Toronto FC visit the Buckeye State for a Sunday Night Soccer showdown against FC Cincinnati at TQL Stadium on Sunday evening. The Matchday 3 clash in Cincinnati, Ohio kicks off at 7:00 p.m. ET and will be available to watch globally in English and Spanish on Apple TV.
The Reds enter the weekend matchup seeking their first win of the 2026 MLS season after opening with road losses to Western Conference opponents FC Dallas and Vancouver Whitecaps FC. Historically, Toronto holds a 4W-9L-1T regular season record against FC Cincinnati and will be looking to secure their first road victory over the Orange and Blue since October 2020.
BEHIND ENEMY LINES
Toronto FC continue their MLS campaign with a Sunday Night Soccer showdown against FC Cincinnati, with the two Eastern Conference clubs meeting on Matchday 3 for the second straight season. Following a pair of losses to open in 2026, the Reds hold a 57W-174L-79T all-time record (250 points) in MLS regular season road matches to date.
THROUGH THE YEARS
TFC visit the Buckeye State to face FC Cincinnati for the 15th encounter in the all-time series between the two clubs. Historically, Toronto hold a 4W-9L-1T head-to-head record through their first 14 meetings with Cincinnati in regular season play. Toronto FC have recorded a pair of road victories over the Orange and Blue in club history, coming during the 2019 and 2020 MLS seasons, most recently a 1-0 triumph on October 11, 2020, courtesy of a Patrick Mullins strike. On Sunday, the Reds will look to secure their first win of the 2026 MLS season and the club’s first-ever victory at TQL Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio.
STEP BY STEP
The Reds enter their first test against Eastern Conference opposition this season following a pair of losses to Western Conference clubs FC Dallas and Vancouver Whitecaps FC. After a narrow 3-2 road defeat against FC Dallas, Toronto fell 3-0 to Canadian rivals Vancouver Whitecaps at BC Place on Saturday night. The Whitecaps opened the scoring from the penalty spot through Thomas Müller in the 25th minute before the German attacker doubled the lead twelve minutes later. The hosts added a third moments before half-time through Brian White to seal the three-goal victory. On the night, Hungarian winger Dániel Sallói made his first start for TFC, while Haitian forward Derrick Etienne Jr. recorded his 50th MLS appearance for the Reds.
SARGENT IN COMMAND
On Friday, February 27, Toronto FC bolstered their roster with the acquisition of United States international Josh Sargent from English Football League (EFL) Championship side Norwich City FC, joining the Reds as a Designated Player through the 2030-31 MLS season.
Sargent arrives in Toronto after spending five seasons with Norwich City (2021–2026), where he recorded 56 goals and 15 assists in 157 appearances across all competitions. The 26-year-old made his Norwich debut in the English Premier League against Liverpool on August 14, 2021, and scored his first goal for the Canaries with a scorpion-kick effort against Watford FC on January 21, 2022, which was subsequently nominated for Premier League Goal of the Month. During the 2024-25 campaign, the O’Fallon, Missouri native was named to the EFL Championship Team of the Season after registering 15 goals and five assists in 32 league matches, while also earning Norwich City’s Player of the Season award from club supporters. Prior to his move to England, the forward spent two and a half seasons with Bundesliga side Werder Bremen, where he registered 15 goals and nine assists in 83 appearances.
Internationally, Sargent has scored five goals in 29 caps for the United States Men’s National Team and represented the USMNT at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. In 2017, Sargent played in both the FIFA U-17 and U-20 World Cups and earned the Silver Boot at the U-20 World Cup after scoring four goals, tying Freddy Adu for the most career goals by a U.S. player in FIFA Youth World Cups with seven.
SUNDAY NIGHT SOCCER
Sunday Night Soccer presented by Continental Tire returns for its second MLS season following a successful launch in 2025. The weekly primetime showcase highlights one of the league’s flagship matchups each Sunday evening with enhanced production and dedicated studio programming. The broadcast is preceded by preview shows MLS Countdown and MLS La Previa and followed by MLS Wrap Up and MLS El Resumen, recapping the weekend’s action from across the league. Designed to spotlight some of MLS’ most compelling regular season matchups, the primetime initiative follows a format similar to the NFL’s Sunday Night Football. MLS Season Pass broadcasters Jake Zivin, Taylor Twellman and Jillian Sakovits lead the English broadcast, while Sammy Sadovnik, Diego Valeri and Antonella Gonzalez team up for the Spanish broadcast. This weekend’s Matchday 3 edition features Toronto FC visiting 2019 MLS expansion side FC Cincinnati at TQL Stadium. After the away side prevailed in Matchday 2’s Sunday Night Soccer clash, a 4-2 Inter Miami victory over Orlando City, the Reds will look to follow suit and secure a road result in their first Sunday Night Soccer appearance of the 2026 MLS regular season this weekend.
ONCE A RED
Saturday’s clash with FC Cincinnati will see the Reds face a familiar opponent in defender Nick Hagglund. The Cincinnati, Ohio native was selected 10th overall by Toronto FC in the 2014 MLS SuperDraft and made 115 appearances for the club across five seasons (2014–2018), helping TFC lift the domestic treble in 2017 with the MLS Cup, Supporters’ Shield and Canadian Championship. Hagglund joined his hometown club FC Cincinnati via trade in January 2019 ahead of the club’s inaugural MLS campaign and currently ranks among the top three in club history in appearances, starts and minutes played. The defender was named the 2025 MLS Comeback Player of the Year and remains the only player to have been on the club’s roster for all eight of Cincinnati’s MLS seasons.
Meanwhile, TFC’s Derrick Etienne Jr. spent time on loan with FC Cincinnati during the 2019 MLS season. The Richmond, Virginia native made five appearances for the Orange and Blue including his club debut against Columbus Crew in the first-ever Hell Is Real derby on August 10, 2019.
