Toronto FC began the end of the 2024 MLS regular season with 1-0 win away to the Houston Dynamo on Saturday night at Shell Energy Stadium.

Under pressure in the first half in the oppressive atmosphere of an August evening in Texas, TFC navigated to halftime scoreless. When a chance arrived in the 54th minute, Prince Owusu met Federico Bernardeschi’s corner kick at the back-post and guided his header in with the help of a slight deflection to take the lead and the side then dug deep to see out the remaining 40-odd minutes sealing the victory.

“It was a gritty performance,” said John Herdman post-match. “Coming to Houston and keeping a clean sheet; our first win [here] since 2010. We don't come here often, but it's not stadium, conditions, that players get excited to come to. It's tough.”

“We've talked a lot over these last two weeks about what it's going to take on a championship push, what it's going to take in the last run through MLS, and what you've seen tonight is what it's going to take,” he continued. “A squad of players that are going to do everything to get three points for their club. That's what I seen tonight. Led by their skipper, Jonathan Osorio.”

“What I liked was the character,” Herdman added. “We did say it's not going to be perfect down the home straight. Defense will win you the playoff berth. That was a key part of it tonight, just real solid defending and every man committing to that clarity.”

Echoed Owusu: “Today we, the team, did a hell of a job.”

“We fought together. We knew against Houston, especially against the weather, will be really tough for us. We knew that the game, the longer it goes, will get harder for us, but we had to stay tight and try to score on our chances, which we did on a set piece,” he continued. “We know it was not our best game today, but, at the end, we really don't care.”

“We're just happy with the three points,” added the goalscorer. “There was a lot of games where we were good or even the better team and we lost, so we will take the three points happily with us.”

It wasn’t the prettiest game. Between the Dynamo and the conditions, it was always going to be as much a test of endurance and focus as it was a game of football.

“We knew coming here,” said Herdman. “There aren’t many teams that can get a foothold in the game. They’re so aggressive. Every single pass backwards the whole team is stepping on and making sure it's uncomfortable, so [we] just had to scrap through.”

“We had a couple of chances in the first half; they had some chances, as well. Coming in at halftime, it was just a gritty away performance, which is what we needed,” he outlined. “And then coming into the second half, that first 15 minutes, we said we'll go for it. We'll get more pressure on them and commit a little bit more and it certainly paid off.”

Toronto found another gear at the start of the second half. A dangerous foray forward that saw Owusu, Derrick Etienne Jr., and Osorio nearly craft a chance won a corner kick and Bernardeschi’s delivery deserved to be tucked into the back of the net.

“Honestly I had a feeling that the ball would come to the back-post,” said Owusu. “This is hard to explain, it’s just a feeling.”

“We train everyday with a world class player, you watch his movement and you learn and understand his game. It was just a feeling,” he smiled. “The feeling was right and I'm happy that it worked.”

When quality is met by quality, good things happen.

“Fede’s class, his quality, is always there,” said Herdman. “And when quality meets a quality run.... That's what Prince’s bread and butter is – he needs that service, he needs that quality of service for him to get goals.”

“We've been working on the set pieces this week. The lads have really dialed in, something, again, the skipper [Osorio] had raised to say, set pieces are going to be key. We put attention on that,” explained the coach. “Terry Dunfield did some work this week with the lads and it delivered.”

“You've got to take the goals anyway you can, whether it's set pieces, deflections. There's games we've played better in and lost this year, this is one that I'm really happy with,” Herdman underlined. “It reminds us of the beginning of the season where we were just fighting and scrapping right to the final whistle, together. One more thing to say: the lads coming off the bench. We took some risks bringing key players off the pitch, that guys can come in and bring that level of concentration was brilliant.”

An Owusu touch led to a goal earlier this month at Inter Miami CF in the Leagues Cup, but it was ruled an own-goal. This one he is keeping. And he nearly got on the end of another 10 minutes later.

When chances are few and far between, a goalscorer needs to stay tuned in and patient, waiting for the moment to pounce.

“You have to always make your mind be awake,” said Owusu. “As a striker, you know one moment can change the whole game or the dynamic of the game.”

“We knew set pieces were a big, big opportunity for us – so it was – and we took the opportunity,” he continued. “I'm really happy that I helped the team with a goal. The guys in the locker room are really tired. They put everything on the pitch, we deserved the win for our work effort, and it paid off. I'm really proud of the guys.”

A crucial goal at one end and a heroic shift at the other, led by Kevin Long in the middle of the defense and Sean Johnson, who again made the saves he needed to make.

“[Long] came off the pitch and said, ‘I love those games’ – that's the English Championship,” joked Herdman. “He’s playing against their new DP striker, [Ezequiel] Ponce, he was in good form coming into this game, and Longy knew he had a tough shift, but you can’t do it on your own. Sigurd [Rosted] and [Shane] O'Neill helped managed the distances around him, he tended to have that cover. Longy was brave tonight.”

“When you work in a back five, the central centreback is key. You do need those two centrebacks around to give you the cover,” he continued. “It was a good central spine: from Sean Johnson, who was solid, through to Longy, and then you've got Deybi [Flores] in front, and Prince putting a shift in right through the centre of the pitch.”

“You need this,” Herdman stressed. “This playoff run, it's not going to be pretty, you just have to push and get through these games and scrap for the points. It felt good. I don't come in here to think we're going to dominate the ball, dominate the game. You come into Houston to grab three points and get the hell out.”

Those 1-0 results are extra sweet for a coach, especially on the road.

“They are,” agreed Herdman. “The clean sheet element is really important. When everyone dials in to say we are going to give it everything to keep a clean sheet. We have worked on our defending the last couple weeks, denying those central areas, getting the wide centrebacks tighter. Those elements were on show tonight.”

“The guys in front have got to put their shift in. They did really well to just keep forcing them into those wide areas. Longy is one of the best headers in the league, you bring Aimé Mabika in, those players can deal with those crosses. I was happy,” he continued. “There were some hairy moments, but there's never a game in MLS where there are not hairy moments.”

“Proud. Just proud of the character, the intensity, the fight,” he added, having taken a glance at outcomes around the league. “All the results went our way tonight, but they only go your way if you make your way and we made our own way tonight.”

To kick off the beginning of the end of the season with a big three points away from home was “huge” according to Owusu.

“Huge,” he repeated. “After two weeks break, to start with a win. It's not easy, you know. You get out of your rhythm and games in Houston, in this environment, is double-hard.”

“Now we have to rest. We have to make sure that we are ready for the cup game. It’s the next important game – the next games are very important. We know that. The next games are like our finals,” Owusu added. “We know what type of pressure [there] is now, it's crunch time and everybody is alert. We know what we have to do. We will be prepared.”

Toronto are back in action on Tuesday night when Forge FC come to BMO Field with a 2-1 advantage for the second leg of a Canadian Championship semifinal series.

Herdman’s closing message to the side in Houston: “One game at a time.”

“The lads know we've got an exciting home match – we’re really up for it, to get Forge home. It's a game we want back,” he continued. “Excited to get out on the pitch and compete against them.”

“The players are really clear about that game being important for the club and for our next step, which is to see if we can bring silverware home,” he closed. “That match is an exciting one for this group. Players knew they were going to come out of this game to be ready for that match and some players were left at home as well, to make sure they got the full recovery and not have the travel in their legs. We are excited to get in front of our fans. It feels like it's been ages. It's going to be good.”