FC Cincinnati Continue Road Trip with Showdown at Toronto FC
MLS FC Cincinnati

FC Cincinnati Continue Road Trip with Showdown at Toronto FC

Published on April 9, 2026 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
FC Cincinnati News Release


FC Cincinnati are back on the road Saturday, April 11 at Toronto FC. Kickoff from BMO Field is set for 1 p.m. ET and the match will air globally on Apple TV. The Official English Radio home of FC Cincinnati, iHeart Media ESPN 1530 and the official Spanish Radio home - La Mega 101.5 FM - will also broadcast the match.

The Orange and Blue (2-4-0, 6 points) will look to even the season series against a Toronto FC team which captured a 1-0 victory at TQL Stadium in March. FC Cincinnati have earned more points against Toronto than any other opponent, capturing 28 points from 15 matches against the Reds.

Fans are encouraged to head to one of the club's official Pub Partners, presented by Coors Light. The Pub Partner program includes bars and restaurants around Greater Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky, Middletown and Louisville. Pub Partners are the spot to go to watch the Orange and Blue in 2026 and feature watch parties, drink specials and convenient locations for fans to gather to watch FC Cincinnati.

For a full list of Pub Partners and for more information on the program, visit FCCincinnati.com/Matchday/Pub-Partners.

HOW TO WATCH AND FOLLOW #TORvCIN on SATURDAY, APRIL 11 (1 p.m. ET)

Watch: Apple TV (English and Spanish)

English Local Radio: iHeart Media ESPN 1530

Spanish Local Radio: La Mega 101.5 FM

FC Cincinnati Social Media: X/Twitter | Instagram | Facebook

FC Cincinnati Official Mobile App: iOS | Android

FC CINCINNATI ALL-TIME AGAINST TORONTO FC Saturday marks the 16th all-time meeting between FC Cincinnati and Toronto FC. FC Cincinnati lead the all-time series, 9-5-1, with all matches coming in MLS Regular Season play.

FC CINCINNATI NOTES LEAGUE GOALS - Pavel Bucha and Kyle Smith each scored their first league goals of the season last Saturday against Red Bull New York. For Bucha, it is the earliest in an MLS campaign that the midfielder has found the back of the net (five matches). After tallying four (2024) and three (2025) goals in his first two MLS seasons with the Orange and Blue, Bucha will look to set a new single season high.

Smith is one of four players to score their first league goal for FC Cincinnati this season. Smith's 72nd minute strike was his fifth career MLS goal and first league goal since May 27, 2023, when he scored for Orlando City SC against Atlanta United FC in a 1-1 draw.

AGAINST TORONTO - Cincinnati holds a 9-5-1 record against Toronto through 15 regular season meetings. Prior to dropping a 1-0 result against Toronto earlier this year, the Orange and Blue were unbeaten against the Canadian side over the course of eight matches, winning seven.

Forward Kévin Denkey has scored twice in three appearances against Toronto, which includes a match winner in a 1-0 result for the Orange and Blue the last time the teams played at BMO Field.

CLOSING IN ON 100 - Midfielder Pavel Bucha and defender Matt Miazga are closing in on the 100-appearance mark with FC Cincinnati. Following appearances against Red Bull New York on Saturday, both Bucha and Miazga have appeared in 95 matches for the Orange and Blue.

Bucha and Miazga are tied for the 11th most appearances - across all competitions - for FC Cincinnati and have the ability to move into the top 10, passing Sergio Santos (102) and Ian Murphy (105).

HE'S EARNED IT - Last week, FC Cincinnati announced the signing of FC Cincinnati 2 defender Andrei Chirila as a Homegrown Player. Chirila, 17, becomes the third player in club history - following his brother Stefan Chirila and Ademar Chávez - to follow the player pathway from the FC Cincinnati Academy to an MLS NEXT Pro contract with FC Cincinnati 2 to then sign a first-team MLS contract.

Chirila had made three appearances on short-term loans with FCC before signing and played the full 90 minutes in each of his outings. Chirila becomes the tenth former FC Cincinnati Academy product to sign a first-team contract with the club (Sunderland, Ordoñez, Robledo, Jimenez, Pinto, Walters, Valenzuela, S. Chirila, Chávez), the ninth as a Homegrown Player.

SCOUTING TORONTO FC Record: 3-2-1 (10 points) Standings: 6th, Eastern Conference

Head Coach: Robin Fraser (First Season) Leading Scorer: 2 - Daniel Sallói

Last Three Matches: 3-2 win vs Colorado Rapids (April 4) | 2-1 win vs Columbus Crew SC (March 21) | 1-1 draw vs Red Bull New York (March 14)

After a slow start to the 2026 season, Toronto FC are now undefeated in their last four and on a two-game winning streak as the Canadian club settles in a new look roster full of American stars.

Recent additions of Walker Zimmerman, Djordje Mihailovic and Josh Sargent have been key to the early season success of TFC, with each scoring one goal and combining for three assists. Hungarian MLS veteran Daniel Salloi leads the team in goals scored with two.

After starting the 2026 season with three consecutive games on the road, TFC have been dominant at home - going undefeated and allowing just four goals while scoring six. In that time, Head Coach Robin Frasier has gone back and forth between two formations that have found them success. One of them was when TFC last played at FC Cincinnati just over a month ago, deploying a 3-4-3, the other has been a 4-2-3-1.

No matter the formation, Jonathan Osorio is there for Toronto FC. The captain, TFC Academy graduate and 14-year MLS veteran has started all six matches this season for The Reds and, in their most recent match, surpassed 400 appearances for the club across all competitions.

Osorio, a Toronto native, has also been a mainstay for the Canadian National Team, representing them 90 times including at the 2022 FIFA World Cup and 2024 Copa America.

Between the pipes for Toronto is 2022 MLS SuperDraft selection Luka Gavran. A second-round selection, the 25-year-old keeper has started all six matches for Toronto and made 14 saves on 23 shots on target.

Stay up-to-date and connected with FC Cincinnati! Select your schedule of choice to receive the latest match details, events and other relevant messages directly to your digital calendar. For up-to-the-minute information about FC Cincinnati, visit the team's official website at fccincinnati.com, or follow the team on X/Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok at @FCCincinnati. Additionally, fans are encouraged to download the team's official mobile app on iOS or Android for instant access to mobile tickets, team content and match notifications.

FC Cincinnati Head Coach Pat Noonan

Toronto FC pregame press conference

On if he had any additional takeaways from the Red Bull match

Pat Noonan 00:25

"Not particularly. We, defensively, were poor and created a lot of good moments in transition, going to goal, and a couple good build moments where our decision making in the box prevented us from having some really clear looks. So, chance creation was good. Defending was pretty poor. Attacking set pieces was another strength."

On if switching formation is something he can go back to, or if it was Red Bull specific

Pat Noonan 01:05

"Like always, we kind of analyze our current group and what's working, what's not, player availability and the opponent. So, it all factors into it. We don't rule out anything. When we go into our preparation, we try to see what the best and strongest group to go perform well looks like. So, there's been plenty of times previously where we've, in our build, had four and, defensively, it looked a little different. So, the game's fluid. With and without the ball has looked different for us many times in the past. So how we approached that game was what we felt was the best and who we had available in the moment. So, in some aspects, it was strong. In some aspects it was weak. So, we'll analyze that, and then move on to Toronto, like we have."

On if switching the formation was something the team needed to change things up

Pat Noonan 02:28

"No. I mean, there's aspects of how Red Bull play. We thought our structure with the ball could get our outside backs free in initiating our attacks at times. And so, I think Evan [Louro] did a good job of recognizing that in a lot of moments, and then the movement of Kyle [Smith] and Bryan [Ramirez] allowed them to find some space. But, yeah, it was something that we felt, in this game, made the most sense with the ball. And like I said, during the game, there's always moments where how you use different players, based on how you want to press, it doesn't always look like a four. Doesn't always look like a three. It's pretty fluid. So, I think maybe more consistently it looked like a four. But another game to analyze, and still another game where defensively, whether we're playing a three, four, it's about the collective press, and that's not been good enough."

On if a back four allows him to put his best XI on the field

Pat Noonan 03:49

"Potentially. Our best XI is, I think, TBD, because we're conceding too many goals. And it's not just your goalkeeper. It's not just the back line. It's how the ball advances past our pressure. It's how the ball gets into our box. It's so many things that we have to correct to be tougher to play against and better defensively. So, I think that's still not just one component of our team or our structure, it's the whole thing that needs to be more connected and more disciplined."

On playing Toronto for the second time in short succession

Pat Noonan 04:41

"I don't look at it like that, where you're hoping not to get swept. Of course, they got the better of us in the first game, but it's the schedule that we have. I know it's challenging for different teams for different reasons. I think they have a 10-game homestand right now. Think about how wild that is with just being a World Cup venue, and you know what it looks like on the back end of it. So, if you're saying, 'do you like having the same opponent within such a short period of time only?' No. I like before and after a window, because teams look so different, and it's not so new and fresh for either team. But it's not necessarily a complaint. It's more just a preference of I like seeing teams at different times of the year with a little bit of separation, so maybe the game or the team looks a little different. But it's just how I feel on the schedule that is impossible to create that scenario for every for every team. So, we get to see them again, and they get to see us again quickly, and they got the better of us in the first round."

On Josh Sargent and his impact

Pat Noonan 06:08

"I don't know if I'm the one to speak for how he changes what they are doing, what they look like, but what I've seen from Josh [Sargent] is first, a player that had to get up to speed, so I think they were monitoring his minutes and getting acclimated with that group. But I think the goal, how he's able to attack crosses, set pieces from the run of play, how he moves in the box. He's active. He's a good finisher. I think he competes well. He very often makes it difficult for teams to be comfortable in the build, because he applies pressure in a really good way. So, I think you see a player that they bring in that's going to be very impactful to how they play moving forward, but he's a goal scorer and a team player from everything that you hear and see and is just getting started. So hopefully we can have some solutions to limiting his impact, especially when they're in possession."

On Jonathan Osorio's impact on Toronto

Pat Noonan 07:46

"Well, when it's a strong player, typically, it's a calming presence. It's a confidence boost when you have somebody like Jonathan [Osorio] on the field to help lead the team. Because he's had a lot of success there and has a high soccer IQ, in my opinion. From when you watch him play, the longevity, the understanding of the club and the importance of sustained success. You could just see it with the way he talks, leads, performs. He's been a key part of that organization for quite some time, so that's certainly a pretty impressive milestone. And when you are matched up against them, he's certainly a player that you talk about and try to understand how he can impact the game, because it's not always goal scoring. It's not always something on the defensive side. It's just the overall game understanding, and leadership and being able to understand a game plan and help the guys around him know their roles. You can see that just by watching a game and really watching how he leads and how he talks and so, it's an impressive career he's had, and specifically with that club."

On what he's seen from Toronto since their last meeting

Pat Noonan 09:41

"Not too much different. I think they've been strong defensively. I think they have stepped up to the ball collectively in a really good way. With the ball, they have different ideas of how they use players--outside backs, midfielders--in the build to create space and advantages to move the ball up the field. So, you could see some ideas coming out. Maybe a little bit different than what we saw in in our matchup but, yeah, I think the last couple games you can see the collective has been pretty strong, and that's, I think, why you see the results going with it."

On Miles Robinson's and Roman Celentano's status

Pat Noonan 10:42

"Miles? Day to day. He's progressing well, so availability is to be determined, and Roman will be available. Yesterday was probably the last day of checking a few boxes, but he had a strong day. We'll be full go today, so that's good news."

On Obi's status after being on the bench last week

Pat Noonan 11:12

"It was [monitoring]. Coming back from the injury, there was a little bit of hesitation, I would say, earlier in the week. And Obi [Nwobodo] wants to be 100% so he can be himself when he's out there. He doesn't like being limited, and he does it for the team. As far as when he's back, he's back. And he doesn't want to have any hesitancy and how he plays, and if he thinks that's going to impact his performance in the team. But I think he was probably 30 minutes max, and the game state, and at that point it was 2-1 down, and I felt like the minutes, and maybe with some of the added time that I didn't want to risk it, to be honest. And I told him, the trust is always going to be there with Obi, but we also trust Brian [Anunga], and it felt like in that moment, we didn't need to take any risk. And so, and certainly they scored, and Brian was the addition there. But I think if maybe the game looked a little different, or if the score was a little different, he's probably coming in. But it was a very open game, and there was some concern there. I know if I put him on the field, we all know, he's going to give everything. So, he's in a good place."

On Andrei Chirila's homegrown deal

Pat Noonan 13:01

"Well, when we were using Andrei [Chirila] with some of the temporary loans, we knew that eventually this is going to be somebody that's a first team player. So why wait? He's training with us every day. He's going to be training with us every day. Because I think he needs to be in that environment. He's had a really strong start with the preseason and with the game minutes and somebody that we need to keep progressing in a way where we he feels confident being out there. Whether that's more consistently, whether that's rotation, whatever it is, he's progressing a good way. He's had some hard lessons with some of his minutes, some good moments, but he's a confident kid, bright kid, and he's learning how to be a pro. And I think has a lot of good people around him, pushing him, and has some really strong qualities with the ball. I think the physical side of things, and just his strength and the speed of play, speed of thought, all those things are improving and need to continue to improve, but he's got a bright future."

On what he remembers from the first time he saw Andrei

Pat Noonan 14:30

"His passing range. I think that was pretty clear early on when he was with us, of what he sees ahead of the ball, how he deals with pressure, and the confidence that he has to try different passes. Using different parts of his foot in a way where not many people can or feel the confidence to do it. So that that part stuck out. And what also stuck out was how far off on the defensive side he was, just physically, and then just with the speed of the game and reading plays. And so that part's improved, I think, is his confidence to speak is improving, which is important in that position. So sometimes, as a young kid when you're just getting into the first team environment, you're not using your voice all the time if you don't know what you're saying, and he's starting to understand that a little bit more and speak more."

On his relationship with Tony Vitello, the San Francisco Giants manager

Pat Noonan 15:54

"Well, we were in contact to hopefully find a chance to potentially meet, but I also understand this is very new for him in a pretty big role. Something that's unprecedented as far as the jump that he's made. But I just said, if we have that opportunity to [meet up], great. If not, I don't want to be a distraction to him. But we'll find a game to go and support him. His success, for all of us that kind of grew up together in St Louis. And it wasn't just soccer, we were on the same high school team, but he was strong at baseball. That was his sport, and so the family connection, his father, Greg Vitello, was probably one of the strongest coaches that I've had at any level, and really pushed me, in those early years, to better understand the game and being a good teammate and helping me grow a little bit as a human. So, we still have strong relationship, and their support for myself has been there the whole way. And now it's nice to see Tony [Vitello], and we've been following his success. But this is pretty special to see him coaching an MLB team, so we're in contact all the time. We get a chance to see each other over the holidays, whenever we go back. So hopefully, he has a successful run with the Giants. But, yeah, it's a proud moment for a lot of us that grew up together that get to see just how far he's come."

On his Masters thoughts

Pat Noonan 17:56

"I haven't paid attention enough. I always like Tommy Fleetwood in this in this tournament, and I thought Cameron Young was another one. We try to have, like a pool of picking players. But I really don't know what I'm doing. I just it's, it's kind of players that you like, golfers that you like. And so, Justin Rose is another one that I feel like is a has the clutch gene. So those are some names."

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Major League Soccer Stories from April 9, 2026


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