Soccer games can get very heated on the field, but it turned into a brawl between Major League Soccer's New York City FC and Toronto FC during their Saturday night game.
Tensions boiled over after the final whistle of NYCFC's 3-2 victory over Toronto at BMO Field, where a massive altercation broke out between the two teams resulting in allegations of fisticuffs.
Although it is unclear what started the fight, Toronto goalkeeper Sean Johnson found himself in the middle of the scrum and appeared to continue attempting to chase NYCFC's Strahinja Tanasijević. Johnson can be seen pointing and shoving Tanasijević before players and coaches try to intervene to calm the storm.
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Toronto FC forward Prince Osei Owusu is restrained by team staff members after the game against New York City FC on Saturday, May 11, 2024 in Toronto. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)
But that only seemed to make things worse.
At one point Johnson was seen running towards the NYCFC central defender, wrapping him around him and putting his head against his while many others tried to separate them.
However, it wasn't just the players who got involved. Both head coaches, Toronto's John Herdman and NYCFC's Nick Cushing, were seen in the altercation clashing and arguing a few words before being separated.
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And then came the accusations once the dust settled, when Herdman claimed Cushing “punched” one of his 19-year-old players in their previous game in New York “in the face.”
“That was the unofficial report that came to the locker room at halftime and that said he had received [cornered] and they punched him in the face,” Herdman said, according to The Athletic.
Toronto FC head coach John Herdman gestures during the New York City match at BMO Field in Toronto on May 11, 2024. (Mert Alper Dervis/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Cushing vehemently denied Herdman's claim, saying, “I can honestly say that as a head coach, I've played 348 games, I've never laid a finger on a player.”
So there was previous hostility between these two teams, and Toronto captain Jonathan Osorio alluded to that, which increased the tension too much.
“There was a lot of animosity about what happened last time… I understand that maybe our emotions got the better of us a little bit, but we were talking, we weren't being physical or anything. But this is the second time Now they've gotten physical with our players. That's how it started, and that's how it gets out of control,” Osorio said.
No matter what caused the altercation, MLS is sure to impose some discipline on those directly involved in starting the fight.
New York City FC and Toronto FC players after the match at BMO Field in Toronto on May 11, 2024. (Mert Alper Dervis/Anadolu via Getty Images)
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In terms of the MLS standings, NYCFC is two points behind Toronto, which is in fourth place with 19 on the season at 6-1-5. NYCFC is 5-2-5 to start the new season.
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