Randall Leal scored midway through the second half to help Nashville SC attain a 1-1 tie against host Toronto FC on Saturday night.
The draw allowed Nashville to extend its unbeaten streak to nine games (6-0-3). However, Nashville (9-3-5, 32 points) saw its four-match winning streak come to an end.
Lorenzo Insigne scored a first-half goal for Toronto FC (3-5-10, 19 points). The Reds have a four-match unbeaten streak (1-0-3) and are 3-1-6 at home this season.
Nashville’s Joe Willis and Toronto’s Sean Johnson each made one save.
Reigning league MVP Hany Mukhtar took three shots — two on target — in the second half after going without any in the first half.
Leal scored in the 69th minute to tie the match. He took a right-footed shot that dipped as it approached Johnson, and it went off the goalkeeper’s hands and into the net.
Neither team had a dynamic opportunity down the stretch.
Toronto took a 1-0 lead in the 38th minute when Insigne scored on a right-footed blast from just outside the box. His shot from the left caromed off the right hand of Willis on its way to the top right corner of the net for his third goal of the season.
Nashville began getting good chances in the 58th minute when Teal Bunbury’s right-footer bounced off the right goal post. Seven minutes later, Mukhtar’s right-footer accounted for Johnson’s first save of the match.
Mukhtar’s left-footed shot was just wide to the right in the 67th minute. Two minutes later, Mukhtar’s header was to the left of Johnson but was cleared off the line by a defender.
Seconds later, Leal scored the tying goal. It was his first of the season.
Toronto held a 15-9 edge in shots, but Nashville put more on target (3-2).
The two squads played to a scoreless tie in Nashville on April 8 in their first meeting of the season.
–Field Level Media
