WIN THIS AND LOCK IN A TOP SEVEN FINISH!! 🤞🏽🙏🏽 Orlando City SC travel to Toronto FC this Saturday, desperate to bounce back after last weekend’s 1-2 collapse to Vancouver Whitecaps. Leading for most of the game, we capitulated badly after the 81st minute. Don’t get me wrong – facing Vancouver without four first-team internationals was always going to be tough. That bloody 2025 Leagues Cup run continues to haunt us, doesn’t it? But it’s no excuse. There’s parking the bus, and then there’s just giving up altogether! I love what Oscar Pareja has done for our club. But his bunker-and-counter approach AT HOME feels outdated, momentum is gone, and the season already feels over. Worst of all, the threat of the Wild Card match looms large.
Ultimately, it’s been a strange season, hasn’t it? We’ve hit high points, including a league double over Inter Miami, beating Crew 1-3 away, and snatching a late 3-2 win over Nashville SC. But injuries to Joran Gerbet and Robin Jansson, a leaky defence, and stale tactics have left us limping to the finish. We look far from MLS Cup contenders despite compiling arguably our strongest roster ever.
It’s now or never for this group too – especially Pedro Gallese, Robin Jansson, and Kyle Smith. Then there’s César Araújo, Luis Muriel, the in-demand Alex Freeman, and maybe even Oscar Pareja too. Let’s just hope we haven’t seen the last of Jansson at Inter&Co after his nasty collision with Vancouver’s Daniel Ríos. Returning internationals will need to inspire at BMO Field, and the Lions must knuckle down to take all three points. With a top seven finish on the line – and Wild Card danger looming – this clash against Toronto FC is huge. Lose, and we may limp into the play-in game, reinforcing the idea that Papi can only deliver playoff soccer but never an MLS Cup. After exiting the U.S. Open Cup early, missing out on a 2026 CONCACAF Champions Cup spot, and now facing potential Wild Card jeopardy, 2025 has become a frustrating season for Orlando supporters. Honestly, even the most optimistic Lion would be deflated about our MLS Cup chances. It could be a winter of discontent in Central Florida, so the players must dig deep and create some momentum to salvage the campaign.
Last time out
Last Saturday, Orlando City SC suffered a gut-wrenching 1-2 defeat to Vancouver Whitecaps at Inter&Co Stadium, conceding twice after the 81st minute to throw away a priceless lead. Dagur Dan Thórhallsson’s composed first-half finish set us up for all three points, but late drama crushed the Lions. Forced into an early reshuffle after Robin Jansson’s nasty-looking knee injury, Kyle Smith dropped into centre-back – and he had a nightmare late on. On 81 minutes, his attempted clearance struck Nelson Pierre’s thigh and deflected into his own net (1-1). Pedro Gallese then denied Édier Ocampo on 84 minutes and pulled off another big stop in stoppage time following Sebastian Berhalter’s near-post strike. The ball appeared to cross the line before being clawed away, but VAR upheld the on-field decision. Honestly, it looked in – and we’d have been fuming if we were on the receiving end. Moments later, Bayern Munich legend Thomas Müller struck from distance to complete Vancouver’s comeback (1-2). Dominated all night, Orlando failed to record a single second-half shot! Vancouver controlled possession (35%-65%) and fired 23 attempts to our pitiful 3. With an inexperienced bench, including Shakur Mohammed, Zakaria Taifi, and short-term OCB loanee, Titus Sandy Jr., we unfortunately had no game-changers in reserve. The defeat doesn’t just end our top four hopes. It also leaves us at risk of slipping into the Wild Card match slots on 2025 MLS Decision Day. It’s all just so, so disappointing.
Last head-to-head
On March 1, Orlando City SC sealed a crucial 4-2 win over Toronto FC. With some early season pressure mounting after an embarrassing 2-4 home opener loss to Philadelphia Union, City responded well, settling squad and supporter nerves at Inter&Co Stadium. On the night, César Araújo’s fine free-kick, Alex Freeman’s first-ever MLS goal, and Martín Ojeda’s composed finish showcased City’s attacking quality. Dagur Dan Thórhallsson then capped it off with a ‘don’t forget me, boss’ strike just 40 seconds after coming off the bench. In second-half stoppage time, Gustavo Caraballo also made his MLS debut for Orlando City SC at just 16 years, 6 months, and 3 days old, becoming the club’s youngest-ever player. He surpassed Alejandro Granados, who debuted at 17 years and 11 days back in June 2023.
What’s at stake this time?
A top four finish is now out of reach. But if Orlando City SC beat Toronto FC, we’ll secure a top seven finish in the East. Winning has been a problem, though, with just one victory in our last six MLS fixtures. Agonisingly, Orlando (53 points) can still slip from seventh into the Wild Card match slots on 2025 MLS Decision Day. Lurking menacingly behind us, eighth-placed Chicago Fire (52 points) and ninth-placed Columbus Crew (51 points) are just one and two points back. Now that every team has played 33 games, we’ve frustratingly handed hope to this chasing duo. On Decision Day, Fire travel to already eliminated New England Revolution. As for Crew, they host the already eliminated New York Red Bulls – so both will be fancied to win. Orlando will reach 56 points if they beat TFC. But finishing higher will also depend on results elsewhere. Fourth-placed Charlotte FC (56 points) host 2025 Supporters’ Shield winners Philadelphia Union, fifth-placed New York City FC (56 points) face Seattle Sounders, and sixth-placed Nashville SC (54 points) meet Inter Miami. The Eastern Conference top seven has been fiercely competitive this year. But dropping into the Wild Card match after Martín Ojeda’s MVP-level campaign would be a massive underachievement. Unlike the last two seasons, Orlando are limping to the finish line, and recent injuries to Joran Gerbet and Robin Jansson have only compounded our pain. A win at Toronto is now absolutely crucial, because our supporters are losing faith, fast.
Opposition danger men
🇨🇦 Theo Corbeanu (6 goals, 1 assist – 2025 MLS)
🇨🇦 Jonathan Osorio (3 goals, 3 assists – 2024 MLS)
🇺🇸 Djordje Mihailovic (2 goals, 3 assists – 2025 MLS)
New opposition faces
🇨🇭 Maxime Dominguez (on loan from Vasco da Gama)
🇺🇸 Djordje Mihailovic (Colorado Rapids)
🇨🇦 Malik Henry (Toronto FC II)
🇨🇦 Jules-Anthony Vilsaint (CF Montréal)
🇪🇨 José Cifuentes (on loan from Rangers)
Injuries
🇨🇭 Maxime Dominguez (knee) – out
🇫🇷 Nicksoen Gomis (lower body) – out
🇮🇪 Kevin Long (lower body) – out
🇯🇲 Zane Monlouis (lower body) – out
🇺🇸 Henry Wingo (lower body) – out
🇺🇾 César Araújo (lower back) – questionable
🇵🇪 Wilder Cartagena (right leg) – SEI
🇫🇷 Joran Gerbet (knee) – out
🇸🇪 Robin Jansson (knee) – questionable
🇺🇸 Tahir Reid-Brown (thigh) – out
🇯🇵 Yutaro Tsukada (knee) – SEI
*SEI – Season-Ending Injury List (Unavailable)
Suspensions
🇪🇸 Alonso Coello – one game (red card at Los Angeles FC)
International call-ups
🇻🇪 Gustavo Caraballo (Venezuela U-17 Camp)
International returnees
🇭🇹 Derrick Etienne Jr. (Haiti)
🇨🇦 Richie Laryea (Canada)
🇨🇦 Jonathan Osorio (Canada)
🇸🇮 David Brekalo (Slovenia)
🇺🇸 Alex Freeman (USMNT)
🇺🇸 Colin Guske (USMNT U-19)
🇻🇪 Javier Otero (Venezuela)
🇭🇷 Marco Pašalić (Croatia)
🇹🇹 Tyrese Spicer (Trinidad and Tobago)
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Toronto FC vs Orlando City SC
Last 3 head-to-heads
- April 27, 2024: Orlando City SC 1 Toronto FC 2 (MLS)
- July 3, 2024: Toronto FC 1 Orlando City SC 2 (MLS)
- March 1, 2025: Orlando City SC 4 Toronto FC 2 (MLS)
2020/25 head-to-head stats
- It was 4-2 to Orlando the last time the sides met (March 2025)
- Played TFC 22 times in MLS – TFC 9, Draws 3, Orlando 10
- Orlando are unbeaten in 9 of the last 10 MLS head-to-heads, going 7-2-1
- Remarkably, Toronto have drawn 8 of their last 9 MLS fixtures
- Orlando have won 3 of their last 4 MLS Decision Day fixtures
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Watching the game
Toronto FC vs Orlando City SC will be shown live on Apple TV at 23:00 (GMT) on Saturday, October 18.
Remember, UK supporters can watch all of Orlando City SC’s 2025 MLS regular season fixtures by subscribing to Apple TV’s “MLS Season Pass”.
Subscribe now by clicking here.
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