FC Cincinnati will look to bounce back from an ice-cold performance at Minnesota United last Saturday. The Orange and Blue return home to host a reeling Toronto FC squad hungry for their first result of the season.
Toronto FC
Forwards
Toronto made a major splash signing with USMNT’s Josh Sargent just a week ago. Sargent, however, is not going to feature in this match as he hasn’t touched a pitch since early January. So that leaves TFC with the likes of a converted midfielder Derrick Etienne Jr. to be their front man. Etienne has made the rounds in the MLS including a five-match loan appearance for FCC in their inaugural season. Etienne hasn’t had near the success on the offensive side of the ball as he enjoyed with the Columbus Crew in 2022 where he had 9 goals and 6 assists. He is off to a good start with a goal and an assist TFC’s opening day match against FC Dallas.
Derrick Entinne Jr. playing for FCC in 2019 Photo Credit: Joe Schmuck
Midfield
The midfield is probably TFC’s most solid group with Jonathan Osorio captaining the squad alongside Djordje Mihailovic. Mihailovic is a solid production player with a high clip for chance creation in league. He produced 13 goals and 11 assists in 2025 playing for the Colorado Rapids before being traded to Toronto in the summer. Mihailovic covers a lot of ground on the pitch flexing up as an additional forward when TFC looks to push the issue. José Cifuentes will also get into the mix with his propensity to connect with high percentage passes. He averages 87% through two matches which tracks with his 82% average throughout his career.
Backline
To round out this squad’s field players, TFC have acquired Walker Zimmerman of Nashville SC. The MLS All-Star center back has made hay in the league for his physicality and aerial dual abilities. Canadian international Richie Laryea has been a mainstay for TFC at the right-back position over the years and always brings a flare of dynamic, deep runs up the right channel. TFC also just this week acquired Chilian center back Benjamín Kuscevic on a loan deal from Fortaleza of Brazil. Kuscevic should be available for selection but playing time for Sunday will be questionable.
Walker Zimmerman Photo Courtesy: Toronto FC
Keeper
TFC has a difficult set of circumstances with their keeper room. The club decided not to retain 36-year-old Sean Johnson this off-season and have elected to go with the younger Luka Gavran. Gavran has had a rough go through the club’s first two matches, giving up six goals and having a save percentage of only 25. Likely as an insurance policy the club picked up the veteran William Yarbrough. It might be too early to pull the string on Gavran, but if they do Yarbrough brings a ton of MLS experience and is an effective alternative.
Manager
This is year two under the Robin Fraser regime in Toronto. Year one was plagued from the start with the drawn-out drama of Lorenzo Insigne and an overtaxed Federico Bernardeschi. TFC went 6-14-14 in 2025 and finished 12th in the MLS Eastern Conference. Fraser typically deploys a 4-3-3 formation, but he has been playing around with it early trying to establish more attacking options married with a better defensive structure.
Recent TOR Results
TFC started the season on the road in a 2-3 loss to FC Dallas. They followed that performance with an absolute stinker at home in a 0-3 drubbing by Canadian rivals Vancouver Whitecaps. TFC are certainly built to be a better team throughout the season, but they are taking on water fast just two matches into the season.
FC Cincinnati
FCC v TOR History
TFC are a club that FCC has had tremendous success with. After dropping the first three meetings, FCC have gone on to win nine, drawn once and only have fallen once. In fact, FCC are on an eight matches unbeaten streak against Toronto stretching back to the odd MLS scheduling quirk of 2022 were these clubs played each other twice in a 6-day period. Those two victories catapulted FCC in the MLS standings that year, paving the way for first ever playoff berth.
Brandon Vazquez out pacing Federico Bernardeschi in 2022 (Photo: Joe Craven)
What to watch for
FCC have had a pause in the CONCACAF Champions Cup providing the first opportunity to have a full week of training since Evander went down with an injury. It will be interesting to see if this helps gel the midfield so the performance in St. Paul is just a blip. It will also be very interesting to see if FCC can indeed crack the struggles of single goal performances against a very leaky Toronto defense.
Match Info
When: Sunday, March 9 at 7:00pm
Where: TQL Stadium
Watch: AppleTV
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