Sargent hat-trick not enough as Toronto FC salvages 4-4 draw with Chicago Fire
Photo: Zachary Rubio-Paret
TORONTO — Josh Sargent scored his first Toronto FC hat-trick, but the Reds needed a stoppage-time goal from Derrick Etienne Jr. to rescue a 4-4 draw against Chicago Fire FC at BMO Field.
Toronto led twice during a frantic night but found itself trailing 4-3 after Chicago scored three times in a 14-minute stretch early in the second half. Etienne finally pulled the hosts level in the 92nd minute, extending TFC’s unbeaten run to six matches.
The result moved Toronto to 5-7-11 with 26 points, while Chicago sits at 11-6-5 with 38.
Sargent takes over in the first half
Chicago opened the scoring through Maren Haile-Selassie in the 13th minute, but Sargent quickly became the central figure of the match.
The American striker equalized in the 27th minute, finishing a move created by Djordje Mihailovic and Alonso Coello. Eleven minutes later, Sargent struck again to send Toronto into halftime with a 2-1 advantage.
That lead disappeared almost immediately after the restart. Walker Zimmerman was credited with an own goal in the 49th minute, bringing Chicago level.
Sargent answered five minutes later. Mihailovic provided his second assist of the night and Sargent completed the hat-trick to restore Toronto’s lead at 3-2. It was Sargent’s first three-goal performance for TFC and made him the fifth player in club history to record an MLS hat-trick, joining Sebastian Giovinco, Justin Morrow, Ayo Akinola and Federico Bernardeschi.
Head coach Robin Fraser said Sargent’s contribution extended well beyond the scoresheet.
“I think you saw so much of what Josh brings to us tonight, not just in the three goals, but the work that he did outside of it,” Fraser said. “It was a fantastic, absolutely fantastic performance.”
Chicago turns the game around
Toronto’s second lead lasted only four minutes.
Haile-Selassie scored his second of the match in the 58th minute, with Robert Lewandowski providing the assist. Chicago then went ahead for the first time since the opening half when Lewandowski scored in the 63rd, assisted by Philip Zinckernagel and Jonathan Dean.
Suddenly, Toronto had gone from leading 3-2 to trailing 4-3. Fraser turned to his bench, including handing Lewis Morgan his TFC debut in the 64th minute, just days after the Scottish forward was acquired from San Diego FC.
Toronto pushed forward in search of an equalizer, and it finally arrived in stoppage time. Dániel Sallói found Etienne, who took a touch before finishing to the far post in the 92nd minute. Coello was also credited with an assist, his second of the night and 10th as a Toronto FC player.
“I just saw a chance to get forward,” Etienne said. “Daniel did a good job of committing his defender and then playing it out to me for me to get a touch out of my feet and put it far post.”
The goal secured a point, but Toronto was left with mixed feelings after scoring four times at home without winning. Fraser pointed directly to the team’s defensive performance and the recurring need to recover from deficits.
“We can’t wait till we’re down to show that sort of urgency,” he said. “We know at this point we need three points, not one point.”
For Toronto, an eight-goal night ultimately produced another draw — one highlighted by Sargent’s breakthrough hat-trick and Etienne’s late intervention, but also by the defensive problems that prevented the Reds from turning four goals into three points.
