Match Preview - Toronto FC
Game Info
Kickoff: 12:10pm CT
Watch: Apple TV
Location: BMO Field - Toronto, ON
All-Time H2H Record
Austin FC has a 1W-0D-1L all-time record against Toronto FC.
The first time these two clubs met was at Q2 Stadium back in the 2023 season. Austin FC managed a late 1-0 victory that match on a goal from substitute Gyasi Zardes in second half stoppage time after they began the game with players like Rodney Redes and Sofiane Djeffal in the starting group. That match was played just days before a report detailing the dysfunction occurring in the Toronto locker room, including designated player Federico Bernardeschi catching a team-imposed suspension for vaping inside team facilities, was published by The Athletic.
Last we saw these teams square off was in 2024 in Toronto, where the home side held on for a 2-1 victory after substitute Owen Wolff pulled one back late in a flash of individual brilliance that stuck out in an otherwise letdown of a performance from the Verde & Black.
Toronto FC Recent Form
Toronto FC began MLS play in the 2007 season as the league’s first Canadian club. Their first decade in league play left a lot to be desired, winning the Wooden Spoon in both their expansion season and 2011. But they did find success in the Canadian Championship, where Toronto FC reigned from 2009-2012 and then again from 2016-2018, with their last title in 2020.
The club’s first MLS related trophies came in 2017 when they did the double, securing first the Supporters Shield and then the MLS Cup a few weeks later. That team was paced by Sebastian Giovinco, who recorded one of the best individual seasons in league history that season, winning MLS MVP, MLS Newcomer of the Year and the MLS Golden Boot in addition to the team’s three trophies (remember, they also won the Canadian Championship that year). Giovinco was also the MVP of the 2017 Canadian Championship and won the Golden Ball in that year’s CONCACAF Champions League, where Toronto finished as runners up.
The 2017 roster also featured designated players Michael Bradley and Jozy Altidore, homegrown Mark Delgado and MLS Superdraft pick and current Dallas Cowboys placekicker, Brandon Aubrey (who ZG pointed out on Episode 299, was on the roster but never appeared).
Toronto FC also were the runners up in the Supporters Shield race in 2020, and lost in the MLS Cup Final in both 2016 and 2019. Since that five year run of success, the team has struggled mightily. They haven’t made the MLS Cup Playoffs since Austin FC began league play in 2021 and took home the club’s third Wooden Spoon in 2023.
During this down era, the team made two major signings in the form of Italian stars Federico Bernadeschi and Lorenzo Insigne. That pair of acquisitions brought some hope to a beleaguered fan base, but through injury and locker room tension, they were never able to foster a winning environment. Three-plus seasons of losing led to their unceremonious departures last season as Toronto entered a rebuild during the summer transfer window.
The next major domino to fall in Toronto’s rebuild was the acquisition of DP midfielder Djordje Mihailovic from Colorado for a fee of $8 million at the summer transfer window deadline. Then this off season the team added Daniel Salloi and Walker Zimmerman in free agency, and made the most impactful (on paper) addition to the roster just after opening day with the acquisition of striker Josh Sargent.
Sargent comes to MLS after a solid five year run with EPL Championship side Norwich City and immediately slots in as Toronto’s most dangerous attacking player. He will demand the most attention from the Austin back line come Saturday.
Toronto currently finds themselves in 6th place in the Eastern Conference with 11 points earned from their seven matches. Without any signature wins from my perspective, the verdict is still out on if this team is a legit playoff contender or not. They opened the season with a 3-2 road loss to FC Dallas and followed that up with a 3-0 letdown away from home at the hands of Vancouver Whitecaps. Considering the state of Toronto’s roster in the early weeks of the season and the quality of their opposition, those losses aren’t anything to hang your head over.
Things have shifted in a positive direction since. After a 1-0 win over FC Cincinnati, Toronto has earned 11 points in their last five matches and are undefeated since the road loss at Vancouver.
As they work in their new pieces, especially Sargent, Toronto is a team that is still working to find its identity. But on paper, the team wants to play a bit of a counter-attacking style and don’t appear ultra-focused on possessing the ball. Head coach Robin Fraser is in his second full season at the helm and the roster is still far from complete, with two vacant U22 spots and the flexibility to switch to a 3/3 build during any upcoming transfer window, turning one of those U22 slots into a DP.
A position to look out for are the wing backs in Raheem Edwards, Richie Laryea, and Matheus Pereira (who started for an injured Edwards last weekend) that are active in the attack. Those guys like to spread defenses out wide with aggressive runs up the pitch. Given what just happened in Louisville to Austin FC in the midweek, this is a position I expect Toronto will look to exploit.
Austin FC Recent Form
What a difference a few weeks can make in MLS. After two hard-fought draws against some of the premier teams in the league in LAFC and Miami, Austin has quickly torched any positive vibes built up during that tough stretch. Dropping a home match to an equally injury plagued LA Galaxy club and then losing in the Round of 32 in the US Open Cup to USL side Louisville City FC in a matter of four days has plunged this team into a bad spot. Not only are they eliminated from USOC, the team’s easiest path to a trophy in 2026, but the loss to Los Angeles makes this the worst seven-game start to an MLS season in the club’s six year history.
The vibes are as low as they have been all season, and calls for Nico Estevez to be fired are starting to percolate in most corners of the fan base. I can’t say I blame anyone for wanting a coaching change after what we saw on display in the Open Cup match on Tuesday.
It was an uninspired, unfocused, and lackluster performance, especially in the first half, that doomed Austin. Louisville City were the aggressors and a team focused on pushing the pace to make Austin uncomfortable in the decisive first half.
While the Verde and Black were able to overcome a two goal deficit last season in the same round against El Paso Locomotive, the team was unable to claw back and were bounced out, despite CJ Fodrey’s continued heroic efforts in the competition that appeared to carry over from his big moments in 2025’s run to the Cup Final. It was a deserved loss, another flat out embarrassing moment that has presented Austin FC and its fans with more questions than answers as a packed pre-World Cup schedule looms.
Obviously, injuries are still limiting our ability to properly assess this team as a whole. But in both the Galaxy and Louisville games, Austin had more than enough talent to earn wins. There are no excuses for either of those matches resulting in the performances we saw.
Due to the fixture congestion ahead, ATX has an opportunity to steady the ship in this game north of the border. But from my view as a fan, there’s no real reason to have any confidence in the ability of this team at present. They are clearly lacking confidence, identity and maybe most importantly, leadership. Those issues have nothing to do with who is or is not injured. If captain Ilie Sanchez isn’t on the field (and I don’t expect him to be this weekend), which player is going to step up and take the reins of this team and steer them collectively towards a positive performance? That role is there for the taking.
Sometimes, you have to play for pride, and that’s ultimately how I would approach this game if I were a member of that locker room. Once again, Austin has enough talent to get a victory here, but the pride of being a professional should also factor in when the chips are down. It’s going to come down to who wants this game more, and who is able to impose their will in the game’s defining moments. Austin has yet to show any semblance of consistency up to this point in the season and with three games in the next eight days, there’s no better time than now to flip that switch if you’re able.
Injury Report
This is an estimate until the league releases official availability reports on Friday afternoon.
ATX:
Ervin Torres (Questionable - Illness)
Dani Pereira (Doubtful - Hamstring)
Owen Wolff (Doubtful - Sports Hernia)
Ilie Sanchez (Doubtful - Undisclosed)
Christian Ramirez (Doubtful - Achilles)
Brandon Vazquez (Out - Knee)
TOR:
Walker Zimmerman (Questionable - Calf)
Deandre Kerr (Questionable - Groin)
Henry Wingo (Doubtful - Hamstring)
Theo Corbeanu (Doubtful - Knee)
Nicksoen Gomis (Doubtful - Achilles)
Djordje Mihailovic (Out - Pelvis)
Toronto FC Players to Watch
Josh Sargent - The 26-year-old striker was officially transferred to Toronto from EFL Championship side Norwich City at the end of February for a $22 million fee. He made his MLS debut off the bench on March 14 and has worked his way up to 90-minute fitness over the following three starts. Until this season, Sargent had spent the entirety of his professional career in Europe, with more than 1,500 Premier League minutes (2 goals), 4,100 Bundesliga minutes (11 goals) and 9,400 EFL Championship minutes (53 goals). Of course, he’s also a regular with the USMNT, with 29 caps and five goals to his name. He’s acquainted himself nicely over the last month, recording a goal and assist along with forcing an own goal last Saturday against FC Cincinnati. Sargent is the biggest threat in the Toronto FC attack.
Walker Zimmerman - After playing his last six MLS seasons in Nashville, Zimmerman was Toronto’s big off season addition in free agency. The USMNT stalwart is also a five time MLS Best XI winner, a four time MLS All-Star and two time MLS Defensive Player of the Year. The center back missed last weekend’s draw against FC Cincinnati due to a calf injury, but if he returns on Saturday it will be a huge boost for Toronto’s back line.
Austin FC Keys to the Game
Play for Pride - Every player who took part in Tuesday’s upset loss against Louisville City FC should be flat out embarrassed and ashamed of the performance. At some point in time, you need to take a look at yourself in the mirror as a player and as a team and decide who you are going to be when it comes to effort, focus and intensity. Those things are under your control! The team needs to respond with not only an inspired effort, but with a result to show from it as well. Another string of embarrassing and lackluster showings could result in major changes from a personnel standpoint at the club over the coming months. I want to see more pride from the group this weekend, because I sure as hell know what we’ve seen over the last two games is not an acceptable representation of what I want my favorite team to exemplify on the field.
Predictions
ZG- 2-1 Toronto FC
E- 1-1 Draw
