THE VERDE REWIND: TORONTO
The Result: Toronto FC 3-3 Austin FC
Kobe Franklin scored an equalizing goal in the 88th minute, and Austin FC’s inability to hold a lead once again led to dropped points as the Verde and Black played to a 3-3 draw with Toronto FC on a rainy afternoon in Ontario, Canada. Winger Facundo Torres’ first goal for Austin FC and Center Forward Christian Ramierz’s go-ahead tally 4 minutes apart gave Austin a surprise lead after being generally outplayed and outhustled by Toronto to that point of the Second Half. Austin is now winless in six MLS matches, seven in all competitions, and blew an opportunity to hand Toronto its first home loss in 11 months.
Austin FC starting XI vs Toronto FC. Photo courtesy of Austin FC.
How it Happened:
Austin FC began the second half on the road with a one-goal lead after Center Back Jon Bell’s goal in the 29th minute. It was Bell’s second tally of the season and the second time he has scored the first goal of a match in 2026. However, as has been the case several times this season, the lead didn’t last for long as Daniel Salloi pounced on a deflection in front of the Austin goal and emphatically tied the match. 15 minutes later, a pass from Salloi in the box caromed off the boot of Austin Right Back Mikkel Desler onto the boot of Canadian International Ritchie Laryea, who went top bins to beat Austin Goalkeeper Brad Stuver and give Toronto the lead.
Austin FC appeared to be headed for their fourth defeat of the season, with energy and momentum firmly on Toronto’s side, but the match shifted in the 78th minute when Austin Forward Myrto Uzuni took a pass from Torres, found Robert Taylor at the far post with a laser accurate cross. Taylor played a one-touch pass to Torres, who made an unmarked run into the box, and the 2026 Designated Player signing scored his first goal for the Verde and Black. It was a stunningly effective counterattack by an Austin FC side that had struggled to sustain offensive plays to that point. The attack featured nine passes involving six players in 18 seconds for the goal. For Torres, he added his first Austin FC goal to go with three assists on the young season. Four minutes later, Austin took the lead on an even faster eight-second counter that left TFC and their home crowd stunned. Guilherme Biro headed down an excellent long ball from Stuver to Torres, whose pass to Ramierz in the box bounced like a pinball onto his foot in front of Luka Gavran, and the veteran striker beat the falling Toronto keeper with a penalty-style shot to give Austin its second lead of the match.
Christian Ramirez and Jon Gallagher celebrating with Facundo Torres. Photo courtesy of Austin FC.
Austin’s second lead of the match lasted only 16 minutes, as Toronto equalized late in regulation and held on through 10 minutes of stoppage time to keep the home point. Salloi played a cross from the left that was headed off the right post by substitute Midfielder Malik Henry, and Kobe Franklin won the race to the ball and fired it in for the final tally of the match. It was the third time this season Austin FC has scored multiple goals, and all three matches have been draws. Toronto can claim to have won the run of play, with nearly twice as many shots on target, 14 shot attempts in the Austin box, and a total xG of 3.11 to 1.48 for Austin. To Austin FC’s credit, and as the xG-to-goal ratio indicates, they were the most effective finishers on the day. Brad Stuver made 8 saves for Austin, and several of Toronto’s attempts on goal (including a couple of attempts from USMNT striker Josh Sargent) were easy work for Austin’s All-Star Goalkeeper. Austin was also the more disciplined side, collecting only two yellow cards to Toronto’s five. The one area in which Austin was thoroughly beaten was in Toronto, winning 73% of aerial duels. The airborne supremacy contributed to Toronto’s edge in the run of play, their multiple comebacks in the match, and avoiding their first home loss in nearly a year.
Guilherme Biro hugging goal scorer Jon Bell after his goal. Photo courtesy of Austin FC.
Analysis and What’s Next:
Unlike the previous two contests, there were more positive takeaways for Austin. Still playing without DP Striker Brandon Vazquez and elite U-22 Initiative homegrown talent Owen Wolff, the Verde and Black scored three goals in a match for the first time this season and only the third time ever under Nico Estevez. Several familiar problems persisted, though. Austin is now winless in seven matches in all competitions. Their only victory of 2026 continues to be a relatively unremarkable 1-0 home win against DC United on the first day of March.
While several symptoms could be diagnosed to explain Austin FC’s poor start, a prominent issue has been the Verde and Black’s struggle to hold or extend leads this season. Austin has one win, three draws, and a loss when scoring the first goal this season, and has failed to win away this season, despite opening scoring first in three road matches. Austin has not led by more than one goal this season, a factor perhaps in not being able to maintain a lead for long, and an issue that was also a chronic feature of Nico Estevez’s first season as Austin FC Manager. Austin has spent 117 of 720 total minutes with a scoring advantage this season, with leads that persisted for 33, 14, 8, 6, 27, 23, and 6 minutes respectively, meaning the average Austin FC lead has only lasted for 17 minutes.
Austin FC head coach Nico Estevez post-match, taking questions from the media.
Today’s match featured 3 lead changes with Austin going up 0-1, down 2-1, and up 2-3 before Franklin’s equalizing goal for TFC. Austin has 48 goals in 42 regular-season matches, a record of 14-12-16, 1.29 points per match, and a win rate of 33.3% during Estevez’s tenure. Austin is 28-26-35 with a win percentage of 32.2% since Rodolfo Borrell took over as Sporting Director on July 1, 2023. Despite significant spending in two consecutive winter transfer windows and four DP signings (at a combined transfer cost of around $37-million) since Summer 2024, Austin has yet to have a player record ten total goals under Estevez and Sebastian Driussi continues to be the only Austin FC player to ever score ten goals in a season and Austin FC’s second all-time leading MLS scorer is still former midfielder Alex Ring with 12 goals. Ring departed the club to return to his native Finland following the 2024 Season. The last time Austin scored three goals in a match was a 3-1 home win against San Jose on August 30, 2025.
Austin’s next assignment may prove to be one of its most difficult tasks of the season, crossing the North American continent for a Wednesday visit to the San Jose Earthquakes. The Quakes under Bruce Arena are currently missing recent marquee signing Timo Werner, but have six wins and one loss on the season, with 13 goals scored and only two conceded going into their Sunday evening home match against LAFC. The Verde and Black will return to Q2 Stadium for a visit from Copa Tejas opponents and in-state rivals, the Houston Dynamo, the following Saturday.
WRITTEN BY JORDAN STEWART
