It’s Matchday 10, and New York City FC are in Canada to face Toronto FC at BMO Field.
NYCFC have won two games in a row and are riding a four-game undefeated streak. More important, the team is looking sharp: New York City are playing the kind of attractive, progressive soccer the fans love to see.
Toronto are coming off a devastating loss at Philadelphia Union that featured and own goal and some shambolic defending. The club might have signed one of the best goalkeepers in MLS when they convinced Sean Johnson to head north, but the former NYCFC captain is anchoring a disorganized defense that have given up two or more goals in six of the name games played so far.
NYCFC vs Toronto FC H2H
| GP | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 33 | 42 | -9 |
The head-to-head between the two clubs is even thanks to Toronto’s dominance in the postseason: Toronto have three wins out of three playoff games, with nine goals scored and just one allowed.
The MLS league games the two clubs played last year were odd, intensely contested affairs. First there was NYCFC’s 1-2 loss in Toronto on April 2, 2022, which featured a Thiago Martins own goal and an officiating gaffe from referee Drew Fischer that should have seen a penalty awarded to Talles Magno — and that PRO Referees later acknowledged was a mistake. Then there was the 5-4 win at Citi Field on April 24, 2022 in which Toronto jumped to a two-goal lead. NYCFC seemingly iced the game by going up 5-2, but Toronto scored twice in the final four minutes of regulation time to turn it into a nail-biter.
- Matchday 10: NYCFC at Toronto FC
- Date and Time: Saturday, April 29, 7:30 pm ET
- Kickoff Time: 7:39 pm ET
- Venue: BMO Field
- Bruce Arena Forecast: cold, rainy, and windy, 45˚F/7˚C
- Watch: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV (subscription)
- Broadcast Team: Tony Husband and Kindra De St. Aubin
- Listen: English and Spanish broadcasts on NYCFC Radio
- Officiating Crew: Armando Villarreal (referee), Andrew Bigelow and Meghan Mullen (assistant referees), Ben Pilgrim (fourth official), Alejandro Mariscal (VAR), Tom Supple (assistant VAR)
NYCFC Injury Report: Gabriel Pereira is out with a reported lower body injury.
Who will be in head coach Nick Cushing’s Starting XI? Last week he deployed Santiago Rodríguez as a False 9 flanked by Talles Magno and Gabriel Pereira. They combined for three goals and one assist, making them among the most potent starting attacks in MLS that match day.
The three were also the youngest starting attack in the league by a significant margin. Toronto, on the other hand, fielded the second-oldest. Will Pereira (21), Rodríguez (22), and Talles Magno (20) face off against aging superstars Lorenzo Insigne (31) and Federico Bernardeschi (29)?
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Toronto Injury Report: Jonathan Osorio will not be in the lineup. The 30-year-old attacking midfielder is sidelined with a knee injury.
Will Toronto find playing time for striker CJ Sapong? The club added the 34-year-old from Nashville SC just before the Primary Transfer Window closed last night. The NYCFC will be familiar with the forward: He started for Nashville when they lost to NYCFC at Citi Field on April 15.
