TOYOTA STADIUM, USA — FC Dallas entered this MLS clash at Toyota Stadium with something to prove, and they delivered in emphatic fashion, edging Toronto FC 3-2 in a breathless five-goal encounter that swung back and forth before Petar Musa's decisive 74th-minute header sealed the points. Toronto FC arrived with their own ambitions, but despite controlling large portions of the contest, they were ultimately undone by Dallas's clinical edge in front of goal.
The opening exchanges set the tone for what was to come. FC Dallas struck first and struck early, with Musa breaking the deadlock in just the 9th minute. Osaze Urhoghide played the Bosnian striker into space, and Musa made no mistake, slotting a composed left-footed finish from the centre of the box into the bottom right corner. Toyota Stadium roared its approval, but the lead would not last long.
Toronto FC responded with purpose, and their equalizer arrived in the 15th minute through Djordje Mihailovic. Jonathan Osorio threaded a perfectly weighted through ball into the box, and Mihailovic guided a right-footed finish into the bottom right corner to restore parity. The visitors had shown they were not here to simply make up the numbers, and the match was suddenly alive with possibility.
The second goal of the half came in a frantic two-minute spell just before the break. In the 37th minute, Derrick Etienne Jr. tested Michael Collodi with a right-footed effort from the centre of the box, but the FC Dallas goalkeeper stood firm, saving in the centre of the goal from a José Cifuentes-assisted attempt. Dallas immediately punished the miss. Logan Farrington, sharp and direct throughout the first half, latched onto a chance in the 38th minute and drilled a left-footed finish from the centre of the box into the bottom right corner to restore Dallas's advantage. The teams went into the break with FC Dallas leading 2-1, but the contest was far from settled.
The second half resumed with Toronto FC pushing for an equalizer, and their persistence paid off in the 67th minute. Etienne Jr., who had been a constant menace, fired a right-footed shot from the centre of the box into the centre of the goal to make it 2-2. It was a moment that threatened to derail Dallas entirely, particularly as Toronto FC had been pressing with increasing urgency. Collodi had already been called into action moments earlier, denying Cifuentes with a sharp stop from outside the box, and then palming away a Daniel Salloi effort in the bottom right corner — three saves in total that proved crucial to keeping Dallas in the match.
The decisive moment arrived in the 74th minute. Farrington, who had already contributed a goal and an assist, delivered a precise cross from the right, and Musa rose powerfully at the centre of the box to nod a header into the bottom left corner. It was a striker's finish — composed, well-timed, and ultimately match-winning. Dallas held firm through a nervy final quarter, repelling a late Toronto FC siege that included five corners in the closing stages and a flurry of blocked shots from Mihailovic and Henry Wingo.
The statistics told a story of two very different performances. Toronto FC enjoyed the majority of possession at 55.3% and earned seven corners to Dallas's three, while their shot count of 12 was only marginally behind Dallas's 13. Yet despite 13 attempts, FC Dallas managed just 3 on target — a conversion rate that underlines how clinical they were when it mattered. Toronto FC's five shots on target were not enough to overcome Collodi's resolute goalkeeping. FC Dallas committed 18 fouls to Toronto's 11, with yellow cards shown to two Toronto players and one Dallas player in what was a fiercely competitive encounter.
FC Dallas can build on this; Toronto FC must rebuild before their next outing. Dallas travel to face Nashville SC on February 28, while Toronto FC make the trip to Vancouver Whitecaps on the same date, desperate to bounce back from a defeat that will sting long after the final whistle.
