Another disappointing MLS campaign for Toronto will end on Saturday when they host Orlando City at BMO Field.
Heading into the final game of the regular season, the Reds are on a six-match losing run as they were beaten 3-0 by the New York Red Bulls in their previous encounter, while the Lions have won three in a row, squeaking past the New England Revolution 3-2.
Match preview
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Saturday is Decision Day in MLS, though, in Toronto, there is nothing left to decide as they are assured of finishing dead-last in the overall table with just 22 points domestically thus far.
Even though this weekend spells the end of the season for the Reds, the club will hope it is just the beginning of their resurgence as John Herdman will be in the TFC dugout as head coach for the first time.
Herdman has transformed both the Canadian men's and women's national teams before, but his first club-level coaching experience could prove to be his most daunting task yet.
In 33 league fixtures this season, the Reds have only claimed four victories, all on home soil, though even if they triumph on Saturday, Toronto would still equal a club record for the fewest victories in a single MLS campaign set in 2012 (five).
Last season, this team conceded the third-most goals in the regular season (66), and in 2023, that backline has not been much better, giving up 57 thus far, with only the Los Angeles Galaxy allowing more (63).
Toronto have not just been losing a lot this season, but lately, they have struggled to put up much of a fight, with four of their last five MLS defeats being by three or more goals.
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Over in the Sunshine State, the mood is a lot higher than the one at TFC, with the Lions unbeaten in their last four domestic outings and assured of finishing second in the Eastern Conference, the highest-ever finish for them in MLS.
Oscar Pareja has transformed this team, who narrowly sneaked into the post-season in 2021 and 22, into a contender that will begin the playoffs at home for the first time since 2020.
One area that has seen drastic improvements through the 2023 campaign has been their clinical finishing in the attacking third, with Orlando on 53 goals this season, two fewer than their best-ever MLS mark in 2016 and already nine more than they had a year ago.
Building a lead at the interval and playing a tight defensive system in the second half has been pivotal to their success, with this team unbeaten domestically all year when leading after 45 minutes.
With 60 points, the Lions have already set a new MLS club record in a single campaign, but if they can claim another three, Orlando City would surpass their all-time best mark from 2012 when they claimed 62 points in the USL Pro League.
Orlando have won the last three meetings versus the Reds by a 9-0 margin and have not lost an MLS match against them in Toronto since 2018 (2-1).
Team News
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Numerous Toronto players are likely to be unavailable for their final MLS fixture of the year, with Raoul Petretta (back spasms), Deandre Kerr (back spasms) Brandon Servania (lower body), Sigurd Rosted (lower body), Lorenzo Insigne (lower body), Adama Diomande (lower body), Themi Antonoglou (lower body), Greg Ranjitsingh (knee surgery) Sean Johnson (hand surgery) and Latif Blessing (concussion protocol) all dealing with injuries, while Michael Bradley has announced his retirement following their game on Saturday.
Interim manager Terry Dunfield made three changes to the starting 11 in his final match at the helm as Shane O'Neill, Franco Ibarra and Prince Owusu came in for Rosted, Victor Vazquez and Hugo Mbongue.
Toronto have not found the back of the net since their previous home fixture versus FC Cincinnati when Jonathan Osorio notched a brace in a 3-2 defeat, putting the Canadian international one behind Kerr and Federico Bernardeschi for the team lead this season.
Orlando could be missing two players for this encounter as Favian Loyola has a sore left arm and Adam Grinwis is unlikely to feature because of a left thigh injury.
In their previous fixture, Duncan McGuire notched his 13th of the year across all competitions, having netted in back-to-back MLS fixtures, Facundo Torres scored his team-leading 14th of the domestic campaign, Ivan Angulo put home his fifth in league play, while Mauricio Pereyra picked up his 11th and 12th assists of the regular season.
Rodrigo Schlegel picked up his 100th cap for the Lions in all competitions against New England, while Dan Thorhallsson was back in the starting 11 for that encounter after beginning their previous match versus Nashville SC (1-0 win) on the bench.
Toronto possible starting lineup:
Gavran; O'Neill, Bradley, Mabika, Marshall-Rutty; Gutierrez, Osorio, Vazquez, Coello; Owusu, Mailula
Orlando City possible starting lineup:
Stajduhar; Smith, Schlegel, Jansson, Santos; Araujo, Urso; Torres, Pereyra, Angulo; McGuire
We say: Toronto 1-2 Orlando City
We want to think having nothing to lose and being under new management would change the Reds' fate this weekend, but there is just too much working against the home side in all areas of the field for us to believe they can claim even a single point out of nowhere.
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Top tip
Joel Lefevre
