Eight goals and a Sargent hat-trick end in Toronto FC 4-4 Chicago Fire

Toronto FC and Chicago Fire drew 4-4 at BMO Field in Major League Soccer’s Regular Season round 23 on Saturday, September 5. Toronto led 2-1 at half-time, but neither side could protect its advantage in an eight-goal match that changed direction repeatedly.

Sargent drives Toronto’s first-half comeback

Chicago made the quicker start when Maren Haile-Selassie opened the scoring in the 13th minute. Toronto responded through Josh Sargent, who levelled in the 27th minute after an assist from Djordje Mihailovic before scoring again in the 38th minute. The second goal gave Toronto a 2-1 lead at the break after Chicago had initially applied pressure from its 4-3-3 shape against Toronto’s 4-2-3-1.

Toronto extended its advantage four minutes after the restart, although the goal came through a Walker Zimmerman own goal. Sargent then completed his hat-trick in the 54th minute, again with Mihailovic supplying the assist, putting the hosts 4-1 ahead. His three goals and five shots on target made him the match’s standout performer, reflected in his rating of 9.6 across 90 minutes.

Chicago responds with three goals

Chicago refused to let the deficit decide the match. Haile-Selassie scored his second in the 58th minute, assisted by Robert Lewandowski, and Lewandowski reduced the gap further five minutes later with Philip Zinckernagel providing the assist. Those goals turned the momentum back toward the visitors and made the final stages increasingly open.

Toronto appeared to have recovered its lead, but Chicago’s response ensured a tense finish. Derrick Etienne Jr. restored Toronto’s two-goal advantage in the 90th minute after a pass from Dániel Sallói. However, the available events list no further Chicago goal after that point, leaving the match finished at 4-4 despite the late Toronto strike. Etienne scored after entering the match for 11 minutes and earned a rating of 8.2.

Possession favours Chicago, but Toronto creates more on target

Chicago controlled 58% of possession and completed 402 accurate passes from 465, compared with Toronto’s 279 accurate passes from 334. The scoreline was not explained by possession alone: Toronto registered 16 total shots to Chicago’s 15 and led 8-6 in shots on goal. Chicago had the stronger inside-the-box shot count, 11-9, while Toronto attempted more shots from outside the box, 7-4. Both goalkeepers made four and three saves respectively, with Toronto also winning six corners to Chicago’s three.

Sam Rogers, Markus Cimermancic, Robin Lod and Benjamin Kuscevic each received yellow cards. There were no red cards. The draw gives both teams a point: Toronto had been 10th in the Eastern Conference with 25 points from 22 games, while Chicago had been third with 37 points from 21. Both teams entered the match after a loss in their most recent listed result, making the draw a move away from defeat without producing a decisive change between them.