Toronto will embark on a three-game MLS homestand beginning on Saturday, seeking their first win at BMO Field this year when they host Nashville SC.
Last weekend, the Reds clobbered arch-rivals CF Montreal 6-1, jumping up to 13th in the Eastern Conference, while the Boys in Gold sit fourth following a 0-0 draw with DC United.
Match preview
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Robin Fraser had been trying to unlock his side's attacking potential for weeks, and at last, they rose to the occasion against their biggest rivals.
In that triumph, Toronto were able to score as many goals as they had in their previous 10 league fixtures combined before that.
The former Colorado Rapids head coach would fancy anything close to what he saw last weekend, especially given how poor his team have been in the attacking third at home this season, scoring in just two of their seven league fixtures at BMO Field.
On Saturday, the Reds can win consecutive matches in this competition for the first time since July-August 2024 (two games).
Two of their three victories in MLS this year have come when leading at the interval, while Toronto are unbeaten in their previous five regular-season affairs when in front after 45 minutes.
A lack of creativity has plagued them domestically in 2025, with this team sitting 25th in the league regarding big chances (25), mainly because they do not have the ball enough, averaging the lowest average possession in the Eastern Conference this season (46.5%).
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Nashville's three-match winning run across all competitions ended over the weekend, though they are coming off a positive note in midweek, defeating Orlando City 3-2 at the US Open Cup.
Saturday was only the second time in 2025 that BJ Callaghan's men failed to score at home, putting them three points behind the Columbus Crew for third in the East.
Five of their next six domestic affairs take place outside Geodis Park, with this group dropping points in four of their five MLS games away from home this year, and collecting just one point from those previous three encounters.
All seven of their victories this year have come when netting multiple times, something they have only done once as the visitors this season (3-1 win at the Philadelphia Union).
Defensively, the Boys in Gold have not been as sharp away from home, conceding nine of their 16 goals away from the Music City in this competition.
Overall, they have suffered just one defeat in five prior visits to BMO Field, including a 2-1 come-from-behind triumph in this exact fixture last year.
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Team News
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Ankle issues kept Raoul Petretta, Deandre Kerr and Kobe Franklin on the Toronto sidelines against Montreal, while captain Jonathan Osorio sat out once again with an upper-body injury.
Lower body injuries meanwhile prevented Richie Laryea, Nicksoen Gomis and Markus Cimermancic from seeing the field last Saturday.
Federico Bernardeschi and Theo Corbeanu each had a brace in that encounter, with their other goals coming courtesy of Ola Brynhildsen and Tyrese Spicer.
As for Nashville, a head injury meant that Walker Zimmerman missed another game last week, while a thigh strain prevented Julian Gaines from featuring again.
Three of their players, Taylor Washington, Maximus Ekk, and Tyler Boyd, were forced out of their previous fixture because of knee injuries.
Chris Applewhite became the first ever home-grown player to start a match for this team in MLS last weekend, Alex Muyl and Jack Maher both reached 10,000 regular season minutes played for the Boys in Gold, while Joe Willis got to 500 career saves in this competition and collected his 71st clean sheet for them across all competitions.
Toronto possible starting lineup:
Johnson; Rosted, Long, Wingo, Monlouis; Thompson, Flores, Dominguez; Insigne, Corbeanu, Bernardeschi
Nashville SC possible starting lineup:
Willis; Najer, Palacios, Maher, Lovitz; Yazbek, Acosta; Brugman, Mukhtar, Shaffelburg; Surridge
We say: Toronto 1-1 Nashville SC
Toronto should be very confident after what they did to their arch-rivals, but they may find fewer openings against the Boys in Gold despite the latter's disappointing away record.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joel Lefevre
