Toronto FC fell to a 2-1 loss against New York City FC in the Bronx, after the hosts came from behind at Yankee Stadium on Saturday evening.

First Half:

Eager to maintain their unbeaten start to the 2024 MLS campaign, Toronto FC began the battle in the Bronx in impressive fashion on both sides of the pitch. In the fourth minute of play, Federico Bernardeschi made a crucial intervention to deny New York City’s Kevin O’Toole a goalscoring opportunity at the far post from a Mitja Ilenič cross. The visitors then scored the evening’s first goal and raced into the lead just three minutes later. Following a neat passing sequence between TFC midfielders Deybi Flores, Matty Longstaff and Alonso Coello, the Spaniard’s curled long ball behind NYCFC’s back-line found Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty’s inverted run and the 19-year-old made no mistake when he latched onto the pass and finished past Matt Freese to score his first professional goal for Toronto FC and open the scoring for the Reds.

Fifteen minutes later, TFC’s Kevin Long picked up the first caution of the night for a foul on NYCFC’s Monsef Bakrar. The ensuing set-piece saw Uruguayan Santiago Rodríguez score his second goal of the 2024 MLS campaign, when his curled free-kick found the net to equalize for the hosts.

With both sides looking to take the lead, goalkeeper Luka Gavran was called into action to make a crucial save, his sixth of the opening half, in the 48^th minute to ensure the two sides went into the half-time break level.

Second Half:

Toronto FC made a switch at the break with Kobe Franklin replacing Matty Longstaff to start the second half. The Boys in Blue took the lead for the first time in the 64^th minute, when Kevin O’Toole’s glancing header from Julián Fernández’s left-footed trivela cross beat Luka Gavran in Toronto’s net. NYCFC were then reduced to 10 men after the referee consulted the VAR monitor and showed Keaton Parks a red card for a dangerous tackle on Kobe Franklin in the 68^th minute.

In search of the Reds’ second goal of the night, John Herdman called on Kosi Thompson, Ayo Akinola and Tyrese Spicer off the visitors’ bench in the second half. The moves almost worked to perfection when debutant Spicer whipped in a low-cross to Akinola whose shot went just wide of the target in the 81^st minute. Deandre Kerr then made his first appearance of the 2024 campaign, entering the field of play in the 94^th minute looking to pull one back for the visitors. The Reds, however, were unable to find the late equalizer in the Bronx and the hosts, New York City FC, held on to pick up their first win of the 2024 MLS regular season.

The Reds return to BMO Field to host Atlanta United on Saturday, March 23, with kick-off set for 7:30 p.m. ET.

LINEUPS

NEW YORK CITY FC – Matt Freese; Mitja Ilenič, Thiago Martins (C), Birk Risa, Kevin O'Toole; James Sands, Keaton Parks, Santiago Rodríguez; Julián Fernández (Andrés Perea 70’), Hannes Wolf (Tayvon Gray 83’); Monsef Bakrar (Justin Haak 90’)
Substitutes Not Used: Luis Barraza, Strahinja Tanasijević, Jovan Mijatović, Alonso Martínez, Andres Jasson, Agustín Ojeda

TORONTO FC – Luka Gavran; Shane O’Neill, Kevin Long, Sigurd Rosted (Tyrese Spicer 75’); Federico Bernardeschi, Alonso Coello (Ayo Akinola 75’), Deybi Flores, Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty (Deandre Kerr 90+3’); Matty Longstaff (Kobe Franklin 46’), Lorenzo Insigne (C), Prince Owusu (Kosi Thompson 57’)

Substitutes Not Used: Greg Ranjitsingh, Aimé Mabika, Cassius Mailula, Jordan Perruzza

NOTABLES:

• Matty Longstaff made his first start for Toronto FC, after picking up an assist off the bench in his club debut against Charlotte FC last Saturday.
• Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty scored his first professional goal for the Reds.
• At 19 years and 274 days old, Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty is the ninth-youngest player to score his first goal for Toronto FC.

• Alonso Coello registered his first assist of the 2024 Major League Soccer campaign.

• Tyrese Spicer, Toronto FC’s first overall selection of the 2024 MLS SuperDraft, made his TFC and Major League Soccer debut.

• The Reds logged 309 minutes without conceding a goal in MLS action, marking the fourth longest streak in club history.
• After picking up results in three of the club’s opening four matches, Toronto FC’s start to the 2024 MLS campaign represents the club’s fourth-best league start in club history (2W-1L-1T; 7 points).

POSTMATCH SOUND

• Link can be found **HERE**