It's leg two of Toronto FC's long homestand, as they look to pick up their first victory at BMO Field of the 2026 campaign after dropping two points late in last week's home opener.

Standing in their way are Trillium Cup rivals Columbus Crew, who are looking to find their first win under new head coach Henrik Rydström.

The Reds will look to defeat the Crew for the first time since May of 2021, when they won by a 2-0 scoreline through goals from Michael Bradley and Jozy Altidore playing out of what was then known as Exploria Stadium in Orlando during COVID times. The Crew have won six and drawn three of the subsequent nine meetings.

How Toronto FC enter the match

It was a bitter ending to a promising performance against Red Bull New York last week, as an Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting equalizer with essentially the last kick of the match spoiled a resolute TFC performance.

After a rocky first couple of weeks, the addition of Chile international centre back Benjamín Kuscevic has solidified the back line, while Dániel Sallói has integrated well into the starting XI, scoring two goals in two weeks and building chemistry with Djordje Mihailović.

While four points from their last two games is pretty good, Toronto know they need to take advantage of this long stretch of home matches, playing nine league games in a row at BMO Field before it gets turned over for World Cup preparation.

New star striker Josh Sargent got on the pitch last week for his debut, playing the last 20 minutes and stoppage time off the bench. Getting him in from the start and firing home goals should be the next step in this team's evolution.

How Columbus Crew enter the match

It's certainly a transition season for the Crew, who haven't quite found their footing after the departure of former Montréal head coach Wilfried Nancy, who took the Celtic job in Scotland.

Like TFC, Columbus also conceded a late heartbreaker last weekend at home. Hany Mukhtar's 94th-minute dagger gave Nashville a 1-0 victory after some nasty dribbling from Cristian Espinoza saw the Crew drop all three points at home.

New boss Rydström has stressed that his style will be an evolution, but so far it seems to be a regression. Columbus has two draws and two losses through the first four weeks of 2026. The attack seems notably toothless compared to past seasons, while the defensive issues that plagued the team last year have continued to show.

What was a free-flowing, fluid attack under Nancy has stagnated this year, despite most of the players being holdovers from the previous manager. They'll look to be more creative this weekend after being shut out in back-to-back weeks.

Stars like Palestine international Wessam Abou Ali, leading the line with Uruguayan Diego Rossi behind him, are the cornerstone of this team, while former Portugal international midfielder André Gomes made his debut in last weekend's loss to Nashville. Other international stars like American wingback Max Arfsten and Cape Verdean centre-back Steven Moreira round out a team that is still strong on paper.

While the struggle has been obvious, it's definitely not too late for the Crew to find their footing in 2026, especially with the talent on their roster. They'll look to get that turnaround kick-started in Toronto this weekend.

Availability

Theo Corbeanu remains out for Toronto following his recovery from knee surgery. Henry Wingo is also unlikely to be available, while Nicksoen Gomis and Matheus Pereira have been training, but are probably not quite ready for the match-day squad yet. Jules-Anthony Vilsaint missed last week's game with an illness, and his status is still up in the air.

For the visitors, Canadian-born Algeria international and former Cavalry man Mo Farsi is the only likely injury absence, as he slowly integrates back into the team from sports hernia surgery.

Projected XIs

TrueNorthFoot projects one big change to Toronto's lineup, with Sargent getting his first start with the club, but the rest staying the same. Columbus should remain unchanged from last week's match.

Toronto FC (3-4-1-2): Luka Gavran; Zane Monlouis, Walker Zimmerman, Benjamín Kuscevic; Richie Laryea, José Cifuentes, Jonathan Osorio, Raheem Edwards; Djordje Mihailović; Josh Sargent, Dániel Sallói

Columbus Crew (4-4-2): Patrick Schulte; Andrés Herrera, Steven Moreira, Rudy Camacho, Malte Amundsen; Taha Habroune, Sean Zawadski, André Gomes, Max Arfsten; Diego Rossi, Wessam Abou Ali

Game information and how to watch

📆 Saturday, March 21, 2026
⏰ 1:00 PM ET / 10:00 AM PT
📺 Apple TV
👤 Pierre-Luc Lauzière
🏟 BMO Field, Toronto, Canada