Toronto FC kick off their historic 20th Major League Soccer season with a road trip to face FC Dallas at Toyota Stadium on Saturday evening. The ‘MLS is Back’ opening weekend clash begins at 8:30 p.m. ET and will be available to watch globally in English and Spanish on Apple TV.
The Reds enter their milestone campaign, and second under Head Coach Robin Fraser, aiming to secure the club’s first MLS Cup Playoffs berth since 2020. Historically, TFC hold an 3W-11L-6T record through 20 all-time meetings with Los Toros to date. On Saturday, the Reds will look to secure consecutive wins over FC Dallas, and the club’s first-ever road victory against the Texas-based club, following a 3-1 victory on May 4, 2024.
BEHIND ENEMY LINES
Toronto FC open their 2026 MLS campaign on the road for the eighth consecutive season and will be seeking their first season-opening victory since a 3-1 triumph over Philadelphia Union at Subaru Park on March 2, 2019. Since joining MLS as an expansion club in 2007, the Reds have begun their regular season on the road in 18 of 19 seasons, with the club’s lone season opener at home coming against the Columbus Crew at BMO Field on March 3, 2018. Following back-to-back season-opening draws against FC Cincinnati (2024) and D.C. United (2025), Toronto holds a 5W-9L-5T record through 19 all-time season openers to date.
THROUGH THE YEARS
TFC visit FC Dallas, one of the league’s ten original clubs from 1996, for the 21st all-time regular season meeting between the two sides. Historically, Toronto holds a 3W-11L-6T all-time record through their first 20 meetings with Los Toros. On Saturday, the Reds will look to secure consecutive wins over Dallas, and the club’s first-ever road victory against the Texas-based club, following a 3-1 victory on May 4, 2024, when a Federico Bernardeschi brace and goal from Matty Longstaff secured three points at BMO Field.
ROSTER REINFORCEMENTS
Toronto FC strengthened further with six new signings ahead of the 2026 MLS season. Defenders Walker Zimmerman, Matheus Pereira and Raheem Edwards, along with goalkeeper William Yarbrough, reinforce the defensive rearguard, while forwards Derrick Etienne Jr. and Emilio Aristizábal add attacking options for Head Coach Robin Fraser.
Zimmerman, 32, arrives with a wealth of MLS and international experience. Since entering MLS in 2013, he has scored 26 goals in 307 appearances across spells with FC Dallas, Los Angeles FC and Nashville SC, winning silverware with each club (FC Dallas – U.S. Open Cup & Supporters’ Shield [2016]; LAFC – Supporters’ Shield [2019]; Nashville SC – U.S. Open Cup [2025]). The Lawrenceville, Georgia native has also earned a number of individual accolades including four MLS All-Star selections (2019, 2021, 2022, 2023), five consecutive MLS Best XI (2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023) honours and two MLS Defender of the Year awards (2020, 2021). Internationally, Zimmerman has earned 46 caps for the United States Men’s National Team (USMNT). The defender played all four matches at the 2022 FIFA World Cup and helped the U.S. win the 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup and 2022-23 Concacaf Nations League.
Pereira, 25, joins from C.D. Santa Clara (Portugal, First Division), where he made 49 appearances last season. The left-back previously recorded four goals and five assists in 57 matches with Vizela and began his professional career with Brazilian side Cruzeiro, making 61 appearances for his hometown club after making his debut at the age of 19 in August 2020.
Edwards, 30, returns home to Toronto for his 10th MLS season. A Toronto FC Academy product, he was part of the club’s historic treble-winning side (MLS Cup, Supporters’ Shield, Canadian Championship) in 2017. Across two seasons with TFC, the Mississauga, Ontario native registered eight assists in 27 appearances. Edwards has since recorded seven goals and 24 assists in 182 MLS appearances with CF Montréal (2018, 2024), Chicago Fire (2018, 2019), Minnesota United (2020), Los Angeles FC (2021), LA Galaxy (2022, 2023) and Red Bull New York (2025), while earning five caps for Canada.
Yarbrough, 36, adds veteran presence between the sticks after spells with Pachuca and León in Liga MX along with Colorado, San Jose and Inter Miami in MLS. The Aguascalientes, Mexico native was part of the squad that won the Eastern Conference title and MLS Cup with Inter Miami in 2025 and previously recorded 35 shutouts in 107 appearances with the Colorado Rapids under Robin Fraser. A two-time Liga MX champion with León (Apertura 2013, Clausura 2014), Yarbrough has earned three caps for the United States.
Etienne Jr., 29, enters his 11th MLS season after re-signing with TFC in January. Acquired via trade from Atlanta in April 2024, the Richmond, Virginia native has registered five goals and six assists in 55 appearances for the Reds. He recorded six goals and four assists in 79 matches as a Homegrown player with Red Bull New York before a three-season spell with Columbus, where he helped secure the 2020 MLS Cup and 2021 Campeones Cup. Internationally, Etienne Jr. has registered eight goals and seven assists in 45 caps for Haiti and recently helped the nation qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Aristizábal, 20, joins the Reds on loan from Atlético Nacional (Colombia) for the 2026 season. In 2025, the Medellin, Colombia native registered 12 goals and two assists in 36 appearances on loan with Fortaleza CEIF, establishing himself as one of the most promising young talents in Colombia. A product of Atlético Nacional’s Academy, he signed his first professional contract in 2023 and represented Colombia at the 2025 FIFA U-20 World Cup, helping the nation earn a bronze medal.
CAMP REPORT
Toronto FC returned to Marbella, Spain for a second consecutive year, holding a three-week preseason camp at Marbella Football Centre. The Reds posted a 3W-1L-1T record across five friendlies against international top-flight opposition, with a squad featuring returning players, new signings, Toronto FC II & TFC Academy athletes and MLS SuperDraft selections. TFC earned victories over Incheon United & Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors FC (South Korea) and Polissya Zhytomyr (Ukraine), along with a draw against AIK Fotboll (Sweden) and a loss to Fredrikstad FK (Norway), before returning home to Toronto last weekend.
WINTER ARMOUR
Toronto FC will debut their newly launched Community Kit in the season opener against FC Dallas this weekend. Dubbed the “Winter Armour,” the uniform pays homage to the fabric of Canada’s unique soccer culture that persists through the country’s winter elements. Distinguished by its white base, the kit’s primary colouring represents the snow, sleet and rain that players battle through, and fans brave each winter for the club. The six distinct stripes running down the centre embody the core of the club and the unity of the six boroughs that come together as one city. On the jocktag, TFC’s mantra ‘All For One’ is embedded in the number 20, marking twenty seasons of unwavering passion, beating strong through every element. The Reds will sport the Winter Armour kit over the next two seasons. Fans can purchase the kit online at Real Sports Apparel, MLSstore.com and in-store at Real Sports Apparel.
REUNION IN TEXAS
Saturday’s season opener in Texas will feature new Toronto FC signing Walker Zimmerman lining up against one of his former clubs. Zimmerman began his professional career after being selected seventh overall by FC Dallas in the first round of the 2013 MLS SuperDraft out of Furman University. With Dallas, the centre-back scored eight goals in 110 combined appearances across five seasons (2013-2017) and helped Los Toros lift the U.S. Open Cup and Supporters’ Shield during a successful 2016 campaign.
