Riding a two-match winning streak in MLS, the once-struggling Toronto FC have rekindled their early season form as they welcome sputtering FC Dallas on Saturday night.
Coming off a last-minute 2-1 comeback victory over Orlando City in Florida last weekend and a 1-0 home win over the New England Revolution the week before, Toronto (5-4-1, 16 points) is firing on all cylinders heading into the interconference matchup.
FC Dallas (2-5-2, 8 points) arrives in Toronto having secured only two wins this season, with its most notable victory occurring last week over the Houston Dynamo. The three points and clean sheet ended a frustrating run of seven winless matches, which included just two draws.
Given the lackluster start and inability to find consistent form, head coach Nicolas Estevez and Dallas hope things change in Toronto. Heading into Saturday, the Toros are second to last in the Western Conference.
“It means a lot to do that in front of our fans,” defender Marco Farfan said after the Houston win. “But at the same time, we’re not proud of anything just yet. We had that winless streak, and now we’ve won just one game. It doesn’t mean anything. We have a long way to go to get where we want to be.”
Petar Musa’s three goals lead Dallas, but the emphasis has been on a team effort in attack, with Sebastien Ibeagha scoring last week and seven different players contributing to the goal sheet this season.
For Toronto, it’s about keeping the good vibes going. Head coach John Herdman has the team clicking again after it dropped three matches in a row before its current run.
Despite star winger Lorenzo Insigne still being sidelined with a hamstring injury, Toronto has gotten tremendous production from Federico Bernardeschi and Prince Owusu. The latter has five goals this season.
Though he is unlikely to play any significant minutes, defender Richie Laryea also returned to training this week. Despite playing just 70 minutes in 2024, the Canadian international is a critical member of the group’s morale, one that continues to build as Herdman navigates his first season as coach.
“We have been focused on building a culture — we, the collective, the leaders within this team, from top to bottom — take that initiative from John,” Toronto goalkeeper Sean Johnson said. “The staff, the veteran players, the new players that come in, everybody understands what it takes to achieve something.”
–Field Level Media
