Tai Baribo's Stoppage-Time Penalty Lifts D.C. United Past Toronto FC 2-1

The clock read 90-plus-10 when Tai Baribo placed the ball on the spot at Audi Field, and everyone in the building knew what was riding on it. D.C. United had not won in five league matches. Toronto FC had not won in 10. Somebody's drought was going to survive the night.

Baribo made sure it was Toronto's. His right-footed penalty into the bottom left corner gave D.C. United a 2-1 win over Toronto FC on Saturday night, snapping D.C.'s five-game winless streak and stretching Toronto's to 11, according to The Associated Press. Sean Johnson's six saves against his former club got D.C. to that moment.

Johnson vs. the Reds, Round One

Both coaches tinkered coming in. D.C. head coach René Weiler stuck with almost the same group that drew 1-1 at Houston on Wednesday, swapping only Kye Rowles in for Sean Nealis, while Fraser made four changes to his Toronto lineup, adding Kobe Franklin, Zane Monlouis, Etienne and Corbeanu, according to the clubs.

This one opened like a shootout at both ends. Johnson stopped Derrick Etienne Jr. in the fourth minute and Dániel Sallói in the ninth. At the other end, Toronto goalkeeper Luka Gavran denied Jackson Hopkins twice inside the first 13 minutes, and João Peglow sent an effort over on a fast break.

Richie Laryea had a long-range effort blocked in the 22nd minute, play was briefly halted for injuries to Kurokawa and Franklin just before the half-hour mark, and Peglow skied another shot in the 34th. Johnson came up big again on Jonathan Osorio in the 35th minute, and Gavran answered by saving a Louis Munteanu strike from outside the box in the 39th. Two minutes later, D.C. finally broke through from a corner. Keisuke Kurokawa swung in the delivery and Rowles headed it in from very close range. ESPN credited the goal to Rowles with an assist for Kurokawa, while D.C.'s recap and the AP called it an own goal by Kobe Franklin, and Toronto said the header deflected off Franklin on its way in. Brandon Servania and Silvan Hefti had late shots blocked, and D.C. led 1-0 at the break.

The Equalizer and a Late Twist

Toronto came out of halftime with intent. Baribo pulled a shot wide early in the half and Lucas Bartlett headed a corner high and wide in the 51st minute, but the momentum was shifting. Robin Fraser sent on Alonso Coello at the break and Djordje Mihailovic and Deandre Kerr in the 54th minute, and the visitors started to pile on. Johnson saved an Osorio header in the 55th minute, then stopped Mihailovic twice in three minutes, in the 65th and 67th. Mihailovic also fired a direct free kick from a difficult angle just wide in the 73rd.

The pressure finally paid off in the 76th minute. Walker Zimmerman crossed, Osorio's header from very close range was blocked, and Theo Corbeanu buried the loose ball with his left foot. Toronto said Andre Dozzell cleared Osorio's effort off the line before Corbeanu volleyed home, and the club noted it was his first goal of the 2026 MLS campaign.

D.C. responded immediately. Gavran made back-to-back saves on Munteanu and Dozzell in the 77th minute, and Jared Stroud fired high and wide a minute later. Play was then stopped for an injury to Rowles, and Nealis replaced him in the 80th minute.

Eight minutes of stoppage time were announced. In the sixth, Dozzell went down in the box under a challenge from Jackson Gilman. A VAR review followed, the decision was a penalty for D.C., and in the 10th added minute Baribo drove his right-footed shot into the bottom left corner. Audi Field erupted.

Who Delivered

Tai Baribo converted the winner and, per the AP, has now scored in three straight games. MLSsoccer.com put him on the bench of its Team of the Matchday. Cool head, big moment.

Sean Johnson made six saves, and D.C. said it was the first time he had faced Toronto, his former club. Toronto noted he is in his 17th MLS season, and he looked every bit the veteran.

Louis Munteanu put all three of his shots on target, forcing three saves from Gavran before coming off in the 85th minute.

Andre Dozzell made his home debut, according to D.C., and drew the penalty that decided it. Toronto also credited him with the goal-line clearance before the equalizer.

Keisuke Kurokawa supplied the corner for the opening goal and, with Rowles, gave D.C. its set-piece edge on a night when open-play chances were hard to finish.

Luka Gavran matched Johnson with six saves and kept Toronto in it for most of the night.

The Turning Point

The VAR review in the eighth minute of stoppage time. Toronto had erased a deficit, survived D.C.'s late push and was moments from a road point. The review went D.C.'s way, and Baribo took it from there.

Stats That Matter

• Shots: D.C. United 17, Toronto 13.
• Shots on goal: D.C. United 8, Toronto 7.
• Saves: 6 apiece for Johnson and Gavran.
• Possession: Toronto 55.3 percent.
• Tackles: D.C. United 22, Toronto 10.

What It Means

D.C. United improved to 5-7-5 with 22 points, and the club said it remains ninth in the Eastern Conference. D.C.'s recap also noted the club is now 19-13-13 all-time against Toronto in regular-season play. Nashville SC visits Audi Field on Saturday, Aug. 1.

Toronto fell to 3-7-7 with 16 points. The winless run now spans 11 matches, a stretch of six draws and five losses dating to early April. Toronto wraps up a four-game road swing at New York City FC on Friday, July 31.

The Closing Take

Toronto did the hard part. It went down a goal, kept coming, found an equalizer and looked like it had earned a point. Then came the review, the whistle and a striker who does not miss these days. For Toronto, the wait goes on. For D.C., it is the kind of win that can make a long summer feel shorter.

Stats from ESPN's match data. Additional details as reported by The Associated Press, D.C. United, Toronto FC and MLSsoccer.com.