Toronto FC conceded a late equalizer to a short-handed FC Cincinnati side, resulting in a 1-1 draw on the road Saturday evening. The match, played at TQL Stadium in Cincinnati, saw the Reds appear poised for a third consecutive victory before Kenji Mboma Dem scored in injury time to salvage a point for Cincinnati.

Cincinnati had been reduced to 10 men for the final 20 minutes of the game, yet managed to capitalize on a counter-attack in stoppage time. Mboma Dem’s left-footed shot from the center of the penalty area found the bottom right corner of the net, cancelling out Toronto’s lead secured just minutes earlier.

Toronto took the lead in the 83rd minute via an own goal from Cincinnati defender Gilbert Flores. After a delivery from Toronto forward Josh Sargent, Flores inadvertently redirected the ball past his own goalkeeper, Roman Celentano. Despite controlling much of the game, both teams managed just four shots on target apiece in a tightly contested match.

Toronto head coach Robin Fraser expressed frustration over conceding to a side playing with one fewer player, noting this marked the third such instance in recent weeks. “We’ve given up three goals while being up a man in the last two weeks and that should never happen,” Fraser said. However, he emphasized the importance of continuing to accumulate points moving forward.

The draw extended Toronto’s unbeaten run to five matches, with a record of three wins and two draws in that span, and maintained their 11-game unbeaten streak at home at BMO Field. Goalkeeper Luka Gavran acknowledged the team’s disappointment but remained focused on regrouping for upcoming matches. “We’re definitely not happy with the final score but we’re not really too hard on ourselves. We just have to get our heads right and get back at it Monday,” he said.

Toronto were missing key players for the fixture, with midfielder Djordje Mihailovic sidelined for eight weeks due to a pelvic stress fracture and center-back Walker Zimmerman absent due to a calf issue. Fraser chose not to attribute the dropped points to these injuries, citing the team’s overall performance. “I thought we started off really well, had really good control, spent a lot of time in their part of the field but in those moments we didn’t create enough actual danger,” he explained.

The result leaves Toronto FC continuing to build momentum in the early stages of the season, while FC Cincinnati gains a valuable point despite being at a numerical disadvantage in the closing minutes. Both clubs will look to improve on their recent performances as the season progresses.