Toronto FC II (9W-9L-5T, 33 points) and Philadelphia Union II (10W-4L-8T, 43 points) played out an entertaining 2-2 draw at Subaru Park, before the Young Reds claimed their first MLS NEXT Pro shootout win of the season on Wednesday evening.
TFC II Head Coach Gianni Cimini made four changes from the side that defeated FC Cincinnati 2 at home last Friday with Richard Chukwu, Tim Fortier, Antone Bossenberry and Joshua Nugent coming in for Ythallo, Lucas Olguin, Markus Cimermancic and Jahmarie Nolan.
The Young Reds got off to a strong start and took an early lead after playing out from the back under Philadelphia’s press, with Antone Bossenberry slotting home from Joshua Nugent’s lay-off in the box.
The two TFC Academy products combined neatly for the opener and the third minute effort marked Bossenberry’s second goal and Nugent’s second assist of their debut MLS NEXT Pro campaigns.
Philadelphia Union II equalized nine minutes later with a well-worked move of their own as Edward Davis slipped in Kellan LeBlanc, who cut inside and finished powerfully with his left foot.
The two Northeast Division sides traded chances in an open first half, with Philly’s Nicholas Pariano rattling the crossbar from distance before Michael Sullivan’s header was cleared off the line for Toronto at the other end.
Union II then took the lead on the stroke of half-time, as Jordan Griffin rose to head in Cavan Sullivan’s cross to make it 2-1 for the hosts.
TFC II started the second half brightly and drew level six minutes after the restart when Tim Fortier’s clever pass released Antone Bossenberry in space, whose cross from the right flank was met by captain Michael Sullivan for a diving header.
The 51st minute strike marked the former Pitt Panther’s third goal for TFC II and Bossenberry’s first assist for the Young Reds.
Both sides pushed for a winner throughout the remainder of the evening but the score remained level at 2-2 at the final whistle. The match went to an MLS NEXT Pro shootout, where the Young Reds edged Philadelphia Union II 8-7 to claim their first shootout win of the 2025 campaign.
Next up, Toronto FC II close out the month at home against New York City FC II on Sunday, August 31. Kick-off from York Lions Stadium in Toronto, Ontario is set for 3:00 p.m. ET and and will be available to watch on MLSNEXTPro.com.
Scoring Summary:
TOR – Antone Bossenberry 3’ (Joshua Nugent)
PHI – Kellan LeBlanc 14’ (Edward Davis III)
PHI – Jordan Griffin 45’ (Cavan Sullivan)
TOR – Michael Sullivan 51’ (Antone Bossenberry)
Misconduct Summary:
TOR – Dékwon Barrow 90+1’ (caution)
Lineups:
PHILADELPHIA UNION II – Pierce Holbrook; Isaiah LeFlore, Rafael Uzcátegui, Neil Pierre, Jordan Griffin; Cavan Sullivan (Willyam Ferreira 81’), Nicholas Pariano (C), Noah Probst (Leandro Soria 71’), Kellan LeBlanc (Stas Korzeniowski 72’); Sal Olivas (Markus Anderson 61’), Edward Davis III (Malik Jakupovic 81’)
Substitutes Not Used: Alex Smith, Kaiden Moore, Óscar Benítez Cobo
TORONTO FC II – Adisa De Rosario, Reid Fisher, Stefan Kapor (Mark Fisher 74’), Richard Chukwu (Patrick McDonald 74’); Nathaniel Edwards (Costa Iliadis 81’), Marko Stojadinovic, Tim Fortier (Lucas Olguin 81’), Antone Bossenberry, Hassan Ayari; Michael Sullivan (C), Joshua Nugent (Dékwon Barrow 64’)
Substitutes Not Used: Shafique Wilson, Ythallo, Elijah Roche, Jahmarie Nolan
MEDIA NOTES
- TFC Academy product Antone Bossenberry recorded his first assist for Toronto FC II.
- Bossenberry recorded multiple goal contributions (one goal, one assist) for the first time in his career with TFC II.
