Atlanta United (0) - Toronto FC (0) Postgame Summary
MLS Toronto FC

Atlanta United (0) - Toronto FC (0) Postgame Summary

Published on August 24, 2025 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
Toronto FC News Release


ATLANTA UNITED (0) - TORONTO FC (0) POSTGAME SUMMARY

MISCONDUCT SUMMARY

ATL - Steven Alzate 65' (caution)

ATL - Bartosz Slisz 70' (caution)

ATL - Miguel Almirón 82' (caution)

TOR - Alonso Coello 84' (caution)

RECORDS (W-L-T)

Atlanta United 4-12-11 23 points

Toronto FC 5-13-9 24 points

LINEUPS

ATLANTA UNITED - Jayden Hibbert; Ronald Hernández (Juan Berrocal 86'), Efraín Morales, Stian Gregersen, Pedro Amador (Brooks Lennon 61'); Tristan Muyumba (Steven Alzate 61'), Alexey Miranchuk, Bartosz Slisz; Luke Brennan, Miguel Almirón (C) (Cayman Togashi 86'), Saba Lobjanidze (Jamal Thiaré 61')

Substitutes Not Used: Brad Guzan, Nyk Sessock, Will Reilly, Leo Afonso

TORONTO FC - Sean Johnson; Kobe Franklin, Kevin Long (Raoul Petretta 63'), Sigurd Rosted (Kosi Thompson 90'), Richie Laryea; Maxime Dominguez (Derrick Etienne Jr. 90'), Alonso Coello, Theo Corbeanu (Malik Henry 80'), Djordje Mihailovic, Jonathan Osorio (C); Ola Brynhildsen (Deandre Kerr 63')

Substitutes Not Used: Luka Gavran, Lazar Stefanović, Markus Cimermancic, Jules-Anthony Vilsaint

MEDIA NOTES

Derrick Etienne Jr. made his 50th appearance for Toronto FC across all competitions, becoming the 11th active TFC player to reach the milestone.

Sean Johnson recorded his seventh clean sheet of the 2025 MLS season.

MEDIA ASSETS

Media assets including match photos and post-match press conference from Head Coach Robin Fraser and midfielder Alonso Coello are available HERE.

ROBIN FRASER - HEAD COACH, TORONTO FC

Q: What was your take on the team's performance overall?

I thought it was quite good. I didn't think it was a bad performance at all. I thought this is a difficult place to play. You see teams get stretched out here often, and it can certainly be a goal fest. I've certainly been here and seen that before and felt like the game's gotten away from you and I felt like today we did a really good job defensively of working together and moving together and putting out fires. And then on the attacking end, we had some really good opportunities. We were able to get into some good positions and guys made some really good passes into our attacking players, and we had a number of decent chances I thought. So overall, disappointed not to get the win, but again, I feel every week we see progress with this team and that is certainly part of the mission here is to make sure that we continue to get better and better. If you think about where we were when we started and the improvement that we've seen throughout the year, for me it was a good performance.

Q: First clean sheet since San Diego. The goal off the other end wouldn't come, but how much does getting that clean sheet just sort of set it up the rest of the game essentially?

It's a good question because if you can control the attack of the other team, if you do that well, then you give yourself a chance to win the game. And I think for long stretches this season, we have defended pretty well, but at the end of it, you still feel a bit like we were hanging on. And I feel like over the last, I don't know, several games, we're doing a good job of being hard to play against, but on the attacking end, we see improvement, we're getting closer, our expected goals are getting higher relative to the other team, and the progress is good, no question. And we're excited about the progress. But yes, to go back to your question, the fact that you can keep a team like this, that have so many good attacking players that you can keep them at zero certainly gives you a chance to win.

Q: Alonso [Coello] had a pretty good chance, I think early in the second half, played some dangerous balls for Theo [Corbeanu] too that played him into dangerous areas. How would you evaluate his performance on the night?

Yeah, I thought Alo [Alonso Coello] was good. I thought he was quite good. And I think we talked about this after the last game where he had an errant pass that ended up leading to the goal against Columbus. And I said, those things are inevitable, but he's a good talented player and he'll learn from those mistakes. So again, today I think you saw Alo's [Alonso Coello] composure and confidence on the ball really helps in starting attacks for us. And in the middle of the midfield was able to find some really good balls for it, as you said into Theo [Corbeanu]. So, I thought it was another good day for Alo [Alonso Coello]

Q: The past couple of weeks, we've talked a little bit about developing those attacking ideas. What are you seeing in that regard and where do you see areas to kind of improve things?

Yeah, and I think it's what we constantly are working on now is because we do get deep progressions, we have started to put ourselves in positions where we get to 35-yards from their goal pretty consistently. And now it's the final connection. It's the service, it's the timing of the service, it's when it's delivered. It's the timing, the angle of the run. So, I would say the final pass and the final pass before the final pass are the things that we continue to work at. We see improvement, but obviously until the ball's going in the back of the net, no one else is really going to be paying attention to the improvement. But we know that we are making progress. We know we have ways to go, but we're making progress, and we just keep working at it.

Q: I was just curious about subbing out Kevin Long in the in the 63rd minute. What was the reasoning behind that?

He's been ill. He's been dealing with the flu for a couple of days, and I thought he put up a tremendous performance, put out a lot of fires, won a lot of headers, did some really good things, but in the end he's extremely depleted right now.

Q: What was the thinking behind Kobe Franklin getting the start over Raoul [Petretta]? I know it's opposite sides and everything like that, but just what was the thought process there?

Yeah, there is no Kobe [Franklin] over [Raoul] Petretta. It was Kobe on the right and that he came in and had a couple of good games and had a very good week of training. And that's how it needs to be. It needs to be that players are going to get rewarded for good weeks of training. And if two guys have very good weeks and play in the same position, then we have to make a decision.

Q: Big game next weekend against Montreal. Maybe just what's the focus this week and what's the message you're going to be driving home to the guys this week?

We'll continue to talk about being hard to play against. We'll continue to, we actually want to spend some time on our collective defending a bit, but the emphasis certainly will be to continue to try to turn some of these good attacks into actual real chances and then obviously finish them. So certainly, we want to continue in the vein that we have been, which is we've worked really hard to have a good team defending understanding. We'll work on that as well. Montreal does some different and interesting things, so we have to be prepared for that. And then on the attacking end, we have to keep working and keep working on our timing and our execution and final part of the field.

ALONSO COELLO - MIDFIELDER, TORONTO FC

Q: Not the result you guys obviously wanted or needed but how would you describe the team's performance this afternoon?

Yeah, as you say, we don't come out with the win, which is obviously what we're coming here for and what we understand that we need to start getting. But I think the performance from the team, I think same as the last few games we've been showing that we're a team that is very hard to play against and I mean ultimately that we're a team and that everyone works with the same goal in mind and with the same purpose. I believe we did enough for us to come out with the three points today. So yeah, I think disappointed, everyone's disappointed with the tie.

Q: First clean sheet for the side since San Diego. It's been a series of strong defensive performances from the group. Where is the confidence in that side of the game from this group and what does that give you to build on?

Well, at the end of the day, it's very important. Clean sheets and good defensive performances give you as a team a lot of confidence going into the attack. And I think a strong defensive minded team is able to then find itself freedom and confidence going forward in the attack and sending numbers high and creating opportunities. So as I said before, I think everyone being on the same page and working together is what is bringing us this success defensively. But I think now we have to start translating these into wins because yeah, I do agree that the team defensively is looking stronger and it feels that way on the field, but we do have to find a way to start creating more when we are getting into those dangerous positions in the final third.

Q: It's been three games now since Djordje Mihailovic's at TFC. I'd just be curious to hear your sort of assessment of him and what kind of an impact he's had on the team so far in terms of the way it goes about things on the pitch?

Yeah, Djordje is a special player. He's one of those players that can make the difference if we're able to find him in positions and areas in which he finds himself comfortable and with the right people around him and the right runs and he is going to be able to create a lot of chances for us to create a lot of goals. And after three games, we are still developing that chemistry and he's still developing that understanding of who he has around him and what kind of system we're trying to implement. But when he gets on the ball, of course you can tell he's a special player.

Q: Leaving aside the playoff line and all that sort of conversation, what's important for the remaining seven matches of the season?

Well, first of all, we want to win games. That has to be the mentality going into every game that's left. We understand that making the playoffs is going to be tough at the distance with those teams is big as of right now. But we want to obviously end the season the best way possible. We want to end the season on a good note and fighting to get closer and closer every week to those playoff positions. And then with the team that we operate now going into these last few games, we want to, as I was saying with Djordje before, keep creating that understanding of each other, keep building a positive and winning game culture and hopefully these last seven games leading to an off-season in which we can approach the next season as a winning team already.

Q: These remaining games start with next weekend against Montreal. It's always a big game when you guys are against them and a couple of familiar faces will be lining up on that side. What's the focus this week and how do you want to go into that one?

It's a massive game for us, always. The derby against them is a game that we want to win and we want to impose ourselves and send a clear message to them and to the fanbase. And as I was saying, just another game of the remaining ones that we want to go into with a winning mentality and start a winning streak. That will be very, very positive for us going forward.

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