Columbus Crew drop advantage in second half, draw vs Toronto FC: Replay

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Columbus Crew drop advantage in second half, draw vs Toronto FC: Replay

Brianna Mac Kay, Columbus Dispatch · The Columbus Dispatch

Sat, Aug 16, 2025 ·

7 min read

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The Crew walked away from their road matchup against Toronto FC with 1-1 draw on Aug. 16, despite Columbus holding a lead with less than 15 minutes remaining in regulation.

Team-leading scorer Diego Rossi put Columbus on the board early, scoring his 13th goal of the regular season in the eighth minute. Crew defender Steven Moreira found Rossi crashing inside Toronto's box after forcing a turnover.

Aug 16, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Columbus Crew forward Diego Rossi (10) goes to kick the ball as Toronto FC defender Raoul Petretta (28) defends during the first half at BMO Field. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

Columbus went into halftime with a 1-0 advantage, but forward Jules-Anthony Vilsaint evened the score two minutes into his first game with Toronto at the 77-minute mark.

Less than three minutes later, midfielder Daniel Gazdag found the back of the net and seemingly put the game back in Columbus' favor. A VAR review determined Gazdag was offside, overturning the goal.

The Crew took three shots during the eight minutes of second-half stoppage time, all on target, but Toronto goalkeeper Sean Johnson recorded a save on each attempt.

On Aug. 23, the Crew return to Lower.com Field to take on Atlanta United .

(88') Columbus Crew makes final substitution vs Toronto FC

With their final substitution of the game, the Crew replaced defender Steven Moreira with Cesar Ruvalcaba .

Score:1-1

(83') Columbus Crew send in two additional substitutions vs Toronto FC, Hugo Picard makes debut

The Crew replaced midfielder Andres Herrera with Lassi Lappalainen and forward Diego Rossi with Hugo Picard. This marks Picard's first appearance for the Crew since joining the team in July.

Score:1-1

(82') VAR review overturns Columbus Crew goal, game remain tied

After a review of Crew midfielder Daniel Gazdag's goal, it was determined that Gazdag was offside before receiving the pass from midfielder Max Arfsten, sending the score back to 1-1.

Score:1-1

(80') Daniel Gazdag puts Columbus Crew back on top vs Toronto FC

Midfielder Daniel Gazdag gave the Crew the advantage for the second time, scoring off a pass from midfielder Max Arfsten.

Arfstem from the top-left of Toronto's box found Gazdag crashing directly in front of the goal, who took just one touch to send the ball into the back of the net.

Score:Crew 2-1

(77') Toronto FC ties matchup vs Columbus Crew

The Crew gave up their first goal of the game with forward Jules-Anthony Vilsaint scoring after entering the game two minutes early.

Toronto first had the opportunity to get on the board off a corner kick that Columbu cleared out of the box. Once Toronto regained possession, Mihailovic launched a pass upfield to Vilsaint waiting in front of the goal.

Score:1-1

(68') Columbus Crew's Diego Rossi given yellow card

Crew forward Digo Rossi was shown a yellow card for arguing with the official over a no-call on a hit inside Toronto's box.

Score:Crew 1-0

(52') Toronto FC fail to score first goal vs Columbus Crew

Toronto had its best chance of the game so far with a shot from forward Deandre Kerr from the left side of the field, but the attempt went inches outside the goalpost and out of play.

Score:Crew 1-0

(46') Columbus Crew make multiple halftime substitutions

The Crew made two changes to the lineup before the start of the second half, with forward Jacen Russell-Rowe replacing Ibrahim Aliyu and defender Yevhen Cheberko replacing Malte Amundsen .

Score:Crew 1-0

Columbus Crew vs Toronto FC first-half stats

Possession rate: Crew (55.6%), Toronto (44.4%)

Shots: Crew (5), Toronto (2)

Shots on goal: Crew (3), Toronto (1)

Goalkeeper saves: Crew (1), Toronto (2)

Fouls: Crew (6), Toronto (6)

(45') Patrick Schulte records first save vs Toronto FC

Crew goalkeeper Patrick Schulte grabbed his first save of the game off a shot from Toronto forward Deandre Kerr. With Kerr's shot coming from the left side of the field, Schulte made the stop with both hands, hitting the ball and allowing it to bounce in front of him.

Score:Crew 1-0

(23') Diego Rossi's header goes above Toronto FC crossbar

Near Toronto's right goalpost, Crew forward Diego Rossi received a pass that he quickly attempted to convert into a header for his second goal of the game, but the shot went slightly above the crossbar and out of play.

Score:Crew 1-0

(8') Diego Rossi scores, Columbus Crew take lead vs Toronto FC

Crew forward Diego Rossi scored the first goal of the game, launching a shot from the right-center of Toronto's box, directly in front of the goal. The ball got past Toronto defender Alonso Coello and goalkeeper Sean Johnson before finding the back of the net to give Columbus the lead.

Crew defender Steven Moriera sent Rossi the pass in which he converted into the goal.

Score:Crew 1-0

Darlington Nagbe out for Columbus Crew vs Toronto FC

The Crew is without midfielder Darlington Nagbe against Toronto. Nagbe was listed as questionable going into the matchup due to a torso injury.

In the Crew's most recent game against Club Leon on Aug. 5, Nagbe was substituted out at the 53-minute mark.

Why is Wessam Abou Ali unavailable for Columbus Crew vs Toronto FC?

The Crew's newest striker Wessam Abou Ali is unavailable against Toronto, which Crew coach Wilfired Nancy stated would be the case ahead of the matchup.

Abou Ali arrived in Columbus on Aug. 13 and participated in his first training with the club two days later. However, Abou Ali is still recovering from a hamstring injury he suffered during the FIFA Club World Cup in June.

More: Why Wessam Abou Ali is unavailable for Columbus Crew vs Toronto FC?

Who are the referees for Columbus Crew vs Toronto FC?

Here are the officials for the Crew vs Toronto tonight:

Referee: Chris Penso

Assistant Referee 1: Andrew Bigelow

Assistant Referee 2: Gianni Facchini

Fourth Official: Renzo Villanueva

VAR: Ismail Elfath

Assistant VAR: Jeff Muschik

Toronto FC starting lineup vs Columbus Crew

Here is the starting 11 for Toronto vs Columbus:

GK: Sean Johnson
DF: Richie Laryea
DF: Kevin Long
DF: Raoul Petretta
DF: Sigurd Rosted
MF: Alonso Coello
MF: Maxime Dominguez
MF: Djordje Mihailovic
MF: Jonathan Osorio
FW: Ola Brynhildsen
FW: Deandre Kerr

Columbus Crew starting lineup vs Toronto FC

Here is the starting 11 for Columbus vs Toronto:

GK: Patrick Schulte
DF: Malte Amundsen
DF: Steven Moreira
DF: Sean Zawadzki
MF: Max Arfsten
MF: Dylan Chambost
MF: Daniel Gazdag
MF: Andres Herrera
FW: Ibrahim Aliyu
FW: Taha Habroune
FW: Diego Rossi

Where do Columbus Crew, Toronto FC rank in Eastern Conference standings?

The Crew are in fifth place in the Eastern Conference, with Toronto sitting in 12th, which puts the team out of a playoff position.

Here are the top five teams in the MLS Eastern Conference:

Philadelphia Union (15-5-6: 51 points)
FC Cincinnati (15-7-4: 49 points)
Nashville SC (14-7-5: 47 points)
Orlando City SC (12-6-8: 44 points)
Columbus Crew (12-5-8: 44 points)

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How to listen to Columbus Crew vs Toronto FC radio broadcast

The Crew vs. Toronto English-speaking radio broadcast will be on Alt 105.7 FM and available via the iHeartRadio app. Columbus' regular radio broadcaster Chris Doran will be on the call.

The Spanish radio broadcast can be found on La Grande 103.1 FM and the La Grande radio app, with Juan Valladares doing play-by-play.

Columbus Crew vs Toronto FC streaming information

The Crew-Toronto match will be streaming on Apple TV, with a required MLS Season Pass subscription.

Here are the broadcast teams for tonight:

English broadcast: Jessica Charman (play-by-play), Kacey White (analyst)
Spanish broadcast: Oscar Salazar (play-by-play), Jaime Macias (analyst)

What time does Columbus Crew vs Toronto FC kick off?

Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. on Aug. 16 at BMO Field in Toronto.

bmackay@dispatch.com

@brimackay15

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Crew unable to secure win vs Toronto FC: Replay

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