Toronto FC's Unbeaten Streak Continues with Late Draw Against Cincinnati
Toronto FC head coach Robin Fraser expressed disappointment after his team's 1-1 draw with FC Cincinnati on Saturday, describing it as "two points lost" after conceding another goal while facing a shorthanded opponent. The tie extended TFC's unbeaten streak to five games (3-0-2) and improved their overall record to three wins, two draws, and two losses for 11 points in the MLS season.
Dramatic Late Equalizer
Down to 10 men for the final 20 minutes of the match, a scrappy Cincinnati side scored a spectacular goal in added time to secure the draw. Kenji Mboma Dem netted the equalizer with a left-footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom right corner, assisted by Ayoub Jabbari with a secondary assist from Samuel Gidi. This marked the third goal TFC has conceded while up a man in the past two weeks, a statistic Fraser acknowledged should never happen.
"We've given up three goals while being up a man in the last two weeks and that should never happen," Fraser said post-game. "But at the end of the day, you still get a point, we're still moving forward, we're still accumulating points. And let's not forget Cincinnati is a very good team with very good players and credit to them for creating that goal being a man down."
Match Highlights and Key Moments
The Reds appeared poised for a third straight victory before the late equalizer. Cincinnati fell behind 1-0 in the 83rd minute after an own goal by centre back Gilbert Flores, who accidentally directed the ball over the line following a play initiated by TFC's Josh Sargent. Possession was nearly even throughout the match, with both teams managing four shots on target.
TFC goalkeeper Luka Gavran, a Hamilton native, made several crucial saves to keep his team in contention:
- A sixth-minute save on Tom Barlow to maintain a 0-0 score early
- A diving punch to clear a header by Cincinnati's Matt Miazga in extra time of the first half
- A 54th-minute save on a corner kick header by former TFC defender Nick Hagglund
"We're definitely not happy with the final score but we're not really too hard on ourselves," Gavran commented. "Obviously we wanted three points and we missed out on that. But we're gaining points and it's better than last year when we weren't doing that. We just have to get our heads right and get back at it Monday."
Discipline Issues and Player Absences
Cincinnati's Kevin Denkey received two yellow cards in quick succession in the 70th and 71st minutes, resulting in a red card that gave Toronto a man-advantage for over 20 minutes. Denkey's first yellow came for embellishment after a dive in TFC's end, drawing boos from BMO Field fans as he exited.
TFC faced significant roster challenges, missing midfielder Djordje Mihailovic for eight weeks due to a pelvic stress fracture and centre-back Walker Zimmerman as a game-day scratch with a calf issue. The club signed TFC II standouts Jahmarie Nolan (16-year-old forward) and Richard Chukwu (18-year-old defender) to short-term agreements for the match.
Fraser refused to use these absences as an excuse for the draw, noting: "I thought we started off really well, had really good control, spent a lot of time in their part of the field but in those moments we didn't create enough actual danger. And then after about 25 minutes, it felt like the game just kind of went back and forth and we didn't have the control that we did early. So that was a little bit disappointing."
Looking Ahead
The Reds now hold an 11-game unbeaten streak at BMO Field and will look to continue their positive momentum when they host Austin FC on Saturday, April 18. Despite the disappointing finish against Cincinnati, the team remains optimistic about their direction this season as they continue to accumulate points in the MLS standings.
