Dániel Sallói Seals Toronto FC's First Win at Red Bull New York Since 2016 in 2-0 Victory

Emil Forsberg whipped an out-swinging corner toward the Toronto FC box in the 82nd minute, with Red Bull New York still pushing for an equalizer. Fourteen seconds later, according to Toronto, the ball was in the other net. Jonathan Osorio cleared the corner and released Dániel Sallói, who dribbled about 50 yards, by the Red Bulls' count, before tucking a right-footed finish into the bottom right corner.

That breakaway sealed a 2-0 Toronto FC win over Red Bull New York on Saturday night at Sports Illustrated Stadium, after Justin Che's third-minute own goal had given the visitors a lead they never gave back. Toronto said it was the club's first road win against the Red Bulls since March 6, 2016. In a playoff race this tight, that kind of history matters less than the three points, but it still makes for a nice postcard.

An Early Gift

Toronto barely had time to settle before going ahead. In the third minute, Niklas Dorsch played Theo Corbeanu into space on the right, and the winger's delivery into the six-yard box took a deflection off Che and went in. The Red Bulls' own recap said it came off the defender's thigh. Nothing anyone could do about that one.

The hosts responded by taking over the ball, and they never really gave it back. Cameron Harper missed the target in the eighth minute, Che and Mohammed Sofo had shots blocked in the 10th, and Luka Gavran made his first save on a Cade Cowell shot in the 24th. Toronto were forced into an early change in the 28th minute, when Kobe Franklin went off with what the club described as a shoulder injury and Jackson Gilman replaced him.

The pressure kept building. Julian Hall missed in the 29th and was denied by Gavran from a tight angle in the 35th, and Cowell had another effort blocked a minute later. Toronto's best moment of the half came in the 41st minute when Matheus Pereira forced Ethan Horvath into a save. Gavran then preserved the lead in first-half stoppage time with another stop on Cowell.

Bradley Rolls the Dice

Red Bull New York head coach Michael Bradley, a former Toronto captain according to the club, made two changes at halftime, bringing on Forsberg and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting. Forsberg had a direct free kick sail over in the 53rd minute. Bradley went to the bench again in the 60th minute with Jorge Ruvalcaba and Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty.

Toronto were under siege but not panicking. Zane Monlouis and Lewis Morgan picked up yellow cards in the 52nd and 67th minutes. Corbeanu forced Horvath into a save in the 66th. Toronto head coach Robin Fraser sent on Sallói and Derrick Etienne Jr. in the 68th, and that move would pay off in a big way.

The Red Bulls had their chances. Choupo-Moting headed over from a Forsberg corner in the 70th minute, substitute Pedro Castro fired high and wide in the 78th, and Hall headed wide from a Marshall-Rutty cross in the 80th. Then came the corner and the 14-second sprint. Dorsch nearly added a third in the 90th minute, but Horvath saved.

Sallói and Osorio Deliver

Dániel Sallói scored with his only shot of the night, and Toronto said it was his team-leading eighth goal of the season. The club added that he now has 18 goal contributions, eight goals and 10 assists, since joining the Reds in February.

Jonathan Osorio, Toronto's captain, made the clearance and the pass, and the club said it was his 60th MLS assist for Toronto FC. Luka Gavran made three saves for the club's fourth clean sheet of the season, per Toronto. Theo Corbeanu, who set up the opener, made his 50th appearance for the club across all competitions.

For the Red Bulls, Julian Hall led the team with four shots, and Cade Cowell put two of his three on target.

The Turning Point

Sallói's goal was the decisive blow. Red Bull New York had poured forward for most of the second half, and Forsberg's corner was another chance to throw bodies into the box. Instead, Toronto turned defense into attack in a flash, and the game was over.

Stats That Matter

• Possession: Red Bull New York held 67.8 percent of the ball.
• Shots: The Red Bulls outshot Toronto 15-6, but each side put four on target.
• Corners: The Red Bulls won seven corners to Toronto's one, and one of them led to the second goal.
• Defending: Toronto made 33 clearances and 16 interceptions.
• Passing: Toronto completed just 176 of 249 passes and still won comfortably.

What It Means

Toronto improve to 8-12-10 (wins, draws, losses) with 36 points and are unbeaten in three, per the club, after wins over CF Montréal and the Red Bulls and a 3-3 draw with Orlando City. The win rounded out a three-game week with two wins and a draw. After the weekend, MLS noted that Toronto were level on points with Cincinnati, who held the East's ninth and final playoff spot only on the wins tiebreaker.

Red Bull New York fall to 10-6-14, also with 36 points, after a second straight loss following a 2-1 defeat at D.C. United on Wednesday. Bradley's frustration was clear. "Especially this week, the goals that we have conceded are crazy goals that come at really, really inopportune times," he said, according to the club.

He was also defiant. "We're going to keep going, keep playing and keep fighting until the last second of this season. And the last second is still far away."

The two teams drew 1-1 in Toronto in March, so this result gives TFC the edge in the season series.

The Closing Take

Toronto treated possession like a group project: let the other side do all the work, then take the credit at the end. The Red Bulls had the ball. Toronto had the goals and, maybe, a real shot at the playoffs.

Stats from ESPN's match data. Postgame quotes as reported by Red Bull New York. Additional details from Toronto FC and MLSsoccer.com.