Toronto FC (5-13-11, 26 points) travel to the Buckeye State to take on the Columbus Crew (13-7-10, 49 points) at Lower.com Field on Saturday evening. The Matchday 35 contest in Columbus, Ohio kicks off at 7:30 p.m. ET and will be broadcast globally in English and Spanish on MLS Season Pass on the Apple TV app.
The Reds enter the encounter on the back of five consecutive draws in MLS play dating back to August 9, earning a point apiece against Philadelphia Union, Columbus Crew, Atlanta United, CF Montréal and the New England Revolution. Historically, Toronto hold an 11W-20L-14T record through their first 45 encounters with the Black & Gold and will be looking to record their first road victory against the Crew since May 2017.
BEHIND ENEMY LINES
Toronto FC travel to the Buckeye State to take on the Columbus Crew on Saturday evening for their second and final regular season meeting of 2025. Following three consecutive road draws, the Reds hold a 57W-171L-77T all-time record (248 points) in MLS regular season road matches to date.
AN ODE TO THE PASTTFC face conference rivals Columbus Crew, one of MLS’s ten original clubs from 1996, for the 46th all-time regular season meeting between the two sides. Historically, Toronto hold an 11W-20L-14T record through their first 45 encounters with the Black & Gold. The Reds, however, hold the advantage in postseason play, having recorded a goalless draw and a 1-0 victory over the Crew en route to their MLS Cup triumph in 2017. On Saturday, the Reds will look to secure their first road win against the Crew in Columbus since May 10, 2017, when a Tosaint Ricketts brace lifted them to a 2-1 victory at Mapfre Stadium.
STEP BY STEP
The Reds enter Matchday 35 on the back of five consecutive draws in MLS play, marking the first such run in club history. After recording ties against the Philadelphia Union, Columbus Crew and Atlanta United between August 9 and 24, Toronto battled to a 1-1 result against rivals CF Montréal on August 30. Following a feisty 80 minutes, Dante Sealy nodded home Bryce Duke’s free-kick delivery in the 84th minute to hand the Bleu-blanc-noir a late advantage against the run of play. Toronto responded quickly, however, as captain Jonathan Osorio struck a left-footed finish just five minutes later after substitute Jules-Anthony Vilsaint’s effort was denied by Thomas Gillier. Both sides pressed for a late stoppage time winner, with Vilsaint and Iván Jaime each hitting the post, before the final whistle split the points and confirmed CF Montréal’s elimination from Audi 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs contention. On the night, new signing José Cifuentes made his Toronto FC debut as a 74th minute substitute, becoming the eleventh player to debut for the Reds this season.
A fortnight later, TFC returned from the FIFA international break and played to another 1-1 draw, this time on the road against New England Revolution. After an evenly-contested opening 70 minutes at Gillette Stadium, Toronto took the lead in the 75th minute when Jules-Anthony Vilsaint found Djordje Mihailovic whose switch of play released Theo Corbeanu into space, and the Hamilton, Ontario native rifled a powerful right-footed effort past goalkeeper Matt Turner. The opener marked Corbeanu’s team-leading sixth goal of the 2025 MLS season, along with Mihailovic’s third assist and Vilsaint’s first assist since both players joined the Reds in August. The Revs, however, pulled level in the 90th minute through Luca Langoni’s deflected effort, securing a share of the points for New England and mathematically eliminating Toronto FC from playoff contention.
FIFTY UPOn Saturday against New England, Kevin Long made his 50th Major League Soccer appearance for Toronto FC since joining the club in February 2024, marking the milestone before being substituted in the 16th minute after picking up a knock. The Irish defender became the fifth active player to reach the 50-match (MLS) mark for the Reds this season, following in the footsteps of teammates Sean Johnson, Alonso Coello, Kobe Franklin and Sigurd Rosted.
FAMILIAR FACESSaturday’s clash between Toronto FC and Columbus Crew will feature a pair of familiar faces on both sides of the field. Toronto’s Derrick Etienne Jr. was previously a key contributor for the Crew, recording 12 goals and 14 assists in 90 combined appearances across three seasons (2020 – 2022). The Richmond, Virginia native scored in the 2020 MLS Cup to help Columbus defeat the Seattle Sounders 2-0 for their second championship. In 2021, he set career-highs in starts (21), minutes played (1,849) and assists (5), while also starting in the club’s Campeones Cup victory over Cruz Azul. Since joining TFC from Atlanta in April 2014, the Haitian international has recorded five goals and five assists in 51 matches across all competitions.
Down the other side, Columbus forward Jacen Russell-Rowe came through the Toronto FC Academy and made one appearance for Toronto FC II during the 2019 USL League One campaign. Since joining the Crew in March 2022, the Toronto, Ontario native has scored 20 goals in 102 combined appearances.
