Nashville SC, the best team in MLS so far this season and, in fact, the team with the best record after 23 games in MLS history, was in town to face the frustratingly inconsistent and underachieving Toronto FC. Despite both teams coming in with six-match unbeaten streaks, it was pretty obvious that the current Supporters' Shield front-runners were expected to come away with three points. It was the first of two matches against Nashville this month.
The Reds had other plans, though it wasn't clear in the opening minutes when a disastrous Niklas Dorsch own goal put the hosts behind. But Toronto did not fold as some may have expected. Instead, the Reds held their own until finding two well-taken goals in the second half — the winner in stoppage time — to pluck the win from under high-flying Nashville SC.
tonight's formation pic.twitter.com/hzhAP6VhnA
— Toronto FC (@TorontoFC) September 9, 2026
Some rotation by Robin Fraser in TFC's XI was expected for a midweek game after having played this past Saturday. Designated player midfielder Đorđe Mihailović was out with a hamstring injury, but fellow designated player Niklas Dorsch returned to the line-up donning a protective face mask after missing a couple of games with a facial fracture.
Our XI at BMO Field 👊#TORvNSH | @renasant pic.twitter.com/r3Gq9ZLOnx
— Nashville SC (@NashvilleSC) September 9, 2026
Nashville manager BJ Callaghan also rotated from the weekend, but his vaunted attacking front four of Sam Surridge, Hany Mukhtar, Elias Saad, and Cristian Espinoza were all included in his XI. They were backed by the strongest defensive unit in MLS, with goalkeeper Brian Schwake and his 11 clean sheets.
The game began at a frenetic pace and continued with end-to-end action for the rest of the match. TFC had their first clear-cut opportunity inside the third minute as new signing Lewis Morgan was sent in alone inside the box with just the keeper to beat, but his shot was underhit and straight into the arms of Schwake.
Schwake immediately sent Nashville back at Toronto on a counter that appeared to have been dealt with by the hosts. However, a poor clearance by Luka Gavran and then a calamitous sequence in the box involving midfielders Dorsch and Alonso Coello put the ball in their own net.
What made this both comical and catastrophic was that there was minimal pressure being applied from Nashville's attackers. Ultimately, Coello dribbled the ball in front of his keeper, with Dorsch inexplicably intercepting it. All Gavran could do was watch as the ball bounced haplessly across the goal line. A worse start would have been difficult to imagine.
Goal's a goal 🤷😶 https://t.co/RZuUzk6mtd pic.twitter.com/rK1vH5hOQ7
— Nashville SC (@NashvilleSC) September 9, 2026
To Toronto's credit, they did not hang their heads and got right back to work. Although Nashville dominated possession, they had very little aside from an edge in corners to show for it.
It was not until the 21st minute that Josh Sargent got his first touches on the ball inside Nashville's box, but his shot was blocked out for a corner. On the ensuing corner, Sargent met Coello's lofted ball, but the Nashville keeper was equal to the challenge.
In the 26th minute, Benjamín Kuscevic got his head on the end of a ball that almost fooled Schwake, but again the save was made. Both keepers were kept busy at each end.
🧤🧤🧤 pic.twitter.com/VfKUuqYpCZ
— Toronto FC (@TorontoFC) September 9, 2026
There was a moment of controversy in the 27th minute when Richie Laryea and Mukhtar came together on a through ball, but the ball was beyond the Nashville talisman's reach, and Gavran comfortably gathered it up. Nashville's players were incensed that referee Filip Dujić waved off their appeals, but VAR did not intervene on the play either.
Toronto's best chance of the half came in the 38th minute, when a quick transition led by TFC captain Laryea produced a sumptuous cross that just eluded a sliding Sargent at the back post. With the momentum shifting in Toronto's favour late in the half, Morgan made a neat move on the left flank on the edge of the box, but again his shot was easily scooped up by the Nashville keeper. Shortly after, another opportunity fell to Sargent, but his low effort hit the side-netting.
knocking at the door 🚪 pic.twitter.com/cd03Woeuaf
— Toronto FC (@TorontoFC) September 10, 2026
Heading into the break, Nashville led the hosts in possession with 62%, while the Reds led Nashville with four shots on target to two from the visitors. Nevertheless, Toronto's own goal had them trailing 1-0. And once again, to Robin Fraser's frustration, his side found themselves chasing the game.
Toronto were on the back foot for the opening ten minutes of the second half. With some tired bodies and what looked like another knock to Kuscevic, Robin Fraser made an uncharacteristically early triple change. Exiting in the 58th minute along with Kuscevic were Jackson Gilman and Morgan, with Theo Corbeanu, Matheus Pereira, and Nicksoen Gomis coming on.
Fraser made another change in the 70th minute when Markus Cimermancic replaced Dorsch in what appeared to be a pre-planned move for the German, who had only just returned to the field after facial surgery. The changes settled the pressure the team had been under and brought fresh legs that allowed momentum to gradually swing in the hosts' favour.
The decisive moment came in the 71st minute through the combination of Corbeanu and Dániel Sallói. The latter had been quiet until Corbeanu was introduced on the opposite wing. The tactical understanding between the two wingers had been building over the past few weeks, and Fraser was hoping for more from the duo.
The dynamic pair struck gold to level the game at 1-1, after Derrick Etienne Jr found a wide-open Corbeanu down the right side. After beating his defender, Corbeanu whipped in a curling cross that Sallói thumped in from six metres out. For the first time, TFC had penetrated the armour of Nashville's league-leading defence, which had previously allowed just 17 goals from 23 games.
THAT CORBEANU x SALLOI CONNECTION‼️‼️ pic.twitter.com/rWHYJrAYyT
— Toronto FC (@TorontoFC) September 10, 2026
Shortly after the goal, Fraser made what appeared to be a puzzling substitution in the 75th minute, introducing Emilio Aristizábal for Josh Sargent. Sargent had been lively all game and, with the Reds now back level and pressing for a second, the move appeared counterproductive. It also left Toronto without any of their designated players in a crucial stretch of the game.
While Nashville had controlled the early second half, Sallói's goal saw the game open up with chances created at both ends. However, it was the hosts who had the better opportunities in the closing minutes of regular time.
Emilio with late-game heroics! 🔥
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) September 10, 2026
Toronto has the lead in stoppage time. pic.twitter.com/p26ToBNJxj
Astonishingly, Toronto found their match winner in added time. Aristizábal found the ball drop to his feet in a scramble inside the six-yard box — where Sallói had nearly had his brace but was knocked off balance — and did not hesitate, putting his foot through the ball past the beaten Schwake to give the hosts the lead in the third minute of six added. A stunned Nashville squad had no answer in the dying minutes, and the Reds emerged as surprising winners.
It was as spectacular as it was improbable, but it was the biggest win of the Reds' season as they took down the Supporters' Shield leaders. Toronto extended their unbeaten run to seven games and, most importantly, came away with three points instead of just one. The last time Toronto FC defeated Nashville SC was on 6 August 2022.
An upbeat Robin Fraser remarked about the match winner: "It was the culmination of what I thought was a really determined kind of effort in the second half." He further commented on the team's resilience, with the winner being TFC's ninth stoppage-time goal: "The fact that they never quit, and they haven't quit, and because of that, even tonight, they dig themselves a hole and find their way out of it. So I'm really proud of them for rewarding themselves."
Fraser was pleased with his dynamic duo of Corbeanu and Sallói but felt their success was not just about them, stating: "I think it's more than just Theo and Dániel. I think the team is developing a better understanding of each other — I just feel like as a group we are evolving."
When asked about the substitutions, Fraser replied candidly: "Orlando's going to be just stinking hot, we know that. So certainly we had to think, have one eye kind of on the weekend," while acknowledging that some players' fitness levels were not up for the full 90 minutes, particularly Morgan and Pereira.
The win has Toronto back in 10th spot in MLS's Eastern Conference with 29 points. The Reds have leapt past DC United and Red Bull New York and are tied with New York City FC, but the latter hold the edge on tie-breakers for the final play-in spot. The win also puts them just two points behind their next opponents: Orlando City SC in sixth place.
Toronto will not have too much time to celebrate their win over Nashville, as they face them again in Tennessee in seventeen days. Before that, they have a trip to Florida to face Orlando City SC on the evening of Saturday, 12 September 2026.
