Toronto FC (8W-11L-12T, 36 points) fell to a 4-2 road defeat against Columbus Crew (11W-15L-5T, 38 points) on Saturday afternoon, as their second-half comeback came up short despite goals from Dániel Sallói and Josh Sargent at ScottsMiracle-Gro Field.
Toronto FC Head Coach Robin Fraser made a pair of changes from last Saturday’s 2-0 road win over Red Bull New York with Richie Laryea and Benjamín Kuscevic returning from yellow card accumulation suspension in place of Kobe Franklin and Nicksoen Gomis.
TFC nearly opened the scoring in the third minute when Lewis Morgan’s work down the left found Djordje Mihailovic, whose side-footed effort
Columbus took the lead in the 16th minute when Mohamed Farsi ran onto Santiago Rodríguez’s clipped through ball before laying it off for Gonzalo Tapia, who guided his finish to give the Crew a 1-0 advantage.
The Crew doubled their lead five minutes later when Dylan Chambost’s in-swinging cross was met by Malte Amundsen, who headed home to extend the advantage to 2-0.
The visitors pushed for a response before the interval, with Lewis Morgan’s volley and Theo Corbeanu’s header both narrowly missing the target as the Reds headed into half-time trailing by two.
Columbus added a third shortly after the restart, as Malte Amundsen cushioned Dylan Chambost’s delivery following a short corner in the 48th minute.
The Black & Gold struck again eleven minutes later, with substitute Brooks Lennon finishing off a swift team move by sweeping home Dylan Chambost’s lay-off.
The Reds pulled one back when Theo Corbeanu’s cross from the right wing from Djordje Mihailovic’s pass was met by a powerful header from Dániel Sallói at the back post.
The 69th minute strike marked a team-leading ninth goal and 19th goal contribution of the season for Sallói, while Corbeanu and Mihailovic each recorded their sixth assist and ninth goal contribution of the 2026 campaign.
Columbus Crew were reduced to 10 men a minute later when Sekou Bangoura was shown a second yellow card for a foul on Theo Corbeanu just outside the box.
TFC appeared to pull another goal back from the ensuing free-kick, as Matheus Pereira bundled home the rebound after Patrick Schulte’s save. However, the effort was ruled out for a handball from the Brazilian defender before finding the net.
The visitors pulled another goal back in the 81st minute when Jonathan Osorio and substitute Emilio Aristizábal combined to tee up Josh Sargent, who fired a powerful effort from outside the box beyond an outstretched Patrick Schulte.
The 81st minute goal marked Sargent’s 10th goal contribution (eight goals, two assists), while Osorio (five assists) and Aristizábal (four goals, one assist) each recorded their fifth of the season.
The Reds continued to push in the closing stages, though their second-half comeback ultimately fell short as Columbus Crew held on for a 4-2 victory and all three points in the Buckeye State.
Next up, Toronto FC return home to host D.C. United in their final regular season home match of the 2026 MLS season on Wednesday, October 28. Kick-off from BMO Field in Toronto, Ontario is set for 7:30 p.m. ET and will be broadcast globally in English and Spanish on Apple TV and on TSN3 in Canada.
LINEUPS
COLUMBUS CREW – Patrick Schulte; Mohamed Farsi (Lautaro Giaccone 68’), Steven Moreira (Andrés Herrera 57’), Sean Zawadzki (C), Malte Amundsen; Anass Zaroury, Sekou Bangoura, Dylan Chambost, Santiago Rodríguez (Brooks Lennon 57’); Taha Habroune (Kevin Gbamblé 68’), Gonzalo Tapia (Tarun Karumanchi 78’)
Substitutes Not Used: Nicholas Hagen, Cesar Ruvalcaba, Jamal Thiaré, Josef Martínez
TORONTO FC – Luka Gavran; Richie Laryea, Benjamín Kuscevic (Emilio Aristizábal 78’), Zane Monlouis, Matheus Pereira; Niklas Dorsch, Jonathan Osorio (C), Theo Corbeanu Djordje Mihailovic Lewis Morgan (Dániel Sallói 63’); Josh Sargent
Substitutes Not Used: William Yarbrough, Jackson Gilman, Raheem Edwards, Richard Chukwu, Alonso Coello, Markus Cimermancic, Derrick Etienne Jr.
MEDIA NOTES
- Dániel Sallói scored his team-leading ninth goal of the 2026 Major League Soccer season.
- Sallói has now recorded a team-leading 19 goal contributions (nine goals, 10 assists) since joining Toronto FC in February 2026.
- Josh Sargent recorded his 10th goal contribution (eight goals, two assists of the 2026 MLS season.
- Emilio Aristizábal registered his first assist for Toronto FC.
- With his assist on Josh Sargent’s 81st minute goal, Emilio has now recorded five goal contributions (four goals, one assist) since joining TFC in February 2026.
- Djordje Mihailovic recorded his 10th assist for the Reds.
- Jonathan Osorio registered his fifth assist of the 2026 MLS campaign.
- Theo Corbeanu made his 50th Major League Soccer appearance for Toronto FC.
