WASHINGTON — Federico Bernardeschi’s 70th-minute penalty lifted Toronto FC into a 2-2 draw with D.C. United in their Major League Soccer season opener Saturday night.
Referee Sergii Boiko pointed to the penalty spot after former Toronto midfielder Brandon Servania clashed with Richie Laryea going after the ball. The contact was slight but Laryea, no stranger to winning penalties, went down.
Bernardeschi converted the spot kick, beating South Korean goalkeeper Kim Joon Hong, as Toronto rallied twice from one-goal deficits.
Opening day — on the league’s 30th season and 19th for Toronto — turned into an entertaining end-to-end game.
Robin Fraser, TFC’s 15th coach, had a tie in his debut at the helm. Fraser, who was an assistant to Greg Vanney in Toronto from 2015 to 2019 when he left to take charge of the Colorado Rapids, was announced as Toronto coach on Jan. 10.
After falling behind early, Toronto recovered and pulled even — only to concede a goal late in the half to trail 2-1 at the break. Penalty aside, Kim repelled everything else in the second half.
Captain Jonathan Osorio also scored for Toronto. Boris Enow and Christian Benteke had the D.C. United goals.
It was a chilly 3 C, feeling like zero, at kickoff at Audi Field.
Toronto appealed unsuccessfully for a penalty in the first minute. Video review had a look before supporting Boiko’s no-call.
The home side pulled ahead in the eighth minute via Enow, a former Cameroon youth international acquired last July from Israel’s Maccabi Netanya FC. After a giveaway by Henry Wingo in the Toronto end, Enow sliced into the penalty box and beat Sean Johnson for his first career MLS goal.
Wingo made amends in the 28th minute, taking a pass from Alonso Coello and firing a low, dangerous cross that eluded lunging Kim. An attempted clearance from an off-balance Aaron Herrera in front went straight to Osorio, who knocked it home for his 66th career goal in Toronto colours in all competitions.
Benteke, who won the league’s Golden Boot last season with 23 goals, headed D.C. into the lead in the 35th minute. The six-foot-three Belgian designated player, finding space between two Toronto defenders, got to a fine cross from Jacob Murrell and Johnson, despite getting a hand to it, could not keep the powerful header out.
Toronto was cut open too easily with the attack starting deep in the D.C. end with a pass that found Murrell down the flank.
Toronto came close in the 49th minute when Bernardeschi found Deybi Flores at the far post with a fine ball. But his diving header was stopped by Kim.
The South Korean was up to the task again in the 54th, stopping Osorio from close range.
Canadian winger Theo Corbeanu and midfielder Markus Cimermancic were the two new faces in the Toronto starting 11. Corbeanu arrived on a season-long loan from Spain’s Granada CF while the 20-year-old Cimermancic signed a first-team contact as a homegrown player on Friday.
New signing Zane Monlouis, whose arrival from England’s Arsenal was announced earlier in the day, made his debut in second-half stoppage time. The 21-year-old centre back made more than 100 combined appearances for the London team’s U-18, U-21 and U-23 teams.
Monlouis had been in camp with Toronto.
Italian star Lorenzo Insigne, whom Toronto has been actively trying to shed, was not in the matchday roster.
Toronto last won at D.C. in April 2016 with Sebastian Giovinco scoring the game’s lone goal in the first minute.
TFC missed the playoffs for the fourth straight year in 2024, finishing in 11th place at 11-19-4 in the Eastern Conference — three points below D.C.
Saturday’s game came 4 1/2 months after Toronto closed out the 2024 campaign on Oct. 5 with a 1-0 loss to visiting Inter Miami. TFC’s last victory was Sept. 14, a 2-1 decision over visiting Austin FC. Its last away victory came Aug. 24 (1-0 at Houston).
UP NEXT
Toronto: Visits Orlando City next Saturday
D.C. United: Visits Chicago next Saturday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 21, 2025.
The Canadian Press
