The Eastern Conference playoff race is heating up, and Toronto hopes to stay in the conversation as the 2026 MLS season is over 80% done.

To really have a chance in this race, the 11th-placed Reds will have to take three points from seventh-placed Orlando, who visit BMO Field on Wednesday. 

Five points separate these two sides in the East, as there are realistically seven teams vying for the bottom three playoff spots with six or seven games remaining, depending on the team.

This match will mark the second meeting between these two teams, with both encounters happening exactly a month apart. Last month in Orlando was a 3-0 win for the Lions, though Toronto generated plenty of chances on the night, and just couldn't find any finish in the Floridian heat.

How Toronto enter the match

There was a lifeline given to TFC's season with a dramatic, come-from-behind victory in the Canadian Classique on Saturday, with a pair of late goals keeping the team afloat in the playoff race and getting bragging rights over their biggest rivals.

This win came at a big time, coming off of a tough three-game road trip that resulted in three losses heading into the international break.

Now, a number of key six-pointers lie ahead in October's four remaining games, starting with this Orlando game. Conventional wisdom would suggest at least nine points from 12 would probably be enough to put the Reds in a good spot, but they'll have to take these big games one at a time over the next two weeks.

With all of its top players on the pitch, Toronto have generally put together solid performances and solid results in 2026. The issue has been doing this consistently, with a number of injuries hindering the play of this team.

Now, almost everyone seems fit, and the season's true test has arrived. There's so much momentum around this group after the scenes from the weekend, and disappointing the fanbase again would be a brutal blow for a TFC team looking to get back to the postseason for the first time since 2020.

How Orlando enter the match

Chaos is the word that best describes the 2026 edition of Orlando City.

With a number of exciting attackers from Antoine Griezmann to Justin Ellis to Martín Ojeda to Marco Pašalić and more, the danger in attack comes from all over, and doesn't let up in most matches. Their goals-for tally sits comfortably in the top-10 of MLS, and has been supercharged since Griezmann's signing over the summer.

That being said, this team still sits with a -15 goal differential, and their 66 goals against is on pace to be one of the worst tallies in MLS history. The underlying numbers back this up, with their expected goals against also sitting dead last in the league.

This is a group that simply cannot defend and concedes far too many chances. Canadian international Maxime Crépeau has had more than a few standout performances to keep this group in games as shot after shot comes at him.

One of those games was from this weekend, as a dramatic Iván Angulo winner was only made possible with Crépeau's 12 saves in the match.

Orlando will give you many opportunities to score, but you have to take those chances before their dangerous attackers take theirs on the other end.

Availability

Toronto will be without Nelson Palacio, who was ruled out for the season due to a thigh injury, while Walker Zimmerman is also a doubt after missing Saturday's derby with an ankle injury. Luka Gavran exited the Classique with an injury, and while it doesn't seem too serious, it would be a surprise to see him heal in time to start this one.

Meanwhile, Orlando missed Braian Ojeda, Tyrese Spicer and Griffin Dorsey through injury over the weekend, and none of them seem likely to return by this midweek matchup.

Projected XIs

With the importance of every match down the stretch for these two teams, it seems fair to say they'll both look to go as full-strength as possible.

Toronto FC (4-2-3-1): William Yarbrough; Matheus Pereira, Nicksoen Gomis, Benjamín Kuscevic, Richie Laryea; Jonathan Osorio, Niklas Dorsch; Dániel Sallói, Đorđe Mihailović, Theo Corbeanu; Josh Sargent

Orlando City (4-4-2): Maxime Crépeau; Bernardo Rhein Gonçalves, Robin Jansson, David Brekalo, Zakaria Taifi; Iván Angulo, Wilder Cartagena, Eduard Atuesta, Marco Pašalić; Antoine Griezmann, Martin Ojeda

Game information and how to watch

📆 Wednesday, October 14
⏰ 7:30 pm ET / 4:30 pm PT
📺 Apple TV / TSN / RDS
🧑‍⚖️ TBD
🏟 BMO Field, Toronto, Canada