Toronto FC 0-0 Chicago Fire: No one wins

The points were shared at BMO Field on Wednesday night as Toronto FC drew 0-0 at home against the Chicago Fire.

This game sucked. There was a span with some action at the end of the first half, but that was it. The contest was a drag, and neither team seemingly wanted to win by the end of it.

This was a waste of time for all involved.

What happened

The start of the contest was very slow, with both teams struggling to do anything early on.

The first chance came midway through the first half. Kei Kamara was left unmarked in the area during a corner, but he couldn’t get his close-range header on target, and his attempt flew wide.

That opened the floodgates, as Toronto had an opportunity right after. A brilliant bit of skill from Federico Bernardeschi got him past two defenders, and his low strike was well-hit, but Chris Brady got down quickly to make the save.

It really should have been 1-0 for the hosts a few minutes later. They had an open header of their own, but this one flew right to the goalkeeper. The rebound was also dealt with by Brady, however he had to exit the came due to a nasty collision on the play.

There was one last opening before the end of the half. Deandre Kerr broke free past the opposing defense, but the cross to him was just a little too high, so he couldn’t get to it.

Actually, Toronto had another chance right after. Substitute goalkeeper Spencer Richey was stripped of the ball, and following a few passes Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty finally got a shot off. It was too late, though, and his effort was blocked away.

The second half, just like the first, was really tough to watch early on. However, instead of heating up as it went on, it simply became tougher and tougher to watch. I genuinely got angry at one point.

There was no final highlight. The contest faded into nothingness, which meant that both teams were awarded a single point. Neither deserved it, though.

What it means

This result did nothing for anyone.

Don’t let either of these clubs into the playoffs.

Notes and takeaways

The fact that the Fire refused to release Brian Gutiérrez for the U20 World Cup and then benched him for consecutive games is really messed up.

I know Chicago has had great success in goal with Gabriel Slonina and Chris Brady, but I still miss Sean Johnson. Come home one day, Milkman.

Miguel Navarro is not good enough.

Toronto having a non-red home kit isn’t right. Chicago knows all about that, unfortunately.

Mark-Anthony Kaye had a good game, at least.

This was simply another disappointing night for Toronto’s two Italian superstars. Federico Bernardeschi tried to make an impact, and he got on the ball a lot, but none of his ideas came off. Lorenzo Insigne, on the other hand, didn’t even look like he was playing. He was an invisible figure throughout, which has become the norm unfortunately.

It was good to see Xherdan Shaqiri go the full 90. We likely won’t see him this weekend, but having him play an entire game is a good sign for the future. He might finally be fully healthy.

Man of the match – The fans

I don’t know how anyone can support either of these two teams at the moment, but those people deserve credit for sticking by their respective sides.