Toronto FC had a chance to pick up three points on Saturday and sit atop the Eastern Conference when it led the Houston Dynamo, leaders of the the Western Conference. Instead Toronto had to settle for a 1-1 draw and trails the Chicago Fire by two points in the conference following the weekend’s slate of match-ups. The game was the MLS Game of The Week airing on ESPN2.

In front of an announced crowd of 20,172 at BMO Field it was Toronto FC’s game to win. TFC took the lead when midfielder Dwayne De Rosario put the team on the scoreboard with a 1-0 lead in the 37th minute. He placed the ball past the diving Dynamo goalkeeper Pat Onstad. The goal was De Rosario’s sixth of the year and also the first he has scored against his former club.

TFC would remain in the lead until the 74th minute. At that moment Bobby Bowswell provided the game tying goal, his first of the 2009 season. Boswell received the pass headed it towards the direction of the goal where it was blocked by Toronto goalkeeper Stefan Frei. Boswell reacted quickly and placed the rebound into the back of the net.

The tie keeps Dynamo ahead of Seattle in the west by four points. Entering Saturday’s contest TFC had won four out-of-their last five matches. Both teams had opportunities to score throughout the contest.

In the 12th minute Houston’s Geoff Cameron took a ball in the Toronto penalty area and was denied a goal when strike hit the crossbar.

Toronto had a chance to extend their lead to 2-0 in the 63rd minute. Chad Barrett, the MLS Player Of The Week, had a through-ball that he tried to float past Onstad, but the veteran held his ground inside the box and the ball was cleared for only a few seconds before another shot on goal. De Rosario took a pass, turned around and shot it straight at the goalie who cradled the ball.

Toronto FC looks to regain its footing when they travel south of the border to Colubus, Ohio. They face off against the defending MLS Champion Crew at 7:30 p.m.

Before facing off against the Crew the Reds hosts mid-week match against Argentinean power River Plate in the Carlsberg Cup on Wednesday night, also at 7:30 p.m. River Plate has won a record 33 professional titles in Argentina.

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