As Toronto FC pushed Atlanta United to a 1-1 draw at Mercedes-Benz Stadium the previous Saturday evening, Jordan Perruzza scored a late goal, his first in Major League Soccer. Atlanta led 1-0 in the 88th minute but couldn't hold off Toronto, who had already been eliminated from the 2021 MLS Cup Playoffs. Instead, despite sitting in sixth place at the time of the final whistle, a tie means the Five Stripes' hold on an Eastern Conference postseason position is far from certain.

Atlanta got off to a good start, taking the lead thanks to a huge blunder by Quentin Westberg at the quarter-hour mark. The Toronto goalie fumbled a pass in front of his own net, allowing Luiz Araujo to score a 1-0 lead with a straightforward open-net finish. The hosts attempted to increase their lead, but they lacked the finishing touch in the final third. They appeared to score a second goal in the 55th minute when Ezequiel Barco curled a beautiful finish past Westberg, but the goal was overturned due to an offside call. Atlanta was bitten by those wasted chances though. Dom Dwyer's header inside the box on a late cross found Perruzza, who scored the equalizer past Brad Guzan to hush the Atlanta crowd.

For Atlanta, this is the embodiment of a tie that feels like a loss. Gonzalo Pineda's team, on the other hand, had only themselves to blame, as their offensive corps' poor finishing allowed Toronto to take a smash-and-grab point. The Reds' goal was to be the spoiler versus a playoff contender in preparation for Wednesday's Canadian Championship showdown against Pacific FC at BMO Field. They accomplished exactly that, a ray of sunshine in an otherwise bleak season.

{Photography by ICONIC photographer Rachel Pearce]