TFC extends unbeaten run to seven games with 2-1 win over Nashville SC

TORONTO – Toronto FC head coach Robin Fraser had every right to take a bow for his successful substitutions in his team’s upset win against Major League Soccer frontrunner Nashville SC on Wednesday.

But Fraser admitted he made multiple second-half moves to keep his club fresh for its game in what should be hot and humid conditions in Orlando on Saturday.

Both second-half goals in Toronto’s comeback win were the result of productive plays by substitutes Theo Corbeanu and Emilio Aristizabal. Corbeanu, from Burlington, Ont., placed a perfect goal-line cross to Daniel Salloi for the game-tying goal in the 72nd minute.

The 21-year-old Aristizabal knocked in his right-foot game-winner three minutes into extra time after taking a pass from Salloi in the box.

“Orlando’s going to be just stinking hot,” Fraser said. “So certainly we had to have one eye on the weekend.

“With a three-game week (including Saturday’s 4-4 draw at home against the Chicago Fire), fatigue and soreness and things setting in. This is why we have a team. It was gratifying to see that as the subs went in, we maintained the level, and if anything, picked it up.”

With Toronto making a second-half push for the playoffs, Nashville was a nasty test to see if the Reds’ recent unbeaten streak was for real. Toronto (6-7-11) now has four wins and three draws in its last seven outings.

In the process, the Reds halted Nashville’s (16-3-5) six-game run of 4-0-2.

“I feel like this is a group that as we grow and we evolve, we get more confident,” Fraser said.

“You can’t really expect to stop (Nashville). They’ve been doing extremely well, and they’re so far ahead in the league. And there’s a reason why. It’s because they’re really good.

“I thought we grew from minute one to minute 97 or something.”

Because Toronto began post-FIFA World Cup break near the bottom of the Eastern Conference, the Reds had their work cut out for them. Now Toronto is tied with New York City FC with 29 points with 10 games remaining. New York has the tie-breaker over Toronto.

“Everything feels like a playoff game right now,” said Fraser, who lauded his players for the resiliency they have exhibited recently.

Aristizabal is one of the bounce-back bunch. The Colombian, on loan from Colombia’s Atletico Nacional, hasn’t scored since a two-goal game on May 9. But the son of Victor Aristizabal, who played for Colombia in the 1994 and 1998 FIFA World Cups, hasn’t sulked through limited playing time.

“I have learned a lot, how to be patient and understand the timing,” the younger Aristizabal said through an interpreter. “I have learned from other strikers that we have on the team because we have really good ones.

“One of them is Josh (Sargent). He’s a great striker. I feel the competition inside the striker group is very healthy. We can always help each other and complement each other. I was really happy when Josh scored three goals (on Saturday) because he worked really hard last match. After this match, he came and congratulated me. We’re helping each other and trying to push everyone to the next level.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 9, 2026.