Late goal lifts Red Bulls to 1-1 draw with Toronto In TFC’s 20th home opener

By Canadian Press on March 14, 2026.

TORONTO — Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting scored on a goalmouth scramble off a corner in the 98th minute to give New York a 1-1 draw with Toronto FC in its 20th home opener Saturday, securing a point for former captain Michael Bradley in his return to BMO Field as Red Bulls coach.

Toronto (1-2-1) failed to clear the corner and the veteran forward made them pay. Daniel Salloi, scoring for the second week in a row, had given TFC a first-half lead before an announced crowd of 18,767.

The Red Bulls (2-1-1) had 59.1 per cent possession in the first half, outshot Toronto 7-4 (4-3 in shots on target) and had six corners to TFC’s two but still found themselves trailing at the break.

Toronto went ahead in the 43rd minute on a rapid-fire counter-attack with goalkeeper Luka Gavran starting the play on a free kick, finding Djordje Mihailovic racing up the field. The star playmaker held off a defender before lobbing a perfect pass to an unmarked Salloi whose deft one-touch shot beat Ethan Horvath.

The Hungarian winger also scored last week in a 1-0 win at FC Cincinnati.

The Red Bulls had their chances with Swedish designated player Emil Forsberg flubbing a golden opportunity in the 53rd minute by slotting his shot wide. Gavran denied Forsberg minutes later and the Swede was frustrated in the 72nd minute by a timely Jonathan Osorio block.

Josh Sargent, TFC’s newly signed designated player, made his debut off the bench in the 70th minute — and almost scored seconds later in a goalmouth scramble off a corner. Ethan Horvath saved Sargent’s shot in the 86th minute.

The 26-year-old U.S. international last played Jan. 4 for Norwich City in a 2-0 loss to Stoke City in England’s second-tier Championship. Sargent was subsequently relegated to training with Norwich’s under-21 team as his transfer to Toronto — worth up to US$27 million — slowly progressed.

Referee Chris Penso went to the pitchside monitor in the 82nd minute, at the behest of the video assistant referee, to review a Richie Laryea tackle on Julian Hall in the Toronto penalty box. But he ruled no foul.

Saturday’s game marked the first of nine straight at home at a refurbished BMO Field, sporting empty banks of temporary seats at the north and south ends that will bring capacity to 45,000 for this summer’s World Cup.

There is more work to be done. The north endzone remained bare, below a string of covered-up new suites and more temporary seats. Only the suites will remain after the World Cup, complete with a rooftop patio.

Bradley received a standing ovation from the crowd when he was introduced before kickoff. And why not? He led the club to the treble in 2017 when it won the Supporters’ Shield, MLS Cup and Canadian Championship.

The 38-year-old Bradley made 308 appearances across 10 seasons with Toronto before retiring after the 2023 campaign. Only Osorio, at 399, had made more appearances for the franchise.

It was zero C for the early afternoon kickoff, feeling like minus-7 C. On the plus side, the snow that fell Friday was nowhere to be seen.

Fans received a commemorative seat cushion inspired by Danny Dichio’s historic 24th-minute goal from 2007, the first goal in club history. Seat cushions were also given out that day, with most being thrown onto the field like Frisbees after Dichio’s goal.

To avoid history repeating itself, this time the seat cushions were given out as fans exited the game.

After starting the season with three games away from home, TFC does not play on the road again until a May 16 visit to Charlotte.

The Red Bulls arrived riding a 13-game unbeaten run (9-0-4) against Toronto, which was looking for its first win against the New Yorkers since a 3-0 decision July 2019 at BMO Field. The Red Bulls came into the game with a 24-9-11 edge in 44 previous regular-season meetings with TFC.

Toronto coach Robin Fraser fielded an unchanged lineup.

Bradley started three teenagers in 16-year-old midfielder Adri Mehmeti and 17-year-old defender Matthew Dos Santos and forward Hall. All three started in the season-opening win over Orlando, making the Red Bulls the first team in MLS history to start three players aged 17 or younger in a regular-season match.

Tanner Rosborough, a 17-year-old forward, came off the Red Bulls bench in the second half.

The Red Bulls were lively to start and former TFC defender Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty threatened in the 13th minute with a low shot stopped by Gavran. Soon after, New York came close off a corner with Gavran and the Toronto defence at sixes and sevens.

Toronto’s first shot came in the 24th minute with a diving Horvath getting a hand to Mihailovic’s free kick from outside the penalty box. Seconds later, Gavran stopped Hall from close range.

Horvath was called into action again in the 39th minute, stopping a low Mihailovic shot.

Fraser made changes at halftime, shifting formation to better match up with the visitors.

Toronto looked to build on its first-ever win at Cincinnati’s TQL Stadium last week, after back-to-back losses at FC Dallas and Vancouver. The Red Bulls were hoping to bounce back from a 3-0 loss to visiting CF Montreal after season-opening wins over Orlando City and New England.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 14, 2026.

Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press