Toronto FC (7W-7L-1T, 22 points) fell to the reigning Supporters’ Shield winners FC Cincinnati (10W-2L-3T, 33 points) by a score of 3-4 at BMO Field on Saturday evening.

First Half:

Toronto FC Head Coach John Herdman made nine changes from the midweek starting eleven that advanced past CS Saint-Laurent in the second leg of the 2024 Canadian Championship quarter-final, with Sean Johnson, Sigurd Rosted, Nicksoen Gomis, Raoul Petretta, Tyrese Spicer, Matty Longstaff, Deybi Flores, Jonathan Osorio and Prince Owusu coming in for Luka Gavran, Kosi Thompson, Aimé Mabika, Antony Curic, Kobe Franklin, Andrei Dumitru, Alonso Coello, Cassius Mailula and Deandre Kerr

After a back-and-forth opening 20 minutes, the hosts look the lead when Deybi Flores’ glancing header from Lorenzo Insigne’s corner found the back of the Cincinnati net in the 25^th minute. The goal, Flores’ first for the Reds, marked the Honduran midfielder as the club’s ninth player to score their first TFC goal in 2024.

The Reds thought they doubled their advantage when Prince Owusu tapped home from close-range in stoppage time of the first half, only for the effort to be ruled out for Sigurd Rosted’s foul on goalkeeper Roman Celentano in the build-up. With both sides unable to convert goalscoring opportunities through Gerardo Valenzuela, Luca Orellano, Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty and Lorenzo in the opening 45, TFC went into the half-time interval holding a one-goal advantage for the fourth time this season.

Second Half:

Looking to extend their six-match winning streak, FC Cincinnati responded with two quickfire second-half goals within the opening 10 minutes of play. First, a Cincinnati attack resulted in Argentinian Luca Orellano finding an opening and cooly slotting home in the 53^rd minute. Two minutes later, Orellano capitalized on a misplaced pass and forced Sean Johnson into an excellent low diving save, before Venezuelan Kevin Kelsy’s left-footed strike found the Toronto net.

Toronto FC found an equalizer eight minutes later after an intricate passing sequence from a corner kick between Insigne, Raoul Petretta and Jonathan Osorio resulted in Cincinnati’s Ian Murphy bundling Insigne’s low cross into his own net.

The Orange and Blue took their second lead of the night when Luca Orellano applied the finishing touch on a 20-pass sequence with a side-footed effort in the 79^th minute.

Four minutes later, referee Victor Rivas pointed to the penalty spot when Prince Owusu was bought down by Miles Robinson in the box. At the heart of everything positive for the Reds, Lorenzo Insigne stepped up and sent Celentano the wrong way to score an emphatic penalty into the top-right corner for the Reds’ second equalizer of the night.

Seeking a late winner in front of the home faithful, the Reds fashioned a pair of big chances in quick succession during the closing stages of the encounter. First, Alonso Coello picked out Kobe Franklin’s run into the box with an inch-perfect pass before the Canadian defender’s effort came within few inches of finding the back of the net. A minute later, Insigne received a throw in from Petretta and drove into the Cincinnati midfield before unleashing a ferocious 30-yard strike that clattered the woodwork in the 89^th minute.

Moments later, the Orange and Blue scored the seventh and final goal of the night when dazzling footwork from Argentinian playmaker Luciano Acosta led to Yamil Asad setting up Sergio Santos to pounce and fire home the game-winning goal from close range in the 93^rd minute.

Deep into stoppage time, Alonso Coello expertly picked out the run of Lorenzo Insigne with a defence-splitting pass and the Italian’s left-footed half-volley powered past Roman Celentano and into the Cincinnati goal. The celebrations, however, were cut short as the 96^th minute effort fell victim to the linesman’s flag for a marginal offside call on Insigne’s run in the build-up.

With the Reds’ late comeback falling short by a slim margin, FC Cincinnati emerged victorious in the seven-goal thriller at BMO Field to extend the club’s winning streak to seven MLS matches since April 20. Toronto FC, meanwhile, have now scored 16 goals in their last three matches at BMO Field and have won seven of their last 10 matches across all competitions since April 20.

Toronto FC hit the road next to face Philadelphia Union in midweek MLS action on Wednesday, May 28. Kick-off from Subaru Park Chester, Pennsylvania is set for 7:30 p.m. ET and will be broadcast globally on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.

LINEUPS

TORONTO FC – Sean Johnson; Sigurd Rosted, Nicksoen Gomis, Raoul Petretta; Tyrese Spicer (Derick Etienne Jr. 58’), Matty Longstaff, Deybi Flores (Alonso Coello 70’), Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty (Kevin Long 75’); Jonathan Osorio (C) (Kobe Franklin 70’), Lorenzo Insigne, Prince Owusu

Substitutes Not Used: Luka Gavran, Aimé Mabika, Cassius Mailula, Kosi Thompson, Deandre Kerr

FC CINCINNATI – Roman Celentano; Miles Robinson, Matt Miazga, Ian Murphy; Bret Halsey (DeAndre Yedlin 65’), Obinna Nwobodo, Pavel Bucha, Luca Orellano (Yamil Asad 88’), Luciano Acosta (C); Gerardo Valenzuela (Sergio Santos 72’), Kevin Kelsy

Substitutes Not Used: Alec Kann, Nick Hagglund, Kipp Keller, London Aghedo, Malik Pinto, Stiven Jimenez

NOTABLES:

• Deybi Flores scored his first goal for Toronto FC.
• With a goal and an assist tonight, Lorenzo Insigne registered two goal contributions for the second successive MLS match, after registering a pair of assists against CF Montréal on May 18, 2024.
• Goalkeeper Sean Johnson made his 400^th Major League Soccer appearance tonight, including regular season (385) and playoff (15) matches, split between Chicago Fire (2010 – 2016), New York City FC (2017 – 2022) and Toronto FC (2023 – present).

**POSTMATCH SOUND**