Orlando City (14-8-11, 53 points) at Toronto FC (5-14-14, 29 points)
When: Saturday, 6:00 p.m. ET
Where: BMO Field, Toronto, Ontario
TV: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV (subscription required)
Radio: AM 810 Fox Sports Radio, (English), Mega 97.1 (Spanish)
Everything you need to know for the Lions' final regular-season match in "The Road Ahead" driven by Audi:
Milestones
- Pedro Gallese’s next appearance will be his 200th in all competitions for Orlando City. Gallese is set to become the third player in club history to reach 200 appearances, following Robin Jansson and Kyle Smith.
- MartÃn Ojeda is one assist away from achieving the first 20/20 season in club history. A goal contribution of any kind would give Ojeda 40 combined goals and assists for the season across all competitions.
- Ojeda’s next goal, his 21st of 2025, will set a new single-season record for Orlando City in all competitions, surpassing Facundo Torres’ 20-goal haul in 2024. Ojeda would also tie Cyle Larin’s 17-goal 2015 for the most goals scored in an MLS regular season in club history.
- Duncan McGuire’s next goal will be his 30th for Orlando City in all competitions. McGuire is two goals away from tying Nani for fourth in club history at 31 goals.
Stats & Storylines
- Orlando City endured a heartbreaker last weekend, dropping their rescheduled match against the Vancouver Whitecaps 2-1 on a 90+7’ winner from Thomas Müller. Despite missing 11 first team players due to injury or international duty and losing captain Robin Jansson to injury early in the first half, the Lions led the game for more than an hour before faltering late.
- While home field advantage in Round One of the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs is no longer possible for Orlando, it can still avoid the Wild Card Game and go straight into the best-of-three Round One with a win in Toronto on Decision Day. Should Orlando draw, the Lions would need Chicago (at New England) to lose or draw to stay in seventh. A City loss would require Chicago to lose and Columbus (vs. New York Red Bulls) to lose or draw to keep Orlando from the play-in matchup.
- The good news – the Lions will be heavily reinforced with seven players returning from international duty, including regular starters Alex Freeman, Marco Pašalić, and David Brekalo, plus super-sub Tyrese Spicer. Here’s your (lengthy) international recap:
- Freeman started and played 90 minutes for the United States in Tuesday’s 2-1 victory over Australia in Colorado. The ascending star also played a half hour off the bench in Friday’s 1-1 draw with Ecuador in Austin, playing two different positions in Mauricio Pochettino’s setup.
- Pašalić played a starring role in Croatia’s 3-0 World Cup qualifying win over Gibraltar on Sunday, assisting the opener and going 90 minutes in his first-ever start for his country. Pašalić was Man of the Match on Opta’s game-grading model for his performance. The Man with the Weapon also played 28 minutes off the bench in a 0-0 draw with Czechia.
- Brekalo played the full 180 minutes and helped record two clean sheets as Slovenia drew 0-0 with both Kosovo and Switzerland in World Cup qualifying.
- Spicer had an eventful weekend, scoring in both games for Trinidad & Tobago as the Soca Warriors beat Bermuda 3-0 and drew Curaçao 1-1 in World Cup qualifying. The goals were the first two of Spicer’s international career.
- Gustavo Caraballo and Javier Otero both went unused as Venezuela fell 1-0 to Argentina in its lone game of the window. The 17 year-old Caraballo was at his first camp for Venezuela, while Otero enjoyed his second call-up.
- Colin Guske and Orlando City B’s Justin Ellis both featured for the United States U-19s in a 4-0 win over Northern Ireland and a 2-2 draw with Belgium.
- Orlando City is 3-2-0 on Decision Day under Oscar Pareja, enjoying a couple of dramatic victories along the way. The Lions clinched postseason berths with wins on the final day in both 2021 (at Montréal) and 2022 (vs. Columbus) in games against direct competition for the final slots. The Lions have won both of their away Decision Day matches under Pareja, both in Canada – the aforementioned Montréal game in 2021 and at Toronto in 2023.
Series History
All-time vs. Toronto - 10-9-3, 0 GD (4-4-3, -5 GD away)
MLS only vs. Toronto - Same
2015 - L 0-2 (H), L 4-1 (A), L 5-0 (A)
2016 - W 3-2 (H), L 1-2 (H), D 0-0 (A)
2017 - L 2-1 (A), L 1-3 (H)
2018 - L 2-1 (A), W 2-1 (H)
2019 - L 0-2 (H), D 1-1 (A)
2021 - W 1-0 (H), W 2-3 (A*), D 1-1 (A)
2022 - W 0-1 (A), W 4-0 (H)
2023 - W 4-0 (H), W 0-2 (A)
2024 - L 1-2 (H), W 1-2 (A)
2025 - W 4-2 (H)
*closed door game played at Inter&Co Stadium due to COVID-19 pandemic
Meet the opponent: Toronto FC
- After starting 1-7-1 in its first nine games against Toronto FC, Orlando City has at long last taken its first lead in the all-time series against the Reds, pulling in front with a 4-2 win at Inter&Co Stadium all the way back on March 1. Alex Freeman scored in his first-ever start for the Lions, while César Araújo, MartÃn Ojeda, and Dagur Dan Thórhallsson also found their way onto the scoresheet.
- Orlando City is 8-1-1 with a +15 goal differential against Toronto under Oscar Pareja, including an unbeaten 3-0-1 mark at BMO Field. The Lions have won three in a row in Toronto, including a 2-1 win last season that featured a strike from Ojeda and a game-winning own goal just before halftime. Orlando City has not lost at BMO Field since 2018.
- Duncan McGuire has enjoyed facing Toronto, scoring four times against the Reds in four career appearances, including a stunning play on Decision Day 2023 at BMO Field in which McGuire knocked the ball over the retiring Michael Bradley’s head before smashing a shot into the far corner. Other Lions with good numbers against the Reds include Ojeda (2g/1a), Araújo (2g/2a), Thórhallsson (2g), and Kyle Smith (1g/3a).
- It’s been another difficult season for Toronto FC. The Reds will miss the MLS Cup Playoffs for the fifth consecutive season and have not won a match since July 16. However, a massive summer overhaul and ensuing youth movement has provided hope, with new DP Djordje Mihailovic (2g/3a in 9 games) helping Toronto to eight draws in their past nine matches. Since mid-August, Toronto has taken points off Inter Miami, Columbus (twice), Chicago, and Supporters’ Shield-winning Philadelphia.
