Philadelphia Union rally with two late goals to defeat Toronto FC 2-1
Add another painful chapter to Toronto FC's challenging season.
Toronto (3-9-4) held the Eastern Conference-leading Philadelphia Union (10-3-3) scoreless for 85 minutes Wednesday and looked headed for just its second home win of the season after Norwegian forward Ola Brynhildsen roofed a shot in the 75th minute.
But Philadelphia goals in the 86th and 92nd minutes made for a miserable ending and a 2-1 loss for TFC.
'I'm incredibly disappointed,' said Toronto coach Robin Fraser. 'The work that they did for 85 minutes was unbelievable. They fought. And this is a very, very difficult [Philadelphia] team to deal with. You have to be up for the physical battle. And for 85 minutes we were very good.'
'The performance they put on today, they were too good to let that slip away,' he added.
And that is exactly what happened.
After Nathan Harriel rose high to head home a Kai Wagner corner in the 86th minute, Wagner broke TFC fans' hearts with a 92nd-minute shot that deflected in off Toronto midfielder Matty Longstaff.
Brynhildsen, who had been taking a beating from Philadelphia all evening, had outpaced two defenders to get to a long ball from Deybi Flores for his second goal of the season.
'Obviously it doesn't feel [good]. We worked so hard,' said Brynhildsen, whose mother and stepfather were in the stands. 'I think we really played well. Everyone was on. We were fighting. We beat Philadelphia at their own game, physical and running. And then we don't reward ourselves with winning the game. It's a tough one.'
It was a scrappy stop-and-start game with a lot of whistles from referee Guido Gonzales Jr. The visitors spent much of the first half in Toronto's end, on a cool, damp evening with plenty of empty seats at BMO Field.
Attendance was announced at 14,490, only slightly higher than the season low of 14,019 for the 1-0 loss to FC Cincinnati on May 14.
The Union outshot Toronto 13-10 (6-4 in shots on target).
Philadelphia arrived atop the East, 13 places and 17 points ahead of Toronto – and trailing the Vancouver Whitecaps by one point in the Supporters' Shield standings. The Union are now unbeaten in eight matches (6-0-2) in league play and 10 in all competitions (8-0-2), dating back to a 1-0 defeat April 12 at New York City FC.
After starting the campaign at 0-4-4, Toronto has gone 3-5-0 and came into the game eight points out of a playoff spot. Since posting its first victory of the season April 19 in Salt Lake, the club has lost, lost, won, lost, won, lost and lost in league play.
The game was Toronto's 300th regular-season home game in club history with TFC 123-98-79, good for 448 points. Saturday's home game against Nashville was Toronto's 600th regular-season outing.
With Toronto playing its sixth game in 25 days, coach Robin Fraser made seven changes to the starting lineup that lost 2-1 last weekend. Only goalkeeper Sean Johnson, winger Theo Corbeanu, Flores and Brynhildsen retained their places.
Captain Jonathan Osorio, who came off the bench Saturday in his return from a shoulder injury, started for the first time since April 30. Defenders Henry Wingo, Raoul Petretta and Zane Monlouis also were back in the starting lineup.
Toronto was still missing injured defenders Nicksoen Gomis and Kobe Franklin, along with forward Deandre Kerr. Star winger Federico Bernardeschi and defender Kosi Thompson were both suspended for yellow card accumulation.
Recovered from a knee injury, Andre Blake was back in goal for Philadelphia. The 34-year-old Jamaican international, a three-time MLS Goalkeeper of the Year, had missed the last six games.
TFC was unbeaten in its last three meetings with Philadelphia (2-0-1) and had a 14-11-8 edge (including 10-3-4 at BMO Field) in career regular-season meetings. The Union last won in Toronto in May 2019.
Toronto hosts Charlotte FC on Saturday while Philadelphia plays at FC Dallas.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Globe and Mail
28 minutes ago
- Globe and Mail
Valorant Masters Toronto e-sports tournament ‘surreal' experience for fans
For traditional sports fans, the Valorant Masters Toronto e-sports tournament could be a culture shock. At Sunday's final, there was no field, rink or court. Instead, at game time, two groups of mostly 20-somethings sat behind computer monitors at a long desk atop a platform, trying to virtually eliminate their opponents as fans watched on a jumbotron above. Occasionally, strobe lights punctuated big moments. Attendees described it as a mix of a music festival and a sports game. For fans of the multibillion-dollar world of e-sports, it was an electric environment. 'It's bringing a community together that's been loving games all their lives,' said Matthew Ragoonath, near a crowd of people. 'Especially with events like this, everyone gets to come out, and it's just a surreal experience.' Valorant, a first-person shooter game centred around heroic characters called agents, exploded in popularity quickly after its debut in June, 2020. Tracker Network, which follows statistics, player population and leaderboards for popular online games, tracked nearly 850,000 Valorant players in its first month; that number grew more than five-fold in the next month. In May, 2025, Tracker Network tracked about 18.2 million players of the game. Valorant Masters Toronto arrived in the middle of the city's Video Games Month. The tournament was expected to have a $40-million economic impact, according to a City of Toronto news release at the beginning of June. Major leagues are turning to esports to draw in new, and younger, fans Edmonton school's e-sports athletes go mouse-to-mouse with province's best Sunday marked the culmination of two weeks of tournament gameplay. The arena was set up as if for a boxing or wrestling match, with the audience surrounding a raised platform at the centre. But instead of punches, the players exchanged gunfire with quick flicks of the wrist and deliberate mouse clicks. Just before the final began, players walked through an arch with flashing lights, taking time to brush the hands of fans who stretched over the metal barriers along the entranceway. A jumbotron hung above the players where spectators could watch the action as it was happening in the simulated war zone. The battle would shift from quiet footsteps and tactical moves to dramatic firefights in an instant. Fans would cheer and jeer at the sight of a fallen agent on-screen, not unlike the sound of an arena when a hockey puck slides dangerously close to the goal line, or a spectacular save from a soccer goaltender. The team winner of the final, Paper Rex, won a trophy and US$350,000, the largest cut of a US$1-million purse that's split between the top eight. Teams also garner circuit points on their way to the championship in Paris. In Sunday's crowd, some showed their support for Fnatic, the opponent team. Bri Sison was in the crowd wearing the flag of the eventual champions. She travelled from San Francisco for the tournament. 'The plot with their games are always just so unpredictable, you never know what's going to happen next,' she said of Paper Rex. Some people The Globe and Mail spoke with at the event say they formed connections in lineups to the event or, in one case, at a restaurant after noticing another person wearing an e-sport jersey. In a group of five, two had come solo, meeting the rest in lineups. 'My whole group actually cancelled on me, so I'm the only person who came, and every single day I've been with people, I've found groups, people have adopted me in,' Maria Liong said. She said that, despite the reputation the online game has for being toxic, events such as the e-sports tournament show a more inclusive community. Members of the group paid varying costs for their tickets. Some pre-sale buyers got tickets for $115, while another who bought their ticket later paid the Canadian equivalent of about $395. Tickets for the final available on Stubhub Saturday evening ranged from about $429 to more than $1,700 at the peak. Before game time on Sunday, hundreds of fans shuffled through a sign-making area, markering slogans or artful creations to hold in the sky. Others crowded into lines for merchandise, games or photo opportunities. Some attendees chose to dress up as characters in the game, not unlike patrons at comic or gaming conventions, in what's known as cosplay. Cai Zhao had an elaborate costume that resembled the character Jett. 'I can't actually play the game, I'm really bad, so I can dress up as one,' she laughed. She watches Valorant's fast-paced gameplay often, but said the energy of an in-person viewing adds to the excitement. For tournament host Toronto, the 'gaming industry reflects the best of our city. It is creative, diverse and forward-thinking,' Mayor Olivia Chow said ahead of this month's competition. 'Video Game Month is an invitation to celebrate this growing sector and the talented people behind it and to discover how gaming connects with art, innovation and our local communities.'
CTV News
38 minutes ago
- CTV News
North America's largest dragon boat festival wraps up in False Creek
Hundreds of racers from around the world gave it their all in False Creek this weekend for the annual Vancouver Dragon Boat Festival—the largest event of its kind in North America. In total, 222 teams from nine countries participated in more than 100 races Saturday and Sunday. 'Despite the rain, everyone's in high spirits because this is what a lot of teams train an entire year for. They've flown in from around the world to race here,' said Dominic Lai with Dragon Boat BC. He explained that dragon boating made its Canadian debut at Expo 86, when members of Vancouver's Asian community brought the vessels over from Hong Kong for a demonstration race, and the sport took off. The first Dragon Boat Festival was in 1989. Sunday's festivities included a specialty cup competition for breast cancer survivors. 'I think most of us joined because we wanted to sort of get back into shape after breast cancer, but also to change the face of breast cancer, (show) that we can be active,' said Debra Chelsey, a member of a team from Calgary. 'We're living and we're strong, we're getting healthy,' said her teammate, Angela Reither. 'We have such great spirit and we're thriving. It shows our strength.'
National Post
an hour ago
- National Post
Top NHL prospect Matthew Schaefer staying positive despite grief, injury
Article content When the time comes for defenceman Matthew Schaefer to take the stage at the NHL draft inside the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles this week, the top-ranked prospect won't be climbing the stairs alone. Article content There's no doubt in Schaefer's mind his late mother Jennifer will be accompanying him in spirit. It will stand as a joyous moment for the 17-year-old Erie Otters player celebrating the person who's been at his side for every step even after she died of cancer some 16 months ago. Article content Article content Article content 'I love talking about my mom, because I talk about the happy memories instead of the sad memories,' Schaefer said. Article content He recalled the times Jennifer suited up in goalie equipment to face shots from him and his older brother. Even when sick, she'd muster the energy to play mini-sticks in the family basement. Article content 'She's always with me in spirit. I know she has a front-row seat to every game,' Schaefer added. 'I just want to carry on her legacy and character and the person she was.' Article content His mother's poise and strength are reflected in shaping Schaefer's upbeat perspective in the face of other losses and setbacks. Article content Some two months before Schaefer's mother died, the mother of his billet family was struck and killed by a train in what was ruled a death by suicide. In December, he was in Ottawa representing Canada at the world junior championship when Otters owner and Schaefer's mentor, Jim Waters, died of a heart attack. Schaefer broke his collarbone at the tournament, forcing him to miss the final three months of the season. Article content 'My mindset has changed a lot with everything. Just seeing what my mom went through, having a smile on her face with cancer kind of trying to bring her down, but she wouldn't let it,' he said. 'She's the strongest person I've ever known.' Article content Article content No. 1 in Central Scouting rankings Article content A testament to Schaefer's perseverance: The 6-foot-2, 183-pound player from Hamilton has remained atop NHL Central Scouting's rankings among North American skaters with the two-day draft opening on Friday. Article content Though the debate between ranking Schaefer over high-scoring Saginaw Spirit centre Michael Misa was close, scouting director Dan Marr said Schaefer earned the nod because of the development he showed when healthy. Article content Marr referred to Schaefer as 'stealing the show' at Canada's under-18 summer camp before scoring six points (two goals, four assists) in captaining Canada to win the Hlinka/Gretzky Cup in August. After missing the start of the OHL season with mononucleosis, he posted 22 points (seven goals, 15 assists) in 17 games with Erie before being sidelined at the world juniors.
