Toronto FC (3W-6L-5T, 14 points) dropped a 2-1 loss against Chicago Fire FC (8W-4L-2T, 26 points) in their final MLS match before the FIFA World Cup 26™ at Solider Field on Saturday evening.
TFC Head Coach Robin Fraser made two changes from his side that started against Charlotte FC last Saturday with Raheem Edwards and Emilio Aristizábal making way for Nickson Gomis and Josh Sargent. Defender Gomis started his first match of the 2026 MLS season, while Alonso Coello made his 100th appearance for the Reds.
Toronto FC started on the front foot, with a chance coming in the 5th minute as Malik Henry’s grounded cross found Sargent, whose sliding redirection was stopped by Chicago goalkeeper Chris Brady.
Halfway into the opening 45, the Fire’s Robin Lod gave the hosts a 1-nil lead in the 22nd minute. A long ball out of the Fire’s defensive third found Chicago’s nine, Hugo Cuypers down the left wing, a quick central pass to Maren Haile-Selassie, whose one-touch pass found Lod on the run placing the ball past Luka Gavran into the bottom-right corner.
Twelve minutes later, in the 34th minute, Sargent scored the equalizer for the Reds, marking his third goal for TFC. Dániel Sallói held the ball to find Coello in the midfield. Coello’s pass split Chicago’s Mbekezeli Mbokazi and Jack Elliott to find Sargent on the run, whose first touch shot powered past Chris Brady.
Sargent almost found his brace two minutes later after beating Jack Eilloit at the top of the 18-yard box, but sent his shot went over the goal. In the 45th minute, Haitian forward Derrick Etienne Jr. positioned himself in the centre of the box, but his right-footed shot forced Brady to make a save, keeping the game tied 1-1 heading into the half.
Toronto FC made a few changes to the original starting eleven with Zane Monlouis coming in at the half to replace Gomis, in addition to Emilio Aristizábal for Sargent in the 61st minute.
The home side regained the lead in the 65th minute credited to a second phase set-piece corner. Philip Zinckernagel’s cross was initially cleared by Monlouis, but Zinckernagel found the ball again sending another cross back into the box to find the head of teammate Andrew Gutman to take the lead, 2-1.
Looking to make some changes, the Reds introduced Theo Corbeanu to the match in the 74th minute, replacing Etienne Jr. Corbeanu made his first appearance of the 2026 campaign since returning from a knee injury back in February.
In the 84th minute, Gavran made a diving save after a shot from 74th-minute substitute, Puso Dithejane, to keep the deficit to one.
TFC also saw defender Raheem Edwards and forward Jules-Anthony Vilsaint check in to the game in the 85th minute for new signing Jackson Gilman and Malik Henry.
The Reds were awarded a corner kick during stoppage time after Chicago goalkeeper Brady violated the eight-second timer. Coello’s cross saw Gavran at the back post but was unable to make contact as the Fire held on to the lead, securing the 2-1 victory.
The Reds return to action following the FIFA World Cup 26™ break with a showdown against arch-rivals CF Montréal on Thursday, July 16. Kick-off from Stade Saputo in Montreal, Quebec is set for 7:30 p.m. ET and will be broadcast globally on Apple TV and on TSN in Canada.
LINEUPS
CHICAGO FIRE FC – Chris Brady; Johnny Dean, Jack Elliott (C), Mbekezeli Mbokazi (Joel Waterman 61’), Andrew Gutman; Anton Salétros, Mauricio Pineda (Dje D'Avilla 61’), Robin Lod; Philip Zinckernagel (Chris Mueller 90+3), Maren Haile-Selassie (Puso Dithejane 74’), Hugo Cuypers
Substitutes Not Used: Josh Cohen, Viktor Radojević, Dylan Borso, Sergio Oregel Jr., Jason Shokalook
TORONTO FC – Luka Gavran; Jakckson Gilman (Raheem Edwards 86’), Walker Zimmerman, Nickson Gomis (Zane Monlouis 46’), Kobe Franklin; Alonso Coello, Jonathan Osorio (C), Malik Henry (Jules-Anthony Vilsaint 85’), Dániel Sallói, Derrick Etienne Jr. (Theo Corbeanu 74’); Josh Sargent (Emilio Aristizábal 61’)
Substitutes Not Used: William Yarbrough, Adisa De Rosario, Stefan Kapor
MEDIA NOTES
- Alonso Coello made his 100th appearance for Toronto FC across all competitions, becoming the 19th player in club history and the fourth active player alongside Jonathan Osorio, Richie Laryea and Deandre Kerr to reach the milestone.
- Dániel Sallói recorded his fifth assist for TFC.
- With his assist on Josh Sargent’s 34th minute goal, Dániel Sallói has now recorded a team-leading nine goal contributions (four goals, five assists) since joining the Reds in February 2026.
