Toronto FC (3W-7L-8T, 17 points) wrapped up their four-match road trip with a tightly contested 1-1 draw against New York City FC (7W-6L-5T, 26 points) on Friday evening, as Djordje Mihailovic’s first-half equalizer cancelled out Nicolás Fernández’s early opener at Yankee Stadium.
Toronto FC Head Coach Robin Fraser made three changes from last weekend’s road eleven against D.C. United with new acquisition Niklas Dorsch, Djordje Mihailovic and Josh Sargent coming in for Zane Monlouis, Derrick Etienne Jr. and Emilio Aristizábal.
New York City FC broke the deadlock early after Richie Laryea was judged to have brought down Agustín Ojeda inside the penalty area in the sixth minute of play. Nicolás Fernández converted from the spot despite Luka Gavran nearly producing the save, as the Argentinian midfielder's 13th goal of the MLS campaign drew him level for the league’s Golden Boot lead.
Toronto FC responded on the stroke of half-time when Djordje Mihailovic converted from close range after goalkeeper Matt Freese could only parry Dániel Sallói's strike into his path.
The first-half stoppage time equalizer, which began with Josh Sargent capitalizing on a defensive mistake, marked Mihailovic’s second goal of the 2026 MLS season following his recent return from an injury lay-off since April.
The Boys in Blue threatened to restore their lead shortly after the restart but were denied twice in quick succession, as shot-stopper Luka Gavran produced a pair of sharp reaction saves to keep out Talles Magno and Andrés Perea following a 54th minute corner.
The Reds found the back of the net in the 73rd minute when substitute Derrick Etienne Jr.'s cut-back was turned home by Dániel Sallói. However, the celebrations were cut short as the assistant referee's offside flag ruled out the Hungarian's first-time finish.
Both Eastern Conference clubs pushed for a late winner at the iconic Yankee Stadium, but neither side could find the breakthrough as they settled for a point apiece in a hard-fought 1-1 draw in the Bronx.
Up next, Toronto FC return home to host New England Revolution on Saturday, August 15. 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 TSN in Canada.
LINEUPS
NEW YORK CITY FC – Matt Freese; Tayvon Gray, Thiago Martins (C) (Mitja Ilenič 86’), James Sands, Nico Cavallo; Jonathan Shore, Nicolás Fernández (Seymour Reid 86’), Andrés Perea; Agustín Ojeda (Hannes Wolf 59’), Bénie Traoré (Malachi Jones 59’), Talles Magno (Máximo Carrizo 70’)
Substitutes Not Used: Tomás Romero, Kevin Pierre, Cooper Flax, Max Murray
TORONTO FC – Luka Gavran; Kobe Franklin, Walker Zimmerman, Jackson Gilman, Richie Laryea; Jonathan Osorio (C), Niklas Dorsch (Alonso Coello 71’), Theo Corbeanu (Malik Henry 87’), Djordje Mihailovic (Derrick Etienne Jr. 71’), Dániel Sallói; Josh Sargent (Deandre Kerr 71’)
Substitutes Not Used: William Yarbrough, Benjamín Kuscevic, Raheem Edwards, Emilio Aristizábal, Jules-Anthony Vilsaint
MEDIA NOTES
- Niklas Dorsch made his Toronto FC debut as a starter, becoming the 14th player to debut for the Reds this season.
