Toronto FC tallies late to salvage 3-3 draw with visiting Austin FC

TORONTO –  

Kobe Franklin had hoped his first career MLS goal would be a game winner, but the defender was still satisfied that he helped Toronto FC salvage a 3-3 draw against Austin FC on Saturday afternoon.

Franklin sent a shot from the centre of the box past goalkeeper Brad Stuver in the 88th minute to pull Toronto even. Neither team scored over 10-plus minutes of injury time.

“Definitely a proud moment for me and my family, something I’ve been working toward for a long time,” Franklin said. 

Toronto extended its unbeaten streak to six games (three wins, three draws) with the tie. 

“Obviously, very, very exciting to get (the goal) as an equalizer, but it would have been a bit sweeter if it were the winner,” Franklin said. “So (I’ve) just got to keep working behind the scenes and hopefully more goals will come.” 

Toronto (3-2-3) and Austin FC (1-3-4) treated fans to a back-and-forth contest with the teams trading leads and momentum at a wet and chilly BMO Field. 

Austin FC had the edge in possession, with 54.3 per cent to TFC’s 45.7 per cent. Toronto had the 11-6 advantage in shots on target.

After the match, TFC head coach Robin Fraser quipped: “I hope the fans enjoy all the goals. I certainly don’t.”

He added that he was pleased with his team’s ability to fight back after trailing twice, but is looking for more consistency.

“In terms of the spirit of the group, they never say die, and I really appreciate that about them,” Fraser said. “It’s just that we need to be more consistently sharp throughout the game.”

TFC, which has 12 points on the season, also extended its unbeaten run at home to 12 games, dating back to June 25, 2025.

The match saw a flurry of offence in the second half, with five of the six goals scored in the final 45 minutes.

Trailing 1-0 at the half, TFC drew even when Daniel Salloi scored in the 52nd minute for his third goal of the year. With Toronto applying pressure, Richie Laryea put his team ahead in the 67th minute with a left-footed shot from the centre of the box.

Austin FC forward Facundo Torres tied it in the 78th minute, and Christian Ramirez, on as a substitute, gave the visitors the lead four minutes later before Franklin salvaged the draw.

“We have these lapses and lulls where we don’t necessarily play as intensely as we need to in the moment,” Fraser said. “This is a really good group of guys, and they just keep fighting. They always, always keep fighting. 

“The range of emotions again — down a goal, have a lead, give up the lead, down a goal again, and then fight back, certainly speaks volumes of the character.”

Austin FC opened the scoring in the 29th minute when Jonathan Bell beat TFC goalkeeper Luka Gavran. Austin nearly added to the lead moments later, but Gavran made a sprawling kick-save on striker Myrto Uzuni near the top of the penalty area.

Toronto had four shots on goal in the opening 15 minutes and finished with six in the half.

TFC has two more home games over the next week. The club will host the Philadelphia Union on Wednesday and Atlanta United on April 25.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 18, 2026.