New York City FC 1 – Toronto FC 0
Saturday, April 26, 2025 | Kickoff: 2:30 p.m.
Venue: BMO Field, Toronto
New York City FC earned their first victory of the season with a hard-fought 1–0 win over Toronto FC. Alonso Martínez won and converted a decisive second-half penalty, while a resilient defensive effort helped NYCFC preserve a clean sheet.
The Boys in Blue were on the road Saturday as they faced Toronto FC at BMO Field, aiming to bounce back from their recent defeat to the New England Revolution. Toronto, meanwhile, sought back-to-back wins after a recent triumph over Real Salt Lake.
Head coach Pascal Jansen made two changes to the lineup that faced the Revs, with Keaton Parks and Tayvon Gray stepping in for Mounsef Bakrar and Mitja Ilenič.
Toronto created the game’s first chance just three minutes in, when Charlie Sharp headed from close range. New York responded with a header of their own seven minutes later through Parks, though his effort failed to hit the target.
Alonso Martínez tested Toronto goalkeeper Sean Johnson in the 17th minute with a powerful shot, while Sharp continued to lead the hosts’ attack with a strike that missed the mark in the 25th minute.
As the match approached the half-hour mark, Federico Bernardeschi grew more influential, producing two shots that were blocked by a combination of Justin Haak and Jonathan Shore.
NYCFC pushed for a breakthrough, and Hannes Wolf came close after finding space inside the box, only to see his shot deflected for a corner.
The second half began with renewed attacking intent from both sides. New York nearly opened the scoring in the 54th minute through Wolf, whose shot was blocked by Kosi Thompson. Moments later, TFC’s Kevin Long headed a dangerous effort on target that required intervention from Haak to maintain parity.
The breakthrough arrived in the 64th minute when Martínez was brought down in the box. He confidently stepped up and converted the penalty, sending the ball past Johnson with composure.
Coach Jansen responded to the goal by introducing Julián Fernández and Nico Cavallo for Kevin O’Toole and Agustín Ojeda. Despite falling behind, Toronto continued to press, forcing goalkeeper Matt Freese into action with a threatening free kick that skipped through the box before he secured it on the second attempt.
Fernández then created a moment of danger at the other end, unleashing a fierce shot that whistled just wide of the near post. Further substitutions followed in the 78th minute, with Maxi Moralez and Shore making way for Birk Risa and Andrés Perea.
New York nearly doubled their lead late on when a quick counterattack culminated in Fernández setting up Wolf, whose close-range effort was denied by Johnson. Toronto continued to search for an equalizer deep into stoppage time, with Matty Longstaff swinging in a dangerous cross that forced Gray to clear for a corner.
In the final moments, Bakrar replaced Martínez and nearly added to the scoreline, beating the offside trap and attempting to round Johnson, who managed to get a hand on the ball and halt the play.
In the end, Martínez’s coolly taken penalty made the difference, securing NYCFC’s first win of the campaign..
