FT: Toronto FC 2-3 FC Cincinnati – Game thread, preview, how to watch
Live Thread
FT – Toronto FC 2-3 FC Cincinnati.
90′ – Seven minutes of stoppage time are added.
86′ – Substitute attacker Dominque Badji thinks he added an insurance goal for his side, but he was ruled to be offside.
77′ – Terry Dunfield utilises his remaining substitutions: Hugo Mbongue, Themi Antonoglou and Michael Bradley make way for Prince Owusu, Cristian Gutiérrez and Victor Vázquez.
72′ – GOAL FC CINCINNATI. Boupendza’s shot curls away from Gavran and into the net.
71′ – Gavran denies Obinna Nwobodo’s half volley.
68′ – TFC substitution: Franco Ibarra enters the match for Alonso Coello.
68′ – Marshall-Rutty wins a corner for Toronto
64′ – Gavran gets down low to save Vazquez’s shot from in close, preventing him of his hat-trick.
60′ – Out of an abundance of caution, Blessing is substituted using the team’s allotted concussion substitution. Jahkeele-Marshall Rutty replaces the Ghanian winger.
54′ – Matt Miazga and Blessing collide in midfield, Blessing’s head looks like it was hit by Miazga’s thigh or knee – both players are now up.
50′ – Gavran is called into action yet again. He saves a shot from Acosta but Mabika gets in the way and the ball deflects off of him and into the keeper’s path for him to claim again.
46′ – Blessing wins a corner within the first 30 seconds of the second half.
HT – Toronto FC 2-2 FC Cincinnati.
45′ +1 – Luka Gavran comes up with a big save to deny Santiago Arias’ powerful strike.
44′ – GOAL TORONTO FC! It’s Osorio’s turn to score a brace! He heads the ball home after Celentano couldn’t convincingly clear the ball away from his area.
39′ – GOAL TORONTO FC! Almost a carbon copy of Cincy’s second goal, Jonathan Osorio pounced on the mistake from Celentano after he partially saved Bernardeschi’s shot.
35′ – GOAL FC CINCINNATI. Vazquez makes it a brace for himself. He reacted quickest to the rebound opportunity which was created from a Gavran save.
28′ – GOAL FC CINCINNATI. Brandon Vazquez chests down the ball to control it before letting a shot rip from inside the six-yard box, which left Gavran rooted to the spot.
27′ – Aaron Boupendza’s weaving run through Toronto’s half culminates in a shot which is blocked by defender Aimé Mabika.
21′ – A curling left-footed shot from Bernardeschi is parried away by Celentano.
18′ – TFC come very close to conceding the game’s first goal. A cross from the left flank rolled across the face of goal with everyone watching the ball and no one attacking it.
17′ – The visitors win another corner.
13′ – Cincinnati earns a corner after defender Sigurd Rosted headed the ball away from danger.
11′ – So close from Larin Blessing! The Ghanian winger attempts a scissor kick which hits the top corner of the post. Cincy ‘keeper Roman Celentano was stretching to try and get a hand on the shot.
9′ – TFC Substitution: Deandre Kerr exits the match with what appears to be a mix of an ankle and lower back injury. Hugo Mbongue takes his spot at striker.
8′ – Luka Gavran records his first save of the night – holding onto a header from striker Brandon Vazquez.
7′ – Kerr is currently receiving attention from the medical staff after taking a simultaneous knock to his lower back and ankle.
6′ – Deandre Kerr wins a free kick while trying to receive a pass.
4′ – Winger Latif Blessing thought he did enough to earn a foul in his own half, but nothing was given.
1′ – Referee Alex Chilowicz blows the whistle to get the match started.
7 pm ET – Don’t forget to submit your scoreline guesses in this week’s edition of our prediction league!
6:30 pm ET – Toronto FC can play spoiler tonight against FC Cincinnati who are first place in MLS this season – Cincy can clinch the Supporters’ Shield with a victory tonight by the lakeshore.
Starting XIs
Latif Blessing returns to action for the Reds, while Themi Antonoglou starts his second match this season in place of injured left-back Raoul Petretta. Michael Bradley anchors the centre of defense again.
Cincinnati head coach Pat Noonan starts his tried and true front three with captain Lucho Acosta in attacking midfield, and strikers Brandon Vazquez and Aaron Boupendza up top. Former TFC defender Nick Hagglund is on the bench for his hometown club.
Match Preview, by Adam Palermo
Another difficult season will soon come to a close for the Reds, as will life under interim head coach Terry Dunfield.
The inevitable playoff elimination for Toronto FC finally came this past weekend off the back of a lifeless loss to New York City FC.
Winless in all but one of his 12 games in charge since taking over for Bob Bradley in June, Dunfield will hope to somehow inspire his squad in a tough matchup at home against league-leading FC Cincinnati on Saturday night before making way for John Herdman on the touchline.
After a surprising 3-1 win at BMO Field over Philadelphia Union before the international break earlier this month, it’s since been more of what fans have come to expect from TFC in 2023. The Reds have lost their last three matches, shipping nine goals and scoring just once during that time. With a home date against Luciano Acosta and FC Cincinnati looming, it’s difficult to envision things changing for the better in the TFC camp this weekend.
Toronto and Cincinnati are currently polar opposites in the MLS standings. A Cincy win in Toronto would take Pat Noonan’s side to 65 points and would leave them one shy of having triple the total points of TFC, who have so far collected just 22 points through 30 games.
To date, 2012 was the worst season in franchise history for the Reds in a 34-game season. They collected 23 points that year and need just one more to avoid matching that tally. In contrast, Cincinnati can write their own history if they are able to round out the season with their foot firmly on the gas. The single-season points record of 73 remains within reach if they are able to win their four remaining fixtures, starting with Toronto FC.
Hoping to spoil the party on Saturday will be a TFC side coming off a week’s rest after falling short of the mark in their last outing. Lorenzo Insigne was not part of the TFC team that was pulled apart by NYCFC on Sunday, and his status for the next contest remains in doubt. TFC Republic’s John Molinaro reported that the Italian winger was not in training on Thursday, although he was back in individual training on Friday.
Striker C.J. Sapong was the beneficiary of Insigne’s absence as he started up top alongside the in-form Deandre Kerr in the losing effort. Sapong may get the nod again from Dunfield, unless the club wants to hand some starts to younger players, with the playoffs now officially out of reach. The likes of Themi Antonoglou, Jahkeele Marhsall-Rutty, and Hugo Mbongue could see an uptick in playing time down the stretch if Dunfield, and then Herdman, opt to go in such a direction.
Midfielder Brandon Servania was another missing link in the NYCFC loss, with club captain Michael Bradley returning to his usual midfield role after deputizing at centre-half since returning from injury. It was Shane O’Neill who replaced Bradley in the backline, but not to good effect. O’Neill and Sigurd Rosted were left exposed against Talles Magno and Co. With no real answer at centre-back, it looks as though the position will once again have to be addressed in the offseason.
Between the sticks, Luka Gavran got his first MLS appearance last weekend and was one of the lone positives from a TFC perspective. The Hamilton native denied Monsef Bakrar a goal from the penalty and had five saves on the day, keeping the match to a respectable scoreline when the margin of defeat could’ve been greater. After a noteworthy debut expect to see him hold down his spot over Tomás Romero.
TFC’s next opponent come into the match feeling good about themselves after a 3-0 victory over Charlotte FC secured Champions Cup soccer in Cincinnati for 2024. With a playoff spot clinched since August 30, Cincy are now aiming to lock down their Supporters’ Shield credentials. They can do so by winning at BMO Field, but can also guarantee their first piece of MLS silverware if they fail to get all three points but other results around the league go their way.
Cincinnati’s Argentine midfielder Luciano Acosta has been one of, if not the best player in MLS this season and the electrifying playmaker has a track record of lighting up TFC. Currently on 15 league goals and tied with Giorgos Giakoumakis and Hany Mukhtar atop the Golden Boot ladder, Acosta has produced a finish in each of the four past meetings between FCC and TFC, dating back to September 2021. The MVP contender will no doubt be looking to trouble an unsure Toronto defence.
After coming out on top in their first three encounters, TFC have recorded just one win against Cincinnati in the ensuing six battles and have lost the last three. Cincy eased by Toronto in the reverse fixture back in late June by a 3-0 scoreline and won 2-1 during their last trek up north to BMO Field.
Match Details
Opponent: FC Cincinnati
Kick-off: 7:30 p.m. ET
Stadium: BMO Field, Toronto, ON
Watch: MLS Season Pass
it looks more like a 4-4-2, regardless of the shape, this midfield will struggle with the ball movement and speed of Cincinnati midfield. This will not be pretty
3-5-2 with Bradley in the middle…. not a fan.. at all… well… good thing I am only able to watch the first half of the game
Good save from Gavran just to get shafted by his team five seconds later
That was a clinic on how not to defend
Here’s a riddle for you all.
Why are no TFC defenders also teachers?
Answer: Because they can’t mark anything.
Gavran’s ball distribution skills have been the polar opposite of his last game in the first 30 mins of play tonight.
Um, kid’s 2nd game in MLS….development of young footballers is not linear.
I’m loving the boos when MB loses the ball just retire
Mbika stinks too
Anything and everything comes from Bernardeschi and then people wonder why he’d rather hang onto the ball than pass.
These guys played in Serie A with serious players; All they need is a few decent guys to support and this would’ve been a completely different season. I don’t blame them for not passing lol
When you don’t pass, you have the season we’re having. Just because you played in Serie A does not make you bigger than the crest.
Yeah you’re right, they need to pass to CJ Sapong more. That’s what this team is missing. More passes played to and through bad players.
When you don’t pass to teammates it creates demotivation, why would any player (including Sapong) run into open spaces if they know that they will never get the ball. And how much easier is it for opponents to shut down Fede and Insigne.
And when the ball is turned over why play defence because it’s not like you’ll get the ball passed to you because you have teammates who hog the ball. Like I said the season is the results this season are proof that you need a whole team to win
Someone tell Manning to dismiss Herdman & Hernandez because apparently all this team needed over the years was more passes to Mullins, Sapong, Akinola, Okello, Achara etc.
If only Soteldo could have made Mullins win the golden boot lmaooo
Sorry, I feel the ball is not passed because in most cases that said player did not move to the open space to receive the ball.
Yep I counted 3 times that has happened thus far just happened again, no one came to support berna.
4 now
Pass to CJ Sapong HAHA you are too funny HH
I agree 100% with this comment Pereirlla11, it’s unfortunate that we have a portion of the fan base that are not as intelligent as you are my friend. Keep up the great posts ! Also shout out to HH, Mrppv, RonTFC, BobM for their high soccer IQ posts.
Berna is the best player for TFC since Giovinco. All the naysayers have no clue about football.
No one, NO ONE questions their ability but what have they produced in terms of elevating this sorry bunch. ZILCH.
Don’t be a fan boy, of course EVERYONE recognizes their ability but sorry DP’s have to be difference makers and to date these 2 have not been in any way, shape or form.
The stats don’t lie.
Sure when u have cpl players around them what do u expect pele and Maradona wouldn’t be able to elevate a snail slow bradley or a terrible passing blessing or all the horrendous touched our number 9s have or perhaps the worst collection of center backs in mls history whatvis asked of the dps is humanly impossible. We have to keep both dps
Yes, it’s the DPs fault that Sapong cannot dribble a soccer ball. It’s their fault Mabika cannot defend. It’s their fault Michael Bradley can no longer run. It’s their fault Kaye had the third most turnovers on the team before he left. Why haven’t two wingers made these guys better? It’s a mystery.
100 perfect some people just don’t get it this is lower than a cpl supporting cast
Nobody is questioning his skill. It all comes down to whether he plays a team game or not. When he’s not running into multiple defenders and passing instead he is one of the best players on the pitch.
Both him and Insigne can be difference makers, but they have to play a team game and build a positive vibe with their team mates. Just look at the number of passes Messi makes each game (typically more the Fede and Insigne combined in a game).
Agree 100%! Not sure why that is so hard to understand.
The supporting cast is horrendous the coaching even worse not sure why it’s so hard to understand
Messi has Campana, Martinez, Busquets, Alba, Cremaschi, Taylor, Farias. On top of that they have Tata Martina setting up the team.
Tell me who is comparable on TFC to any of these guys because I’d love to know.
Bernadeschi has Insigne and they have produced jack squat.
Messi is the best to have ever played soccer, ever. Cannot compare any player to him other than Cristiano Ronaldo. If TFC had Messi with its current roster nothing would’ve changed. Messi has a few of his ex Barca teammates and a world class coach, that is the difference. End of story, stop blaming the DPs because they have to deal with much inferior teammates than they are used to.
Pereira11 you are arguing with American Football, Basketball, and Hockey Fans , Don’t waste your time, you are absolutely right when you say Messi would have done nothing with this current TFC roster, no two players on earth can fix this trash Boob Bradley created roster.
Bernadeschi is much more valuable to us when Insignificant is not playing as well. Then FB is forced to pass to someone else (and someone else to him). Gosh, he even used his right foot twice to set up crosses and chances. Who could have foreseen that? Each of LI and FB may be good individual players, they are terrible on a team together.
Now I see why blessing was let go he stinks useless without the ball he actually maybe worse than the guy we traded him for can’t pass either, MB snail slow please retire, mbika cpl player. The reason this game is 2 all because of berna s quality and Osorio being in the right place hopefully this can be a turning where the old Osorio comes back. The young keeper is making some excellent saves in front of one of the worst back lines in mls history.
This franklin kid isn’t bad I like his work rate he is the only one out of these young players besides perhaps this keeper who I think is good who has shown anything positive coello was terrible again
MB is embrassing himself get off the field u have no business being on the pitch what a disgrace he had become.
Prince Purple Rain great music.
Prince TFC not good.
Horrid signing a German clone of sapong now I see why he got relegated I’m Bundesliga 2. He stinks
Literally that’s what he is, another striker with zero speed that can’t dribble.
Can one of the complete morons on the board at mlse notice this and fire all the Americans that are decision makers hernandez doesn’t have a clue either he’s only here because he’s from the American eastern seaboard which is the only qualification manning requires
Video of Insigne having some “words” with someone in the crowd doesn’t look good.
Hoping the person was wearing orange and he thought it was a Cincy fan.
Was at the game last night went to washroom near Section 122 just as half was ending and heard some clown pleading with cops not to throw him out, apparently he was hurling abusive crap at Insigne and family, TFC guy in a suit basically told him he wont be ever allowed back in the stadium, just another imbecile thinking Insigne is the root to all this teams problems. Sad pathetic soul this guy is.
I agree 100%. Whatever one thinks of Insigne, personal attacks are out of bounds, especially at one’s family.