Tag: Jonathan Osorio

NYCFC coach Cushing denies allegation he punched Toronto FC player

TFC head coach John Herdman has leveled a very serious charge against the NYCFC boss

New York City FC head coach Nick Cushing has “categorically” denied an allegation that he punched a Toronto FC player at halftime of a game in March.

NYCFC and TFC played out a contentious match on Saturday night, with players and coaches alike involved in a heated on-field scuffle after the game at BMO Field.

After the match, which NYCFC won 3-2, TFC head coach John Herdman and captain Jonathan Osorio said the altercation was partially due to an incident that had taken place two months earlier.

“Their coach talks and says things to certain players that crosses the line,” Osorio said in a post-game press conference. “When we hear their coach and three players cornered a 19-year-old of ours by himself, that’s going to be a problem. We were just letting them know we didn’t forget about that.”

Herdman was later asked directly about Cushing’s behavior during the March 16 match at Yankee Stadium.

“That was the off-record report that came into the dressing room at halftime from a 19-year-old who said he got cornered and punched in the face,” Herdman said.

Neither Herdman nor Osorio mentioned the TFC player in question, but the only 19-year-old on the team’s senior roster is Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty.

On Monday, Cushing spoke to the press and denied the charges made by Toronto’s coach and captain.

“I categorically deny any involvement or any incident where I have punched or assaulted any Toronto FC player or staff,” Cushing said.

“I am shocked, personally. I’m upset by the allegation.”

Cushing added that he was not aware of the allegation until after TFC’s post-game press conference on Saturday.

The MLS Disciplinary Committee is set to examine footage of the most recent altercation between NYCFC and TFC, and will hand out any punishment later this week.

No punishments were given after the March game at Yankee Stadium.

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Lorenzo Insigne scores first MLS goal in 4-3 Toronto FC win vs. Nashville SC

Insigne’s first MLS goal was a banger

Lorenzo Insigne picked the perfect time to score his first MLS goal, scoring what turned out to be the winner for Toronto FC in a 4-3 road win against Nashville SC that verged on MLS Madness™.

TFC took three leads, as Jonathan Osorio scored a brace and their other big Serie A acquisition Federico Bernardeschi converted a second half penalty. However, their hosts kept fighting back, with Hany Mukhtar bagging a penalty of his own and Teal Bunbury scoring deep in first half stoppage time.

That set the stage for Insigne to produce some magic. With TFC up 3-2 in the 77th minute, Michael Bradley moved the ball to Insigne in a seemingly contained situation. Two Nashville players were locked in on Insigne, while Toronto’s attackers remained stagnant.

It didn’t matter. Insigne dipped his shoulder to turn and burst past both Nashville players, cut inside of a third, and fire a 24-yard bullet past Joe Willis.

Toronto still nearly put that to waste, as Walker Zimmerman got Nashville a late third, but the visitors held on to make it three straight without a loss.

Watch Insigne’s brilliant first MLS goal

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MLS: Toronto FC vs. New York City FC odds, picks and best bets

Previewing Sunday’s Toronto FC vs. New York City FC sports betting odds and lines, with MLS betting picks, tips and best bets.

Toronto FC and New York City FC battle Sunday at 8:30 p.m. ET in a Round of 16 knockout stage game at the MLS is Back Tournament. The match will be played in the bubble at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex near Orlando, Florida. We analyze the Toronto-New York sports betting odds and lines at BetMGM while providing MLS betting tips and picks around this matchup.

Toronto FC vs. New York City FC: Key injuries

Toronto FC

  • M Ifunanyachi Achara (knee) out
  • D Justin Morrow (Achilles) out
  • M Jonathan Osorio (quadriceps) questionable

New York City FC

  • M Gedion Zelalem (knee) out
  • M Max Moralez (quad) out

Place legal sports bets on MLS action in CO, IN, NJ and WV through BetMGM. Sign up and bet at BetMGM now!

Toronto FC vs. New York City FC: MLS odds, betting lines and picks

Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Saturday at 9:15 a.m. ET.

Prediction

Toronto FC 3, New York City 1

Moneyline (ML)

TORONTO FC (+125) went unbeaten in Group C play, winning a match and picking up two draws. They managed to net six goals with a plus-1 goal differential, just edging out New England for the top spot in the group.

Toronto’s firepower on offense will get them past NYCFC (+195).  They ended up third in Group A, scoring just two goals with a minus-2 goal differential.

A winning $10 wager on Toronto FC (+125) to win outright nets a profit of $12.50. A $10 wager on New York City FC (+195) to win would net $19.50, while a Draw or Tie (+275) would fetch a $27.50 profit.

Over/Under (O/U)

OVER 2.5 (-167) looks pretty tasty here, mainly based upon Toronto’s wide-open style of play. TFC averaged two goals per game in the group stage while yielding 1.67. If those trends continue, we’ll see at least three total goals. NYCFC’s struggling offense is the biggest concern here, but they should find a little more success against Toronto.

Want some action in this one? Place a bet with BetMGM today. For more sports betting picks and tips, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Follow @JoeWilliamsVI on Twitter, and follow @SportsbookWire on Twitter and Facebook.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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