Toronto FC midfielder Alonso Coello (14) runs with the ball as Vancouver Whitecaps forward Jayden Nelson (7) follows during first half MLS soccer action in Toronto on Saturday, March 29, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Arlyn McAdorey

TORONTO - Six games into the Toronto FC season and Robin Fraser's team finally has something to build on, if not a win yet.

It was just a scoreless draw, and it was no thing of beauty, but Toronto (0-4-2) showed grit Saturday against a high-flying Vancouver Whitecaps team that came to BMO Field 11 points and 27 places higher in the MLS standings.

The point was welcome after four straight defeats. As was the clean sheet for a Toronto team that had leaked a league-worst 12 goals in its first five outing.

"What I think is really important today is resilience," said Fraser, who called the outing something to build on. 

"What we've seen so far this year is when things have not gone well, for us, we've had lulls," he added. "And in those lulls, we've given up goals and that's been kind of our Achilles heel to this point. Today we had to fight. We had to fight really hard at certain points of the game and it was really all hands on deck."

In truth, the game was as drab as the weather until the final minutes.

It was a chilly two degrees, feeling like minus-two, with rain falling for the early afternoon kickoff at BMO Field. There was also a freezing rain warning in effect.

The poor weather and poor start to the season combined to leave a range of empty seats at the stadium. Attendance was announced at 22,301.

The Whitecaps (4-1-1) will rue lack of accuracy in their offence, outshooting Toronto 17-6 but only 5-3 in shots on target. Vancouver also has 12 corners (to Toronto's three) threatening on many of the set pieces.

"We play a game where we have control most of the time but are not able to score and not able to create the chances that we should have considering how we actually got into good positions," said Vancouver coach Jesper Sørensen.

"And then in the end, in the last 15 minutes it could go either way."

The visitors found themselves under duress late in the game as Toronto came forward.

"By the very end, we were quite threatening," said Fraser.

Toronto goalkeeper Sean Johnson made a big save in the 88th minute to deny Ranko Veselinovic off a corner to preserve the draw. At the other end, Ola Brynhildsen came close in stoppage time and Vancouver survived some dicey moments in front of goal.

The Whitecaps, playing the first of five games in 15 days, arrived atop the Western Conference and second in the Supporters' Shield standings.

The only team below Toronto was CF Montreal, which fired coach Laurent Courtois on Monday. And that was due to an inferior goal difference of just one.

Vancouver threatened early from set pieces with Toronto defender Raoul Petretta having to clear a Brian White header off the goal-line from a Sebastian Berhalter corner in the 11th minute.

Johnson stopped Tate Johnson late in the half when the Vancouver left back was allowed to slice into the Toronto penalty box.

Vancouver outshot Toronto 8-1 (2-0 in shots on target) in a scrappy first half short on entertainment.

Deandre Kerr and Henry Wingo both went down at the same time early in the second half withBrynhildsen and Kosi Thompson replacing them in the 53rd minute.

Fraser says Kerr will undergo tests on his ankle while Wingo was dealing with a recurrence of a hamstring injury.

Vancouver's Andres Cubas came off in the 60th minute after an awkward fall. Defender Mathias Laborda also came out in the 79th minute with Sørensen saying both may not be able to play in Wednesday's opening leg of the CONCACAF Champions Cup quarterfinal against Mexico's Pumas UNAM.

It was a quiet day at the office for Vancouver goalkeeper Yohei Takaoka until the 82nd minute when he had to stop a Deybi Flores header off a Lorenzo Insigne free kick.

Toronto was missing the injured Richie Laryea, Kevin Long and Matty Longstaff.

Fraser made four changes to his starting lineup with Sigurd Rosted, Jonathan Osorio, Derrick Etienne Jr. and Kerr slotting in. There was another start for Insigne, who was left out of the lineup for the first four games of the season. 

Insigne started up front with Kerr.

Vancouver, without injured captain Ryan Gauld and defenders Sam Adekugbe and Bjorn Inge Utvik, made five changes with White and Ali Ahmed returning to lead the attack alongside former Toronto player Jayden Nelson.

The Whitecaps were coming off a 3-1 loss to visiting Chicago, after wins over Portland Timbers, Los Angeles Galaxy, Montreal and FC Dallas.

Toronto lost 2-1 to the New York Red Bulls late time out, adding to defeats by Orlando City, FC Cincinnati and Chicago.

Earlier Saturday, TFC announced it was loaning 20-year-old forward Hugo Mbongue to Lexington SC of the United Soccer League (USL) Championship for the remainder of the 2025 season.

Toronto visits Inter Miami on April 6.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 29, 2025.

News from © The Canadian Press, 2025