Preston Judd Tied It Up, But Toronto FC's Injury Crisis Just Won't Stop

Toronto FC walked away with a 1-1 draw against San Jose on Saturday, but don't let that result fool you. The Earthquakes came to BMO Field as the league's hottest team, and even though the hosts snagged a point, their injury luck continues to be absolutely brutal.

Judd Keeps It Rolling For San Jose

San Jose came in sitting pretty at 9-1-1 with 28 points, and they showed exactly why they've been dominant. Daniel Salloi got Toronto off to a fast start with a goal in the 2nd minute, curling one into the corner after Raheem Edwards drew defender Benji Kikanovic away from the action. But Preston Judd wasn't having it. The Earthquakes forward tied his career-high seven goals just eleven minutes later, sneaking unmarked onto a perfectly placed Niko Tsakiris set piece to equalize at 1-1.

Judd nearly added another late, but an offside flag wiped out what would've been a brace in the 65th minute. And in the 86th minute, after Salloi chipped the goalkeeper, San Jose center-back Reid Roberts had to throw himself on the line to clear it away. Officials spent a long look at the replay to confirm the ball didn't cross.

The Injury Nightmare Continues For Toronto

Here's the real story though: Toronto's locker room is getting hammered by the injury bug. Center-back Lazar Stefanovic went down with a lower-body injury and didn't make it past halftime. To fill the gap, the club had to turn to academy players, including defender Micah Chisholm making his league debut.

For San Jose, April MLS Player of the Month Timo Werner didn't even make the trip after a hamstring injury forced him out in a U.S. Open Cup match on Tuesday. Tsakiris also came off in the second half with an apparent quad injury.

Toronto sits at 3-3-5 with 14 points after this draw, coming off a brutal week where a nine-match unbeaten run got snapped by Atlanta United. The match was only the first meeting between these teams in over three years, and three of their last four encounters have all ended in draws.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.