Toronto FC II Fights to 2-2 Draw with Columbus

July 8, 2024 – MLS NEXT Pro (MLS NEXT Pro)
Toronto FC II News Release

Toronto FC (5W-6L-3T, 18 points) earned a road point following a 2-2 result against Columbus Crew 2 (6W-5L-5T, 26 points) at Historic Crew Stadium on Sunday evening, before the hosts won the extra point in the MLS NEXT Pro shootout.

Toronto FC II Head Coach Gianni Cimini employed four changes from his starting eleven that hosted Philadelphia Union II last weekend with Theo Rigopoulos, Lucas Olguin, Andrei Dumitru and Hassan Ayari making way for Jesús Batiz, Markus Cimermancic, Mark Fisher and Julian Altobelli.

Toronto’s Adisa De Rosario was called into action early to deny the hosts the perfect start as the young goalkeeper produced an instinctive save from Brent Adu-Gyamfi’s close-range effort in the third minute.

The Young Reds enjoyed a productive first half and carved out several goalscoring opportunities, falling to Nathaniel Edwards, Mark Fisher and Charlie Staniland, but were unable to find a breakthrough in the opening 45 minutes.

TFC II took the evening’s first lead when half-time substitute Hassan Ayari fired home following an impressive run and pass from team-mate Charlie Staniland in the 57th minute.

Crew 2 found their equalizer when Brent Adu-Gyamfi stabbed home Chris Rogers’ low cross into the penalty area in the 70th minute.

The hosts took their first lead late into the match when Cooper Flanary was on hand to tap home the rebound after Adisa De Rosario made another spectacular save from Cole Mrowka’s effort in the 88th minute.

However, merely seconds away from the final whistle, TFC II captain Julian Altobelli stepped up to equalize with an unstoppable direct free-kick, reminiscent of former Young Red Themi Antonoglou’s stoppage-time effort in the 2022 MLS NEXT Pro Eastern Conference Final played at the same stadium, to secure the 2-2 result in regulation.

The two sides then played out their second head-to-head MLS NEXT Pro shootout of 2024 season and after 13 consecutive successful penalties, Crew 2 prevailed 7-6 to earn the extra point on the night.

The Young Reds continue their road trip with a visit to Chicago Fire FC II on Wednesday, July 10. Kick-off from SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, Illinois is set for 3:00 p.m. ET and will be available to watch on MLSNEXTPro.com and the MLS YouTube channel.

SCORING SUMMARY

TOR – Hassan Ayari 57′ (Charlie Staniland)

CLB – Brent Adu-Gyamfi 70′ (Chris Rogers)

CLB – Cooper Flanary 88′

TOR – Julian Altobelli 90+4′

SHOOTOUT…