It's now three in a row without a win for Toronto FC coming out of the World Cup break, as D.C. United rode a late penalty to a 2-1 victory on Saturday night. When that stat is combined with the nine-game winless slide they possessed heading into their time off, the streak now sits at 12 games and counting.
Injuries remain at the heart of the issue for the Reds, with star midfielder Ðorðe Mihailović only fit for bench duty, while DP striker Josh Sargent and key centre-back Benjamín Kuscevic were absent from the matchday squad on Saturday at Audi Field.
But still, the players that are on the pitch continue to fail to get it done. With D.C. holding the ninth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, the gap is now six points between the teams – with Columbus and Orlando in between – as the 2026 MLS campaign crosses its halfway point.
There were a few changes from Wednesday's 0-0 draw at New England, most notably in the attack, with Theo Corbeanu and Derrick Etienne Jr. entering in place of Jules-Anthony Vilsaint and Deandre Kerr.
The first chance of the game fell to Etienne Jr. in the fourth minute, with the Haïti international putting a rather tame effort into the palms of former TFC 'keeper Sean Johnson.
From there, the teams traded chances for the next half hour or so, with the most notable of those looks being João Peglow sending a rebound opportunity over the bar with an open net after a Luka Gavran save.
As the half wore on, the hosts gained more and more confidence, and more control of the game.
D.C. is a team with a good amount of size, and has been dangerous off of set pieces in 2026, while Toronto has been one of the worst teams at defending set pieces in MLS.
That mismatch proved itself in the 41st minute, as Kye Rowles' header to the back post found the net. It may have gone in off TFC full-back Kobe Franklin in the end, but the result was a 1-0 lead to United nonetheless.
WHAT A GOAL FOR KYE! pic.twitter.com/b0xQvRz56v
— D.C. United (@dcunited) July 26, 2026
That brought halftime, and Toronto manager Robin Fraser made a change at half to gain more control of the midfield, bringing on Alonso Coello for Zane Monlouis, and shifting Richie Laryea back to his usual right-back position.
This change worked quite well for Fraser and the Reds. The second half started with the visitors having more control of the ball and generating a few chances. So, a pair of attacking changes was in order, with Mihailović and Kerr entering for Etienne Jr. and Emilio Aristizábal.
A Jackson Gilman header from a corner forced a really nice save from Johnson, and Mihailović had a header of his own from open play blocked before it could get to the goal soon after.
Toronto's attacking changes brought a new level of quality and pace to their attack, which was much lacking in the first half. Mihailović in particular looked sharp, and the extra space for Corbeanu, whose positive dribbling and box entries were excellent for TFC on the night.
Eventually, the dam burst as the Reds found their equalizer in the 76th minute.
THEO LEVELS THE GAME 🔥
— Toronto FC (@TorontoFC) July 26, 2026
1-1 | #DCvTOR | #TFCLive pic.twitter.com/RcdkCWcYVu
Jonathan Osorio had his strike blocked off the line, but it fell right to Corbeanu at the back post, who smashed it home as his strong performance off the right was rewarded with his first goal of the season.
That would be about the end of any good vibes on the night for Toronto. D.C. countered with some changes of their own, including Hosei Kijima, whose energy and positive dribbling caused a ton of problems for some tired TFC legs at the back.
There were a few bits of strong emergency defending, but it felt as though the hosts were likeliest to find a winner in the match. In the 96th minute, Jackson Gilman went in with a challenge on D.C. midfielder Andre Dozzell in the box, and after a VAR review, referee Serhii Boiko deemed the contact enough to be a penalty.
The TFC defender claimed he got a touch on the ball, which he might have, but the officials decided the contact afterwards coming through Dozzell's leg was a foul, and United were at the spot late on with a chance to take home all three points at home.
DP striker Tai Baribo slotted the penalty hard and low to Gavran's right, who guessed correctly but couldn't beat the pace of the ball. That sent Audi Field into raptures, with the home side getting a pivotal late victory to greatly help their spot in the playoff race.
CLUTCH pic.twitter.com/aZpcFPIQpk
— D.C. United (@dcunited) July 26, 2026
Toronto had a couple late set pieces to try and grab something from the game, but they came to nothing, and D.C. walked away with a 2-1 victory in the end.
For the Reds, the story is the same as it's been for months. They must get their top players on the pitch if they're to salvage anything from this season, but with each passing week it feels more and more likely there will be no post-season play in Toronto for a sixth straight season.
