TORONTO - Given the conditions, Toronto FC manager Ryan Nelsen said the game would be decided by "a scrappy goal or a moment of quality." Unfortunately Colorado (3-1-1) scored the scrappy goal while Toronto midfielder Kyle Bekker came oh so close to two late moments of brilliance Saturday. "To tell you the truth, in the second half I thought there was only going to be one team that was going to win that game," said Nelsen. "The cruelty of football isnt it when you hit the post and 30 seconds later they score at the other end." Former Toronto forward Edson Buddle decided the game with his 99th career MLS goal, from close range in the 77th minute, as the visiting Rapids edged an injury-ridden Toronto side 1-0 before an announced sellout of 22,591. Colorado, which had been on its heels earlier in the second half, took advantage of a Toronto defensive letdown to secure the three points. Toronto (3-2-0) was without five starters including star striker Jermain Defoe (hamstring) and midfielder Michael Bradley (quadricep and groin), whose combined salaries are almost US$13 million this season. Also missing were midfielders Jonathan Osorio and Alvaro Rey (both hamstrings) and central defender Doneil Henry (knee). "I think their depth was tested today," said Colorado defender Drew Moor. "Id be lying if I said when we saw the team sheet that it didnt make us a little more hungry." While Nelsen wanted to talk about those players who were on the pitch rather than the ones missing, he couldnt resist point out that any team would struggle without "five very influential players." "Especially a young team like us." Adding to Torontos woes was the fact that attacking midfielder Dwayne De Rosario, who was subbed out in the 67th minute, was walking with a limp after the game with what Nelsen called a muscle injury. Toronto plays in Dallas next weekend and then has a bye to regroup. The club could well opt to have some of the injured players skip the Dallas game to give them more time to recover. Bradley had been a question-mark for Saturday and failed to recover in time. Nelsen said Bradley faced being out for "several weeks, pushing on months" if he had played and aggravated his injuries. The star midfielder played for both the U.S and Toronto last week, with his body paying the price. Colorado was missing leading scorer Vicente Sanchez, who did not make the trip because his wife is expecting their first child. The drab game reflected the conditions: grey skies and a stiff wind blowing on a bumpy pitch. "There was only a few spells of decent soccer being played out there," said Colorado coach Pablo Mastroeni. "The rest of it was grit, rolling up your sleeves, second balls and battles. Thats what I said to the guys going in. This game is not going to be about soccer, its going to be about determination and will and fight and getting those second balls and shielding and putting balls in dangerous spots." That is exactly how the goal happened. Austrian defender Thomas Piermayr found Dillon Serna in the penalty box with a long ball from the right flank, Serna drove it back into the box, Deshorn Brown got his head to it and the ball found its way back to Serna as the Toronto defence struggled to keep up. Serna passed to Dillon Powers who drove into the box, attracting two Toronto defenders before raking a short ball back to an unmarked Buddle in front Seconds earlier, Bekker had bent a free kick round the wall and off the goalpost. Bekker hit the woodwork again in stoppage time. Asked what he thought after hitting both free kicks, Bekker replied: "Goal." "I thought he was brilliant today," Nelsen said of the 23-year-old Canadian. "Absolutely brilliant, one of our standout players." Colorado had lost all six of its previous games at BMO Field against Toronto although it did win the MLS Cup here in 2010, beating FC Dallas. Torontos bench was young and green with 18-year-old Jordan Hamilton, 21-year-old Nick Hagglund, 22-year-old Gale Agbossoumonde, 23-year-old Ashtone Morgan, 24-year-old Joe Bendik and Andrew Wiedeman, and 25-year-old Ryan Richter. Just having Morgan on the bench was a surprise. The fullback was listed as being out with a hip flexor strain, which might explain why he took virtually no part in warmup. Nelsen said later Morgan could not have played, but was on the bench to be part of the team. The pitch was an improvement from the home opener three weeks ago but still cut up quickly. The bumpy surface and stiff cross-field wind did not help the quality of the game, with giveaways galore early on. Colorado looked for a patient buildup while Toronto opted for a more direct approach. Neither produced much of note although there were chances as the first half wore on with Colorado recovering from a slow start to come back at the home side. Gabriel Torres shot wide and Buddle was stopped in close by Toronto keeper Julio Cesar. At the other end, a header from a sliding Gilberto was just wide of the post after a nice cross from Mark Bloom. But for a team missing so many regulars, Toronto kept it together. Bekker looked calm in central midfield and his influence began to grow in the game. Toronto began to press in the second half. A Mark Bloom cross flew invitingly through the Colorado box. Then a De Rosario header popped just over the bar as Toronto pressed around the 60-minute mark. Three former TFC players started for Colorado — Nick LaBrocca, Nathan Sturgis, and Buddle — with Marvell Wynne on the bench. The 32-year-old Buddle played just 10 games for Toronto in 2007, failing to score. "Bitterly disappointing," was Toronto captain Steven Caldwells assessment of the game. "We just feel if we put in performances like that, were going to win a lot more games than were going to lose," he added. Discount Football Jerseys Throwback . -- Howie Kendrick had a two-run single in his first game batting leadoff this season, Chris Iannetta hit a pair of RBI singles and the Los Angeles Angels beat Cleveland 6-4 Tuesday night, sending the Indians to their fifth straight defeat. Wholesale Football Jerseys Throwback . Vargas (8-3) allowed four singles and two walks while striking out five, allowing only two runners from a diluted Twins lineup to reach second base. Mike Moustakas and Jarrod Dyson hit RBI singles in the second inning against Kevin Correia (4-10), and that was all Vargas needed. http://www.cheapfootballthrowback.com/ .C. - Brent Sutter scored 1:32 into extra time as the Charlotte Checkers came from behind to defeat the visiting Abbotsford Heat 5-4 on Sunday in American Hockey League action. Football Jerseys Throwback Outlet . Costa injured his right thigh muscle against Barcelona last Saturday and had sought treatment in Belgrade from a doctor specializing in using fluid derived from horse placenta to repair damaged cells. Custom Football Jerseys Throwback . The right-hander said he threw about 30 pitches in a routine bullpen session Sunday at Yankee Stadium, his final hurdle before starting Tuesday night at Tampa Bay.DENVER - A fast start and exciting finish helped the Colorado Avalanche avoid another disappointing home loss. Paul Stastny had the tying goal and two assists and Tyson Barrie scored 33 seconds into overtime to complete the rally that lifted the Avalanche to a 4-3 win over the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday night. Jan Hejda and Jamie McGinn also scored for Colorado and Gabriel Landeskog had a career-high three assists. "Its awesome. To get that point going to OT was huge, and to get the second one was awesome," Barrie said. It didnt look like Colorado would get any points for the second straight home game. The Senators carried the play for a majority of the game but couldnt finish it off. "I think we got what we deserved. They played very good to start the game and very good to end the game," Senators coach Paul MacLean said. "In between we were in control. You come on the road and get a point after being down 2-0 in the first five minutes, I think we earned the point." The Avalanche were down 3-2 in the third and pressed for the tying goal. John Mitchell nearly tied it when his shot went off the inside of the right post. Stastny got the equalizer moments later when he deked goalie Craig Anderson and scored at 17:40. In overtime, Stastny fed Barrie in front of the net and the defenceman buried the chance to give Colorado the win. "I called to Paul behind the net and I just tried to get open," Barrie said. "I knew he was going to find me. It was just a matter of trying to beat the goalie. I thought I saw some room on the right side and tried to put it there and fortunately it went in. Thats a huge two points for us." Clarke MacArthur had a goal and an assist, and Jason Spezza and Kyle Turris also scored and Ottawa. "We didnt have a good start to the game, but we played a really good hockey game after that," Spezza said. "We sat back too much and we gave them too many chances to tie the game, and in overtime anything can happen." The Senators controlled play for much of the second period and took the lead on two quick goals after a pair of minors by Colorado defencemen. Cory Sarich drew aa slashing minor at 11:06 and Hejda a delay of game 68 seconds later to put the Avalanche down two players.dddddddddddd Spezza, back after missing four games with a hip flexor injury, tied it with his 12th goal with 13 seconds left in the 5-on-3. Colorado killed off the second minor, but Turris scored before Hejda could get back into the play. It was Turris 11th goal of the year. "We were in full control," MacArthur said. "We were finding a way to win and tonight we found a way to lose." Colorado jumped ahead with two goals by 4:54 into the first period. McGinn got the first one when he tipped Erik Johnsons pass from the point during a power play past Anderson. It was McGinns 10th of the season. Hejda made it 2-0 just 2:35 later when he beat Anderson with a slap shot from the point. It was his eighth goal of the season. Anderson finished with 27 saves and Erik Karlsson had two assists. The two goals seemed to energize the Senators, who outshot the Avalanche 9-3 the rest of the first period. They pressured goalie Semyon Varlamov and finally broke through after a turnover by Andre Benoit. Bobby Ryan gathered the loose puck and fed MacArthur from behind the net, and the left winger scored on a one-timer from the left slot at 15:02. It was his 15th of the season. Ottawa nearly tied it on a power play early in the second period. Two Senators hit posts during the man advantage as the Senators had four shots on goal in the two minutes. Varlamov stopped 29 shots. "A character win for us. We were a little shaky after they had that 5-on-3 and we were a little shaky to start the third period. Varly made some great saves for us. The last five minutes, I really liked what I saw. We played with urgency and I was very proud of our team." NOTES: Barrie has two overtime goals in his career. ... Avalanche C Ryan OReilly was scratched with a shoulder injury. OReilly was injured in the third period of Mondays loss to Calgary. ... Ottawa LW Chris Neil missed his third straight game with a hamstring injury. ... Colorado recalled LW David Van Der Gulik from Lake Erie of the AHL. ... Landeskog extended his points streak to eight games. ' ' '