Still seeking their first victory of the 2025 MLS campaign, Toronto will host Minnesota United on Saturday afternoon at BMO Field.
A 1-1 draw with Inter Miami in their previous outing lifted the Reds to 14th in the Eastern Conference with three points, while the Loons are third in the West on 14 points following a 2-1 win over New York City FC.
Match preview
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Week after week Toronto have had matches right there for the taking, but that first victory for Robin Fraser as head coach continues to elude him.
The Reds have dropped four points from a winning position this season, giving them seven fewer points than they had at this stage a season ago (10).
While the results have not been there lately, Fraser will be pleased with how well his side have played defensively, conceding just once in their last two encounters.
In addition to that, they have picked up a single point versus two of the top three teams in the league right now, Miami and the Vancouver Whitecaps (0-0 draw).
Toronto are winless in their last five MLS encounters at BMO Field, losing in four of those instances, including a 2-1 defeat versus the Chicago Fire earlier in the campaign.
The Reds have a 100% record at home all-time against the Loons, with both matches being high-scoring ones, 4-3 and 3-2, respectively.
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For the moment, nearly everything seems to be going the way of Minnesota, who have points in their last six MLS affairs, winning their previous two such contests.
Interestingly, this team have not been all that eager to have the ball, with an average of 34% possession per match, but they have the second-highest expected goals ratio in the league (13.8).
Eric Ramsay's men have collected at least a point in nine consecutive regular-season encounters played away from home, including seven out of a possible nine points on the road this year.
On Saturday, the Loons will be seeking a third successive triumph domestically, which would equal their longest run from a year ago.
Since their 3-2 defeat at the Portland Timbers in June 2024, the Loons have points in their last 13 MLS encounters when scoring the opening goal.
Minnesota won their only visit to Canada last year (1-0) and have not lost a match in the Great White North since June 2023 (4-0 at CF Montreal).
Team News
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Lower body injuries kept Henry Wingo, Tyrese Spicer, Zane Monlouis and Richie Laryea out of the Toronto to lineup versus Inter Miami.
Meanwhile, their joint-top goalscorer this season, Deandre Kerr, was unavailable last weekend as he is recovering from an ankle problem.
Federico Bernardeschi converted a penalty late in the opening half against the Herons, moving him into a tie for first on the team with two.
Last week in New York, Minnesota was missing Kipp Keller due to a leg strain, Owen Gene sat out with a sore ankle and Hassani Dotson did not feature because of a knee injury.
There was just one change made to the Loons starting 11 from matchday six to seven with Ramsay adding Michael Boxall to the backline in place of Morris Duggan.
Tani Oluwaseyi put his side in front last Saturday, with the winner coming courtesy of Wil Trapp just before the half-hour mark in the opening half.
Toronto possible starting lineup:
Johnson; Thompson, Rosted, Gomis, Petretta; Flores, Osorio; Bernardeschi, Insigne, Etienne; Brynhildsen
Minnesota United possible starting lineup:
St. Clair; Hlongwane, Markanich, Boxall, Romero, Rosales; Lod, Trapp, Pereyra; Oluwaseyi, Yeboah
We say: Toronto 1-0 Minnesota United
Toronto have played much better than the results may indicate, and we believe their improved defensive structure will see them finally claim maximum points against a side that rely heavily on transitional moments.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joel Lefevre
