There is no way to soften this, FC Cincinnati has been abysmal so far in this 2026 MLS season. The first signs of real cracks appeared when FCC hosted Toronto FC to a one-nil loss a month ago. With only two wins and four losses through the first six matches, things need to change and change quickly. FCC will have an opportunity to do that on the road at TFC.
Match One
Toronto came into TQL Stadium having not beaten the Orange and Blue in eight consecutive matches. The Reds had been leaking goals, giving up six goals in their first two matches. But TFC came out aggressive in the opening minutes. FCC were fortunate to survive several point-blank opportunities from Robin Frazer’s normally defensive side. The soccer gods rewarded TFC’s play with a late 86th minute goal by Dániel Sallói. The goal was started off Richie Laryea chasing down a poorly thrown restart from Roman Celentano and baited the FCC defense centrally before delivering a thru-ball to Sallói.
For full recap, click here: Canadian Invasion: FC Cincinnati falls at home to Toronto
From there, where?
Toronto hasn’t lost since that match. They drew against Red Bull New York 1-1 the following weekend. The last two have earned the Reds six points with a 2-1 win against Columbus Crew and a 3-2 win last weekend over Colorado Rapids. Without the CONCACAF Champions Cup competition and the Canadian Championship still in its early stages, TFC have enjoyed comfortable load management.
For FCC, it hasn’t been as smooth of a ride. After what looked like a promising 3-0 response against Tigres in the CCC Round of 16, FCC have dropped three of their last four competitions while conceding an alarming 18 goals in that span.
Hope on the Horizon?
Cincinnati clearly needs to find some defense without sacrificing its recent offensive production. This will be a tall task with TFC’s addition of a match ready Josh Sargent. Pat Noonan has a difficult decision on whether or not to change formations to offset deficiencies in several areas. After training on Thursday, Noonan shared his thoughts about switching to a back four and if it could potentially allow him to field his best unit.
“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.”
Jersey Swap
For a full audio and video breakdown of the upcoming match, be sure to check out the latest episode of Jersey Swap. Geoff Tebbetts sits down with John Molinaro of the TFC Republic.
Match Info
When: Sunday, April 11 at 1:00pm
Where: BMO Field; Toronto, ON
Watch: AppleTV
