In game four of their five-match Major League Soccer homestand, Toronto will play host to the New York Red Bulls on Wednesday at BMO Field.

The Reds are second from the bottom in the Eastern Conference, losing their previous game 2-0 to Charlotte FC, while the Red Bulls are eighth in the East following a 2-1 defeat at Austin FC.

Match preview

A lopsided victory over their biggest rivals back in May does not appear to have instilled any sort of confidence in this Toronto side going forward.

Since that 6-1 win over CF Montreal, Robin Fraser’s men have suffered three consecutive defeats in league play, putting them a dozen points below the playoff line.

Toronto have lost their last four matches in this competition at BMO Field, equalling their longest stretch without a point at home in MLS from 2024.

So far this season they have dropped six points in Toronto from winning positions, with five of their league-high seven MLS defeats at home being by just a single goal.

All year long TFC have been especially poor in the attacking third, most notably at BMO Field, failing to find the back of the net in six domestic home outings.

Toronto have lost their last eight regular-season affairs against New York-based sides and have not won a match versus a team from that region since April 2023 (1-0 at home to New York City FC).

Matchday 18 saw a four-game winning run end for the New York Red Bulls, putting them narrowly above the post-season line in the Eastern Conference.

Against the Verde and Black, Sandro Schwarz saw his team register just one effort on target, putting them a mere two points above the playoff line.

Four of their previous five away matches in this competition ended in defeat for last season’s MLS Cup runners-up, who have claimed just one domestic victory as the visitors all year.

New York are undefeated in the 2025 regular season when netting multiple times, winning seven of those eight fixtures in the competition this year.

They have claimed maximum points in four of their previous five league games versus Eastern Conference sides who are currently below them in the table.

The Red Bulls are riding a 12-match unbeaten run against Toronto in MLS play heading into this contest, winning this exact fixture last year by a 4-1 score.

Toronto Major League Soccer form:

New York Red Bulls Major League Soccer form:

New York Red Bulls form (all competitions):

Team News

An unknown injury kept Federico Bernardeschi out of the Toronto lineup versus Charlotte, Kobe Franklin and Deandre Kerr were sidelined with ankle issues, while Nicksoen Gomis is out after undergoing Achilles tendon surgery last month.

Meanwhile, Tyrese Spicer is with Trinidad and Tobago for the Gold Cup, Richie Laryea is on the Canadian team for that tournament and Deiby Flores is with Honduras.

There were four new faces in the Reds’ starting 11 the last time out, with Lazar Stefanovic, Kosi Thompson, Maxime Dominguez and Lorenzo Insigne replacing Henry Wingo, Derrick Etienne, Alonso Coello and Theo Corbeanu.

As for the Red Bulls, Serge Ngoma (back), Dylan Nealis (hamstring), Marcelo Morales (thigh), Omar Javier Valencia Arauz (shoulder) and Roald Mitchell (hamstring) were all sidelined versus Austin because of injuries.

Carlos Coronel and Wiktor Bogacz should both be back from international duty on Wednesday with the former previously called up to the Paraguay squad and the latter added to the Poland Under-21 team.

An own goal by Austin FC’s Brandon Vazquez was all the Red Bulls could manage on the scoresheet, as they rarely threatened the Texas side throughout the 90 minutes of that encounter.

Toronto possible starting lineup:

Johnson; Stefanovic, Monouis, Petretta; Thompson, Coello, Longstaff, Etienne; Dominguez, Corbeanu; Brynhildsen

New York Red Bulls possible starting lineup:

Coronel; Duncan, Eile, S. Nealis, Edwards; Edelman, Stroud; Harper, Forsberg, Morgan; Choupo-Moting

We say: Toronto 0-1 New York Red Bulls

The Reds cannot seem to find that edge in close games, and we believe their indecisiveness in the attacking third will cost them more valuable points on Wednesday.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.

Written by
Joel Lefevre

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