It’s another chance for Toronto FC to start picking up some momentum this season.
The Reds travel to Ohio for a Sunday game against an FC Cincinnati team that has been among the class of MLS over the past few years.
With the potential of some new, big-name players making their debuts, TFC look to pick up their first points of the season in a tough venue against a top opponent.
How Toronto enter the match
To say it’s been a tough opening two fixtures for TFC is probably an understatement. After defensive breakdowns let them down in their opener in Dallas, they were frankly mismatched and played off the pitch by the Whitecaps in week two.
But with the official unveiling of DP striker Josh Sargent and the signing of Chile international centre back Benjamin Kuscevic, the squad is beginning to fill out.
It’s clear the roster needed this injection of talent up the spine, and while it’s likely still not the complete product, these two should help point things in the right direction.
Questions remain about ball progression and chance creation on the side. Sunday’s game will be a good test to see if Robin Fraser’s team can improve on the offensive side of the ball and create some more chances, as they currently sit 25th in the league in expected goals for, and have created just four big chances in two games.
Toronto is looking to win against Cincinnati for the first time in nine tries, with the last victory coming in a 3-2 victory at BMO Field in September 2021.
How Cincinnati enter the match
The Ohio outfit has been busy to start the year, balancing MLS play with Concacaf Champions Cup action. So far, they’ve obliterated Dominican side O&M FC 13-0 on aggregate in the cup, and have split results in the league, winning their home opener against Atlanta before falling on the road to Minnesota last week.
The big story around the team this season has been the injury to superstar attacker Evander. The Brazilian had to be substituted in the 13th minute against Atlanta with a hamstring pull, and he missed both the second leg of the O&M tie, as well as the Minnesota game, where his chance creation was greatly missed.
Even without their star no. 10, they still have a ton of threats, namely Togo international striker Kévin Denkey, who has two goals in three appearances so far this season across all competitions.
Cincinnati also wields a very strong back line, led by U.S. international Miles Robinson and former TFC man Nick Hagglund, as well as Roman Celentano in goal.
Availability
Fraser said in a press conference on Friday that Kuscevic will be available for selection, while Sargent’s status is still up in the air for the game. It’s probably not fair to expect either to play a huge role in this contest, with next weekend’s home opener being a better target for them both to make an impact.
On the injury front, Theo Corbeanu will be out for eight weeks after undergoing knee surgery, while Henry Wingo picked up another injury last week and does not have a timeline yet.
Nicksoen Gomis, DeAndre Kerr and Matheus Pereira remain out, but are inching closer to returning, with the latter maybe a couple weeks behind the first two.
For Cincinnati, both Evander and the usual starting centre back Matt Miazga are expected to be available, according to head coach Pat Noonan, although the former's situation is still on a day-to-day basis.
Meanwhile, offseason acquisition Kristian Fletcher continues to recover from an ACL injury suffered in 2025.
Projected XIs
TrueNorthFoot projects a bit of rotation from a full-strength Cincinnati lineup, as they have a key Champions Cup matchup against Tigres coming midweek, but most starters should still start.
Toronto will look to give centre back Zane Monlouis — who came off the bench at half against Vancouver — his first start of the season, but keep a majority of the rest of the starters the same.
FC Cincinnati (3-4-1-2): Roman Celentano; Nick Hagglund, Miles Robinson, Teenage Hadebe; Ender Echenique, Pavel Bucha, Obinna Nwobodo, Bryan Ramirez; Dado Valenzuela; Ayoub Jabbari, Kevin Denkey
Toronto FC (4-2-3-1): Luka Gavran; Kobe Franklin, Walker Zimmerman, Zane Monlouis, Richie Laryea; Alonso Coello, Jonathan Osorio; José Cifuentes, Djordje Mihailović, Dániel Sallói; Derrick Etienne Jr.
Game information and how to watch
📆 Sunday, March 8, 2026
⏰ 7:00 pm ET / 4:00 pm PT
📺 Apple TV
👤 Alexis Da Silva
🏟 TQL Stadium, Cincinnati, United States
