Back after lengthy break, TFC looks to snap 12-game winless run against Red Bulls
After a 25-day hiatus, Toronto FC returns to action Wednesday looking for a change of fortune when it hosts the New York Red Bulls.
Article content
Toronto's break was longer than most, with a June 13 game at Los Angeles FC pushed back to Oct. 8 after LAFC qualified for the FIFA Club World Cup on top of the pause for the Gold Cup.
Article content
Article content
Toronto (3-10-4) went a disappointing 2-5-0 in May despite playing six of the seven games at home and looks to snap a three-game losing streak Wednesday.
Article content
Coach Robin Fraser believes the time away — the league mandated a six-day break for the players — did his team good.
Article content
'The first half of the season is over,' he said after a torrid training session Tuesday with the city under an extreme heat alert.
Article content
'What happened happened and only we can affect the second half of the season. I think the training has been really good. I feel like they're in a good place. We know we have a big mountain to climb. But we've talked about it a lot during this break and I feel they're pretty ready for it.'
Article content
The Red Bulls (8-7-3) arrive in eighth place in the Eastern Conference, six places and 14 points ahead of Toronto. But most of New York's success has come at Sports Illustrated Stadium where it is 7-1-1 compared to 1-6-2 on the road.
Article content
The Red Bulls' away record is tied with St. Louis City for 28th in the 30-team league. But evening the score perhaps is the fact that Toronto's home record, at 1-7-2, is last in the league — a record exacerbated by five defeats last month at BMO Field.
Article content
The break has not helped TFC's injury list much.
Article content
The latest addition is captain Jonathan Osorio, who had to leave Canada at the Gold Cup because of a lower body injury sustained in training. Fraser said Osorio will be out for 'a couple of weeks at least.'
Article content
It's another blow for TFC's most senior player, who missed four games in May with a shoulder injury.
Article content
Toronto is also missing injured defenders Nicksoen Gomis and Henry Wingo, both long-term casualties.
Article content
Federico Bernardeschi, Markus Cimermancic and Kobe Franklin were seen working out with a trainer away from the main squad in the portion of training open to the media Tuesday. There was no concrete word on their availability.
Article content
Bernardeschi missed TFC's last two games through suspension and a muscle strain.
Article content
On the plus side, forward Deandre Kerr, sidelined by a high ankle sprain since March 29, was back training Tuesday.
Article content
'He's come in and hit the ground running,' said Fraser. 'He's done pretty well.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Canada News.Net
2 hours ago
- Canada News.Net
(SP)CANADA-TORONTO-FOOTBALL-MLS-TORONTO FC VS PORTLAND TIMBERS
(250629) -- TORONTO, June 29, 2025 (Xinhua) -- Jimer Fory (R) of Portland Timbers vies for a header with Theo Corbeanu of Toronto FC during the 2025 Major League Soccer(MLS) regular season match between Toronto FC and Portland Timbers at BMO Field in Toronto, Canada, on June 28, 2025. (Photo by Zou Zheng/Xinhua)
Winnipeg Free Press
3 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Ferreira, Musovski score goals to lead Seattle's 2-0 win over Austin; Rusnák reaches MLS milestone
SEATTLE (AP) — Jesús Ferreira and Danny Musovski scored midway through the match and the Seattle Sounders defeated Austin FC 2-0 on Saturday night to move into fifth place in the Western Conference of the MLS. Ferreira scored in the second minute of first-half stoppage time, giving the Sounders a 1-0 halftime lead. He connected with a right-footed shot from the center of the box to the top right corner. He was assisted by Paul Rothrock, with a second assist by Albert Rusnák. The assist made Rusnák the 13th player in MLS history to record 65 career goals and 65 career assists. He leads the Sounders offensively this season, with seven goals and four assists. In the 54th minute, Musovski scored with a right-footed shot from the right side of the box to the bottom left corner. Ferreira had the assist. The Sounders (29 points, 8-6-5) move into fifth place, their three points for the win breaking a tie with Austin which remains at 26 points (7-8-5) and San Jose. San Jose has 27 points after a 1-1 tie with LA Galaxy. Austin's Brad Stuver made four saves. Seattle's Stefan Frei had one save for the clean sheet. Seattle's Reed Baker-Whiting was shown a second yellow card in the 89th minute. It was Seattle's first match of the second half of the MLS season. The Sounders recently played three matches in the FIFA Club World Cup. Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. Austin last played on June 14 in a MLS match. Up next Austin hosts LAFC on Saturday. Seattle hosts Columbus on Sunday. ___ AP soccer:
National Post
3 hours ago
- National Post
10 Thoughts: Roughriders show how important experienced depth can be
The Saskatchewan Roughriders have an undefeated record, but the CFL club is admittedly not perfect. Article content On Saturday, the Green and White improved to 4-0 to begin the 2025 CFL season with a 37-18 victory over the visiting B.C. Lions in a game that featured a pair of veteran backup quarterbacks going head-to-head for their respective teams. Article content Article content Here are the top takeaways from the contest as the Riders enter their first bye week of the season. Article content 10 Thoughts: Article content 1. Jake Maier made his first start at quarterback for the Green and White in place of the injured Trevor Harris and his teammates made it easy on him. While Maier was effective moving the ball at times through the air, a strong rushing attack and a defence that forced four turnovers helped take some pressure off him. In 45 career starts with Calgary prior to coming to Saskatchewan, Maier has thrown for 300 yards on 13 different occasions. He threw for 170 yards on Saturday night and that was more than enough to get the win. Article content 2. It's a luxury for the Roughriders to have an experienced backup. Sure Maier is no Harris but unlike what Saskatchewan went last through with the inexperience of Shea Patterson, who made his first career CFL start in 2024 when Harris was injured, Maier — a veteran of 45 career starts — looked comfortable in the pocket all night even if he didn't make every throw (13 of 23). Experienced depth can pay dividends. Article content 3. Leading the way in the running game was A.J. Ouellette, who had a career-high 139 yards on a career-high 23 carries in his sixth CFL season. The 2022 and 2023 East Division all-star has had a great last three games for the Riders and is poised for a big year if he keeps this up. I think this is what everyone expected in 2024. Article content 4. Everybody has a job to do on the team and Tommy Stevens might be the best at doing his. The short-yardage quarterback has been outstanding in his role this season and proved his worth again on Saturday night. While he took a loss of two in the first half, Stevens converted on a pair of QB sneaks in the second half before cementing the game on Saskatchewan's final drive with five carries for 29 yards. Article content Article content 5. On the other side, Jeremiah Masoli didn't look great for B.C. While the Lions had two effective touchdown drives, aided by the play of running back James Butler, Masoli threw three interceptions including a costly pick six that was the turning point in the game. If the Lions (1-3) want to contend for a playoff spot this year, they better hope Rourke can return soon. Article content 6. After notching his first interception in the CFL since 2018 last week against Toronto, Riders defensive back Tevaughn Campbell was the one scoring on that pick-six as he put exclamation on the first half with an interception returned for a touchdown to put the Riders up 16-7 at the break. Filling that cornerback spot was one of the biggest needs for the Roughriders this off-season and Campbell — who has adjusted back to the CFL game after six years in the NFL — has been a great addition.
