TV: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV
English (Apple TV): Mark Rogondino (Play-by-Play) and Heath Pearce (Analyst)
Spanish (Apple TV): Oscar Salazar (Play-by-Play) and Jaime Macías (Analyst)
Toronto FC (5-13-13, 28 points) hit the road to take on 1998 MLS expansion side Chicago Fire FC (15-11-6, 51 points) at Soldier Field on Saturday evening. The Matchday 38 contest in Chicago, Illinois kicks off at 8:30 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 matchup in the Windy City riding a seven-match unbeaten run – a stretch that also stands as the longest tie streak in Major League Soccer history, with consecutive draws against Philadelphia Union, Columbus Crew (home and away), Atlanta United, CF Montréal, New England Revolution and Inter Miami CF since August 9. Historically, TFC hold a 14W-13L-13T record in 40 regular season encounters with the Fire and the Reds will be aiming for their first road victory in Chicago since July 2021.
BEHIND ENEMY LINES
Toronto FC visit the Windy City to face the Chicago Fire on Saturday evening for their second and final regular season meeting of 2025. Following four consecutive road draws, the Reds hold a 57W-171L-78T all-time record (249 points) in MLS regular season road matches to date.
AN ODE TO THE PAST
TFC take on 1998 MLS expansion side Chicago Fire FC for the 41st encounter in the all-time series between the two clubs. Historically, TFC hold a 14W-13L-13T record through their first 40 regular season encounters with the Fire. Earlier this year, the Fire earned a come-from-behind 2-1 victory at BMO Field on March 15, 2025, with goals from Andrew Gutman and Hugo Cuypers after Deandre Kerr had opened the scoring for the hosts. Since 2016, Toronto have held the upper hand on the road in Chicago, posting four wins, two ties and two losses over the past 10 MLS seasons. The Reds will now be aiming for their first road victory against the Fire since July 24, 2021, when goals from Yeferson Soteldo and Nick DeLeon secured a 2-1 triumph at Soldier Field.
STEP BY STEP
The Reds ride a seven-match unbeaten run into Matchday 38, a stretch that also stands as the longest tie streak in MLS history with seven consecutive draws since August 9. Toronto began the stretch with August stalemates against the Philadelphia Union, Columbus Crew, Atlanta United and CF Montréal before resuming league play after the September FIFA international break with a 1-1 road draw against New England Revolution on September 13.
A week later, Toronto battled to another 1-1 result away to Columbus Crew at Lower.com Field. Wessam Abou Ali opened the scoring for the hosts before Richie Laryea recorded his first goal of the season, securing a valuable point for the Reds.
Most recently, the Reds fought to a hard-earned 1-1 draw against reigning Supporters’ Shield winners Inter Miami CF before 28,855 fans in attendance at BMO Field on September 27. Miami went ahead through Tadeo Allende in first-half stoppage time before Djordje Mihailovic tapped home from Richie Laryea’s outstretched pass fifteen minutes into the restart. The 60th minute equalizer marked Mihailovic’s first goal since joining the club in August and Laryea’s first assist of the 2025 MLS season. Anchored by a five-save performance from goalkeeper Sean Johnson, Toronto FC earned the draw and successfully extended their unbeaten run to seven matches.
TEAM OF THE MATCHDAY
On Monday, Toronto FC goalkeeper Sean Johnson was named to the MLS Team of the Matchday for Matchday 38 after a heroic performance in the club’s 1-1 draw against Inter Miami CF at BMO Field. Returning to the lineup against the reigning Supporters’ Shield winners, Sean Johnson delivered a match-saving performance at BMO Field, making five saves in front of a sold-out crowd of 28,855, including four to deny reigning Landon Donovan MLS MVP Lionel Messi. The Lilburn, Georgia native set the tone early, diving to push away Baltasar Rodríguez’s 12th minute effort from the top of the box. The MLS veteran went on to complete his Man of the Match display with four crucial saves to keep out the eight-time Ballon d’Or-winning Argentinian, capping the afternoon by parrying a late Messi free-kick to secure a point and extend the Reds’ unbeaten run to seven. The honour marks Sean Johnson’s team-leading fourth MLS Team of the Matchday selection of the 2025 season and his eighth overall since joining Toronto FC in January 2023. In total, Toronto FC have now earned 14 MLS Team of the Matchday selections during the 2025 MLS regular season – Sean Johnson (4), Federico Bernardeschi (2), Theo Corbeanu (2), Ola Brynhildsen (1), Alonso Coello (1), Lorenzo Insigne (1), Deandre Kerr (1), Richie Laryea (1) and Jonathan Osorio (1).
FOR CLUB AND COUNTRY
Three Reds have been called up for international duty during the upcoming October FIFA Window. Club captain Jonathan Osorio and defender Richie Laryea are among 24 players named to Canada’s squad for a pair of friendlies against Top 25 FIFA-ranked opponents. Rising to No. 26 in the latest FIFA Men’s World Ranking, Canada will first take on Australia (FIFA rank #25) at Stade Saputo in Montreal on Friday, October 10 (7:30 p.m. ET), before meeting Colombia (FIFA rank #14) at Sports Illustrated Stadium in New Jersey on Tuesday, October 14 (8:00 p.m. ET). Forward Derrick Etienne Jr. has been called up by Haiti for the final round of the Concacaf World Cup Qualifiers, with Les Grenadiers set to face Nicaragua on Thursday, October 9 (8:00 p.m. ET) and Honduras on Monday, October 13 (8:00 p.m. ET).
ONCE A RED
Saturday’s clash in the Windy City between Toronto FC and Chicago Fire will feature a pair of familiar faces on either side of the pitch. TFC goalkeeper and U.S. international Sean Johnson began his MLS career with the Chicago Fire, where he spent seven seasons from 2010 to 2016. A native of Lilburn, Georgia, Johnson was originally selected 51st overall in the 2010 MLS SuperDraft and made his Fire debut in a 3-2 win over the LA Galaxy on August 1, 2010. He made a combined 194 combined appearances for Chicago and was named the Fire’s Defender of the Year for the 2013 MLS season before joining New York City FC via Atlanta United in 2017. On the opposite side, Chicago’s Omar González joined Toronto FC in July 2019 and made 73 combined appearances across three seasons (2019-2021). The Dallas, Texas native made his Reds debut against the Montreal Impact on July 14, 2019, and scored his first club goal against the Chicago Fire on September 29, 2019. Following stints with the New England Revolution and FC Dallas, González signed with Chicago in February 2025 and has made 15 appearances across all competitions for the Fire this season.
