Veteran forward Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting snatched a dramatic late equalizer to grab a 1-1 draw for Red Bull New York on the road against Toronto FC.

The 36-year-old came off the bench in the 77th minute and stunned the crowd, who had expected Toronto FC to put the finishing touches on a home-opening victory at BMO Field.

The visiting Red Bulls sent everyone forward, including goalkeeper Ethan Horvath, to create chaos during a last-gasp corner kick in Toronto’s end. After Tanner Rosborough got a touch, Choupo-Moting shepherded a bouncing ball into the net on the last kick of the match in the 98th minute.

Bradley Proud of the Mentality Shown by the Red Bulls

“Proud to have kept pushing, and gotten the goal to get us back to one to one, and to take a point,” Red Bull New York head coach Michael Bradley stated. “I said to the players after that, in some ways, probably two points too few for how we played and how we went after the game. But that’s football, and so you can’t sit there and feel sorry for yourself.

“You have to just keep going and keep playing and keep trying to find a way to get yourself back in the game and until the referee blows the last whistle, find another chance. And so from that standpoint, we really wanted to make sure the group felt good about that part in a tough away match against a good team, and in their home opener. The mentality to go until the bitter end, because that part is, that’s what separates good teams from really good teams. And so we feel really good about that.”

Choupo-Moting’s goal was the fifth-latest goal scored during a regular-season MLS match in club history.

“All of us, we knew it’s maybe our last action in the game,” Choupo-Moting said. “And as you always say, never give up, always believe. And I gave everything in this duel. The high ball, the ball came back. No time to lose. So I took the ball straight away. It was like a slow motion goal, a little bit, but a nice one.”

New York needed to rally in the second half after Dániel Sallói’s first-timed finish in the 43rd minute sent the hosts into the break with a 1-0 lead.

Possession Dominance Paid off for the Red Bulls

Choupo-Moting spoke of the difficulty to break down Toronto’s stout defense.

“They were strong defensively when I came in, I felt it straight away,” he said. “At the end of the day, we had a lot of occasions also. So I think this goal was definitely deserved for us. And also that point.”

The Red Bulls showed determination and stuck to the plan of owning possession on the road. New York kept 59.1 percent of possession in the first half and won 63.3 percent of possession across the entirety of the match.

Cade Cowell missed the match after he and his wife welcomed their first child. Mohammed Sofo took Cowell’s place on the wing after the Ghanaian recovered from an ankle injury.

Fellow countryman Ronald Donkor joined Sofo in the starting XI after he missed last weekend’s match against Montreal due to a hamstring injury.

There was concern late in the match when defender Justin Che appeared to pull up lame and grab his hamstring. Che was replaced by Parker in the 92nd minute.

The inspiring road victory should have Red Bull supporters feeling positive ahead of next Saturday’s road meeting with Charlotte FC at Bank of America Stadium.

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