance of making the top five in the Eastern Conference Standings as they currently sit just two points behind Philadelphia.
In their final outing this season, the reds will host Montreal in front of their home crowd before they go on a break. There is expected to be a big crown for the all-Canada clash at the BMO Field.
