Niklas Dorsch Rocket Lifts 10-Man Toronto FC Past Revolution 2-1, Ending 12-Match Winless Run

Toronto FC took three shots on Saturday night. One of them was a first-time rocket from Niklas Dorsch that might be the most important swing of the club's season.

Dorsch's stoppage-time strike in the first half followed a Will Sands own goal, and Toronto FC held off the New England Revolution 2-1 at BMO Field, surviving the final 14 minutes plus stoppage time with 10 men after Djordje Mihailovic was sent off. Per the AP, the win snapped a 12-game winless streak and was Toronto's first victory since a 3-2 home win over Colorado on April 4. New England had 70.6 percent of the ball and 24 shots. Toronto had the goals.

New England Knocks, Toronto Answers

The Revolution came out flying. Luka Gavran made his first big save in the fifth minute, denying Peyton Miller's acrobatic effort from the middle of the box, a bicycle kick in Toronto's telling and a scissor kick in New England's. Ethan Kohler missed a minute later, Jack Harrison sent a left-footed shot just over in the 18th, and Dor Turgeman headed wide in the 23rd. Gavran saved again from Matt Polster in the 31st, and Mamadou Fofana and Turgeman both missed in the next three minutes.

New England then lost Miller to an injury after a lengthy stoppage, with Griffin Yow replacing him in the 40th minute, and the match flipped. In the 43rd, Toronto said Mihailovic found Theo Corbeanu on the right, and Corbeanu's low delivery deflected off Sands and inside Matt Turner's near post, as both New England and the AP described it.

Carles Gil nearly answered in the fifth minute of first-half stoppage time, but his shot went just wide. Then, a minute later, Mihailovic laid the ball off to Dorsch outside the box and the German midfielder smashed a first-time, right-footed shot into the top right corner. The AP put it at 24 yards. Toronto had two goals despite putting only one first-half shot on target, and New England had a halftime problem.

The Siege

The second half was one-way traffic. Gil fired over in the 54th minute, Harrison rattled the crossbar in the 59th, and Toronto blocked three shots in the next three minutes, with the club crediting Richie Laryea and Josh Sargent for crucial blocks. Wilson Harris came on for Turgeman in the 73rd.

Then the hosts lost a man. Walker Zimmerman was booked in the 74th minute, and two minutes later Mihailovic was shown a straight red card, which Toronto described as a tackle on Gil and New England called a foul from behind. Kohler headed wide from close range in the 78th and Polster missed narrowly in the 79th. Gavran stopped Yow in the 85th, a Brooklyn Raines header in the 86th and Harrison in the 88th.

New England finally broke through in the 90th minute. Harrison delivered a cross after a corner, and Harris rose to head it into the top left corner for his first MLS goal, per the AP and the Revolution. Yow fired over and Harris had one more shot blocked in five added minutes, and Toronto held on.

The Main Characters

Niklas Dorsch scored with his only shot, and the AP called it his first career goal in MLS. Toronto said he joined from 1. FC Heidenheim on July 28, and MLSsoccer.com noted this was only his second appearance for the club and his home debut. Toronto added that he became the seventh different player to score his first goal for the club during the 2026 MLS season.

"It was fantastic," head coach Robin Fraser said, per MLSsoccer.com. "I thought he covered a ton of ground, and you could tell he was pretty tired toward the end, and he just wouldn't stop running, wouldn't stop going."

Luka Gavran made five saves, all of them necessary. Djordje Mihailovic had a strange night: per the club, he had a hand in both Toronto goals, he got the official assist on Dorsch's strike, and then he got himself sent off.

For New England, Jack Harrison was the best player on the field without a goal. The Revolution said it was his first club start and that he led the team with five key passes. He finished with four shots and the assist, and hit the bar. Behind him, Ethan Kohler completed all 85 of his passes, per the club.

Where It Turned

The turning point came in the sixth minute of first-half stoppage time. Toronto was up 1-0 on a deflection, and New England was pushing for a leveler before the break. Instead, Dorsch doubled the lead a minute before the halftime whistle. That second goal turned a one-goal game into a two-goal cushion, and it was exactly the margin Toronto needed when Harris scored in the 90th.

The Numbers

• Possession: New England 70.6 percent, Toronto 29.4 percent.
• Shots: New England 24, Toronto 3. On target: New England 7, Toronto 1.
• Saves: Gavran 5, Turner 0.
• Corners: New England 9, Toronto 0.
• Clearances: Toronto 36, New England 24.

What It Means

Toronto moved to 4-8-7 with 20 points. MLSsoccer.com said Mihailovic will miss Wednesday's home match against Charlotte FC. Fraser hopes the result can be a reset. "Sometimes games like this are what you need to kickstart your season," he said.

New England fell to 9-3-7 with 30 points and has now lost back-to-back matches, after a 2-0 home loss to Houston on Aug. 8. The teams drew 0-0 at New England on July 22, and New England is 17-13-15 against Toronto in the regular season, including 6-8-6 at BMO Field, per the AP. The Revolution visit D.C. United on Wednesday.

Three Shots, Three Points

This was a heist movie in the classic tradition: the crew barely touches the vault for 90 minutes, then walks out with the gold anyway. New England did nearly everything but finish. Toronto did almost nothing but finish. For a club that had not won since April, that is a trade worth taking every single time.

Stats from ESPN's match data. Postgame quotes as reported by MLSsoccer.com. Match notes from Toronto FC (torontofc.ca), the New England Revolution (revolutionsoccer.net) and the AP via ESPN.