Choupo-Moting’s Last Second Equalizer Saves a Point for Red Bulls at Toronto FC

By Daniel Feuerstein | March 14th, 2026 | Toronto, ON

Red Bull New York traveled to Toronto, Ontario, to face their next opponent, Toronto FC, at their home opener. Not only was this an important match for the club, but it was the return to a place that head coach Michael Bradley called home for several seasons when he returned from his time in Europe. Won an MLS Cup with his U.S> National Team teammate Jozy Altidore and led the club to their only CONCACAF Champions Cup Final against Guadalajara Chivas. Now he leads the Red Bulls in his first league match as the head coach of this club and found a way to escape with a point at the last moment of the match, as it ended in a one-goal draw.

Game Recap

Down by a goal, and five minutes of second half stoppage time was added, three of those five minutes were added back due to the injury that Justin Che suffered at the far side touchline. Seeing him limp off the pitch with an apparent right leg hamstring injury, you hope it wasn’t too serious. As the Red Bulls earned their last corner of the match, Omar Valencia delivered the ball inside the area from the near side. The ball was headed around a couple of times off Toronto defenders, but it still stayed inside the area. Tanner Rosborough took a shot, but it was blocked. The rebound fell right in front of Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, and he found the upper near 90 and splashed the back of the net. Inside the eighth and final minute of stoppage time.

“All of us, we knew it was maybe our last action in the game. And as you always say, Never give up, always believe. And I gave everything in this duel. The high ball, the ball came back. No time to lose. So I took the ball straight away. It was like a slow motion, goal a little bit, but a nice one,” said Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting.

Toronto scored its only goal of the match after the Red Bulls took their corner at the near side. Luka Gavran made the save and quickly distributed the ball down the pitch toward Djordie Mihailovic, who attacked down the far side. Held up his run and waited for help. That’s when Daniel Sallloi trailed the play and received the pass. Matthew Dos Santos stopped his run back defending as he didn’t see Salloi in the space, and all of a sudden, he caught Ethan Horvath coming well off his line and chipped him in the 43rd minute to open the scoring.

Throughout the entire match, the Red Bulls were attacking and showing to be the dominant side until that one moment they were taken advantage of after not running back quickly with numbers to defend their net to help Horvath. Emil Forsberg had several grade A chances to convert the equalizer, but he just missed wide, the shot was blocked by Jonathan Osorio, or Gavran made the saves he needed to make. Horvath also made some fantastic saves to keep the match scoreless or to keep the deficit to one. In the first half, Horvath made a diving save from a free kick in the 24th minute, then a body sprawling save in the 39th minute.

While this was a decent performance from the club, they must do better with their chances if they want to score multiple goals in a game. But take nothing away from Toronto FC, this was their home opener, and they wanted to get their first three points at home after starting three straight road matches to begin the season. Those plans were thwarted at the death and both clubs are now sharing the points after the added eight minutes of stoppage time had come and gone. The Red Bulls now have seven points in four matches to start the season.

Michael Bradley’s comments

“Proud to have kept pushing, and gotten the goal to get us back to one to one, and to take a point. I said to the players after that, in some ways, probably two points too few for how we played and how we went after the game. But that’s football, and so you can’t sit there and feel sorry for yourself.

You have to just keep going and keep playing and keep trying to find a way to get yourself back in the game, and until the referee blows the last whistle, find another chance. And so from that standpoint, we really wanted to make sure the group felt good about that part in a tough away match against a good team, and in their home opener.

The mentality to go until the bitter end, because that part is, that’s what separates good teams from really good teams. And so we feel really good about that,” said Michael Bradley.

ERIC MAXIM CHOUPO-MOTING: Scored his first goal of the season, His 18th career MLS Goal.

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