Austin FC arrived in Toronto with an injury-depleted and underperforming squad but came away with an entertaining 3-3 draw. Toronto, despite several strong stretches of play, will be left frustrated after dropping points for the second straight week.
The makeshift Austin lineup suggested manager Nico Estévez had simply selected his eleven healthiest players. Key absences included Ilie Sánchez and Daniel Pereira in midfield, along with in-form centre-back Brendan Hines-Ike, who did not make the matchday squad. Ilie was a surprise inclusion on the bench and later came on.
Los Verdes lined up in a 4-4-2 with Facundo Torres and Myrto Uzuni leading the attack, while former TFC product Jayden Nelson started on the left.
Toronto’s back line was also patched together, with Richie Laryea moving into central defence as Walker Zimmerman and Benjamín Kuscevic were both unavailable. With Matheus Pereira injured, Raheem Edwards shifted to left back, while Kobe Franklin started on the right.
Robin Fraser set his side up in a 4-2-3-1 that shifted into a 4-3-3 out of possession, with no major surprises in midfield or attack based on availability.
There was some positive news for Toronto, as winger Deandre Kerr returned to the bench while continuing his recovery.
The match started at a frantic pace. Just 15 seconds in, TFC goalkeeper Luca Gavran was forced into action to deal with a long ball over the top.
At the other end, Brad Stuver made three quick saves inside the opening two minutes, denying Josh Sargent, Derrick Etienne, and Kobe Franklin. Toronto should have taken an early lead, but their lack of finishing proved costly, setting the tone for the afternoon.
Toronto earned the first set piece in the eighth minute but failed to make it count, with their struggles on dead balls continuing in the absence of Djordje Mihailović.
Austin nearly went down to ten men in the ninth minute when Nicolás Dubersarsky caught an opponent with an elbow, but VAR overturned the initial red card decision. The call remained debatable, as referee Drew Fischer appeared to judge the outcome rather than the intent.
Sargent came close again in the 13th minute, heading just wide from a cross, before Etienne tested Stuver from the edge of the box a minute later. Toronto dominated the opening 15 minutes, pressing high and creating chances through quick transitions, but were unable to find the breakthrough.
Luka with the block ❌ pic.twitter.com/1H2KQ9j7rS
— Toronto FC (@TorontoFC) April 18, 2026
In the 19th minute, Gavran did well to parry a powerful strike from Facundo Torres at the edge of the box, nearly misjudging it in the wet conditions. It felt like the momentum was beginning to shift toward the visitors as a hint of complacency crept into Toronto’s play.
Austin grew into the match as the half went on, while Toronto dropped deeper and absorbed pressure. That approach proved costly in the 29th minute, when Austin capitalized on poor defending in the box. Following a long throw-in, a deflected close-range effort from defender John Bell gave the visitors a surprise lead.
Jon Bell sweeps it home to hand @AustinFC the lead in Toronto!
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) April 18, 2026
📺 Apple TV: https://t.co/AEOmObKHEi pic.twitter.com/fqVfILDox9
There was more danger in the 34th minute after some shaky play from Gavran handed Austin two chances that should have doubled their lead, but Jayden Nelson’s final effort sailed well over the bar.
Sargent had another opportunity in the 39th minute from the edge of the box, but his under-hit shot was comfortably gathered by Stuver.
The match grew more heated in the closing minutes of the half. In the 43rd minute, Raheem Edwards was booked despite appearing to win the ball cleanly, a decision referee Drew Fischer saw differently.
Austin’s Guilherme Biro was then shown a yellow card in first-half stoppage time after catching Coello with an arm to the head.
Toronto narrowly avoided further trouble in the 45th minute when Edwards escaped a second yellow, with Fischer opting not to send him off, perhaps influenced by the earlier decision.
The Reds pushed late in the half, but their crosses and final efforts lacked quality and failed to seriously test Stuver.
At the break, Austin held a 1-0 lead, with Toronto left frustrated by its inconsistency.
One clear issue was the absence of Richie Laryea on the right flank, which limited the hosts' attacking structure and dynamism on that side. As a result, much of the pressure shifted left, where Dániel Sallói was effectively contained.
Halftime seemed to call for changes, but both managers stuck with their lineups.
The second half began cautiously before Toronto found a breakthrough through a mix of quality and fortune. A José Cifuentes cross took a deflection and fell to Sallói at the back post, and the winger made no mistake, bringing Toronto level and swinging the momentum back in their favour.
THAT PUTS US LEVEL ⚖️ pic.twitter.com/l8ollz4qwc
— Toronto FC (@TorontoFC) April 18, 2026
Austin made the first change in the 57th minute, with Nelson, who had been largely quiet aside from a long pass and a floated effort over the bar, making way for Robert Taylor.
Gavran kept the match level in the 59th minute with a strong save off a corner, though Austin wasted the ensuing set piece by sending it over the stands.
Fraser made his first changes in the 62nd minute, taking off the booked Edwards and Etienne Jr for Lazar Stefanovic and rookie Malik Henry.
Shortly after, Toronto had a series of chances but hesitated in key moments, with Sallói and Sargent passing up close-range opportunities before laying it off to José Cifuentes, whose effort was deflected over. Moments later, Monlouis had a chance from close range, but Stuver handled it.
The Reds finally took a deserved lead in the 67th minute, as Laryea finished confidently from close range after a well-worked pass from Sallói, firing the ball into the top of the net.
HE IS HIM 🎲 pic.twitter.com/sii3hh3QSh
— Toronto FC (@TorontoFC) April 18, 2026
Momentum had swung back in Toronto’s favour as they continued to apply pressure. Austin responded with a double substitution, bringing on Christian Ramírez and Besard Šabović for Mikkel Desler and Nicolás Dubersarsky.
There was a worrying moment in the 73rd minute when an Austin clearance struck Josh Sargent in the face at close range. The striker remained down for several minutes as medical staff attended to him, and the hosts briefly played a man down while he sought to return.
During that stretch, and against the run of play, Austin broke forward through a disorganized Toronto defence, with several players caught upfield, and finished a passing move with a Facundo Torres strike that went in off Gavran’s left post.
Beautiful team play leads to the equalizer from Facu! pic.twitter.com/qQMGYwIVmZ
— Austin FC (@AustinFC) April 18, 2026
Toronto responded soon after, but Sargent, back on the pitch after taking the ball to the face, chose to chest down a cross that Stuver gathered easily rather than attack it with his head, perhaps influenced by the earlier knock.
Disaster struck again in the 82nd minute, when substitute Christian Ramírez gave Austin a 3-2 lead. Poor defending in the closing stages once again cost the Reds.
Instant impact from @Chris_Ramirez17! pic.twitter.com/oEynfDA6pr
— Austin FC (@AustinFC) April 18, 2026
Toronto refused to go down without a fight. In the 89th minute, Kobe Franklin’s first-time effort off a rebound from the post slipped through Stuver’s legs to level the match at 3-3. It was the defender’s first MLS goal.
the cross, the post, the finish 🤌 pic.twitter.com/rwupx2qivG
— Toronto FC (@TorontoFC) April 18, 2026
As play resumed, the fourth official signalled ten minutes of added time.
Fraser pushed for a winner with his final change, bringing on Emilio Aristizábal for Cifuentes. Austin responded with two substitutions of their own, as Ilie and CJ Fodrey replaced Uzuni and Joseph Rosales, with Estévez seemingly content to see out the draw.
Toronto created a flurry of chances in stoppage time. In the 94th minute, a counter led by Henry broke down when his cross failed to find Sargent in the box.
Another opportunity came in the 96th minute down the left through Laryea, but his shot was deflected behind for a corner. From the set piece, Stefanovic could not make clean contact with Alonso Coello’s delivery, and the ball went harmlessly out for a goal kick.
A final chance on the counter was halted when Fischer ruled that Aristizábal had fouled to win the ball, despite appearing to have only one defender left to beat. The match ended 3-3.
Toronto’s unbeaten home run remains intact, but it is another result where they needed all three points. Injuries may have played a role, but they offer little excuse, given how depleted Austin’s squad was. Defensive mistakes proved costly, and missed chances at the other end only added to the frustration.
Next up, Toronto hosts the struggling Philadelphia Union in a midweek clash on Wednesday at 7:30 pm ET.
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