Aristizábal delivers late as Toronto FC stuns Nashville

TORONTO — Toronto FC had spent much of its recent unbeaten run finding ways to avoid defeat. On Wednesday night, the Reds finally turned another comeback into three points.

Emilio Aristizábal scored in the 93rd minute as Toronto rallied from an early deficit to defeat Nashville SC 2-1 at home, extending its unbeaten streak to seven MLS matches.

Dániel Sallói scored the equalizer in the 72nd minute before setting up Aristizábal’s winner. The result moved Toronto to 6-7-11 and 29 points, while handing Nashville its first defeat in seven matches.

“I was really, really proud of, you know, it’s not just the effort, but the quality within the effort as well,” Toronto head coach Robin Fraser said. “I thought defensively we just dug in, we fought really hard.”

Toronto recovers from difficult start

The night began in the worst possible fashion for the Reds. An own goal by Niklas Dorsch put Nashville ahead after only four minutes, forcing Toronto to chase the game against a team that entered the night with a 16-3-5 record.

Toronto gradually settled after the early setback and remained within one goal until the second half, when Fraser began turning to his bench.

Theo Corbeanu replaced Lewis Morgan in the 59th minute, while Nicksoen Gomis and Matheus Pereira also entered at the same time. Markus Cimermancic followed in the 70th before Aristizábal replaced Josh Sargent five minutes later.

The changes paid off almost immediately. Corbeanu delivered the ball across goal for Sallói, who finished in the 72nd minute to bring Toronto level at 1-1. The goal continued an impressive stretch for Sallói, who has now contributed to a goal in six consecutive MLS matches.

He has seven goals and nine assists this season, giving him a team-high 16 goal contributions.

Aristizábal turns his opportunity into three points

Toronto kept pushing after the equalizer and found its reward deep into stoppage time. Sallói received the ball inside the area and helped create the opportunity for Aristizábal, who finished with his right foot in the 93rd minute to complete the comeback.

It was a significant moment for the young Colombian forward, whose previous goals came when he scored twice on May 9. His opportunities have been limited since then, particularly within a Toronto attack that now includes Sargent.

“Especially this season, I have learned a lot how to be patient and understand the timing,” Aristizábal said. “I have learned how to learn from other strikers that we have on the team because we have really good ones.”

The goal also reinforced the impact of Toronto’s bench on a night when Fraser was managing his squad with another match only three days away.

Fraser said the upcoming trip to Orlando and the demands of a three-game week influenced several of his substitutions. Toronto had played to a 4-4 draw against Chicago on Saturday and will now face another quick turnaround.

“It was gratifying to see that as the subs went in, we maintained the level and if anything even picked it up,” Fraser said.

Seven games without a defeat

Toronto’s unbeaten run now stands at seven matches, with three wins and four draws since July 31. The victory was particularly important because recent comebacks had produced points without wins. Toronto needed a stoppage-time equalizer to draw Chicago 4-4 in its previous match, but this time its late push produced the full three points.

The Reds are now on 29 points with 10 matches remaining, level with New York City FC, which holds the tiebreaker.

“Everything feels like a playoff game right now,” Fraser said.

Toronto’s attention quickly turns to Saturday’s visit to Orlando, with the club trying to carry its longest current stretch without a defeat into the final portion of the regular season.