MLS Regular Season | Match #1
TV: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV
English (Apple TV): Josh Eastern (Play-by-Play) and Jalil Anibaba (Analyst)
Spanish (Apple TV): Jesús Acosta (Play-by-Play) and Diego Tabares (Analyst)
Toronto FC kick off their 2025 Major League Soccer campaign – the club’s 19th and the League’s landmark 30th – with a road trip to take on D.C. United at Audi Field on Saturday evening. The ‘MLS is Back’ opening weekend contest kicks off at 7:30 p.m. ET and can be viewed globally in English and Spanish on MLS Season Pass on the Apple TV app.
The hunt for Toronto FC’s first MLS Cup Playoffs berth since 2020 officially begins on Saturday under the leadership of new Head Coach Robin Fraser. Historically, TFC hold a 12W-18L-12T record through their first 42 regular season meetings with D.C. United and will be looking for their first road victory against the Black-and-Red since April 2016.
MLS IS BACK
Toronto FC begin their MLS campaign on the road for the seventh consecutive year and will be looking for the club’s first season-opening win since a 3-1 road win at Philadelphia Union on March 2, 2019. The Reds have travelled to open the regular season on 17 out of 18 occasions since the club began play in 2007, only hosting the season opener once against the Columbus Crew at BMO Field on March 3, 2018. Following a goalless road draw against FC Cincinnati in 2024, TFC hold a 5W-9L-4T all-time record through its 18 season-opening matches to date.
AN ODE TO THE PAST
Toronto FC visit D.C. United, one of Major League Soccer’s ten founding clubs in 1996, for the 43rd encounter in the all-time series between the two clubs. Historically, TFC hold a 12W-18L-12T record through their first 42 regular season meetings with the Black-and-Red. The two clubs have previously battled in Washington on 20 separate occasions, with the Reds posting a combined 4W-8L-8T record on the road. In the most recent meeting at Audi Field, the two Eastern Conference sides settled for a 2-2 draw on June 1, 2024, with late goals from DC’s Theodore Ku-DiPietro and Mateusz Klich cancelling out first-half strikes from Toronto’s Derrick Etienne Jr. and Federico Bernardeschi. The Reds enter Saturday’s season-opener in search of their first-ever win in the month of February, first-ever victory at Audi Field and the club’s first road victory against D.C. United since a 1-0 victory on April 16, 2016.
ROBIN’S RETURN
Ahead of the league’s landmark 30th MLS season, a familiar face in Robin Fraser was announced as Toronto FC’s 15th Head Coach on January 10, 2025. The 58-year-old returns to Toronto after five seasons as Head Coach of the Colorado Rapids, where Fraser was named runner-up for the Sigi Schmid MLS Coach of the Year award in 2021 after re-establishing the Rapids as Western Conference contenders and developing notable young talent along the way. Prior to Colorado, Fraser served as an assistant coach to Greg Vanney with Toronto FC for five seasons (2015-2019), where the club won the first domestic treble in MLS history, winning the MLS Cup, the Supporters’ Shield, and the Canadian Championship in 2017. While with the Reds, the club qualified for three MLS Cup Playoffs (2015, 2016, 2017) and reached two MLS Cup Finals (2016, 2017). He was also part of the coaching staff that led TFC to capture three consecutive Canadian Championships (2016, 2017, 2018). Fraser’s coaching staff for the new campaign will comprise of assistant coaches Neil Emblen, Wolde Harris and former TFC defender Steven Beitashour alongside goalkeeper coach Simon Eaddy and video coach Jase Kim. With a mix of veteran leaders, international tacticians and rising stars, Toronto FC is one of 12 MLS teams kicking off the 2025 season with a new head coach at the helm alongside Atlanta United, Austin FC, Chicago Fire FC, FC Dallas, Inter Miami CF, New York City FC, Philadelphia Union, San Diego FC, San Jose Earthquakes, St. Louis CITY SC and Vancouver Whitecaps FC.
NEW FACES, NEW GOALS
TFC have bolstered their attacking options for the club’s 19th MLS campaign by bringing in Canadian winger Theo Corbeanu and Norwegian forward Ola Brynhildsen, both on loan, from Spanish club Granada CF and Danish club FC Midtjylland respectively. A product of the TFC Academy, Corbeanu, 22, joins after spending time with Granada CF and Wolverhampton Wanderers, along with loan experiences with Sheffield Wednesday FC, Milton Keynes Dons FC, Blackpool FC, Arminia Bielefeld and Grasshopper Club Zurich. The Hamilton, Ontario native represented Romania at the youth level and has earned seven caps for the Canadian Men’s National Team at the senior level. Brynhildsen, 25, begins a new chapter in Major League Soccer, after tallying 75 goals and 33 assists in 259 combined appearances with FC Midtjylland (Denmark), Molde FK and Stabæk (both of Norway) across eight years. Internationally, TFC’s new number 9 has earned four caps with the Norwegian National Team and represented Norway at the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Poland. The Reds also inked Homegrown goalkeeper Adisa De Rosario to a First Team contract earlier in the month. De Rosario spent the past two seasons with Toronto FC II of MLS NEXT Pro and became the 35th player in club history to sign for the First Team from the Toronto FC Academy.
DEBUT & MILESTONE WATCH
An appearance in Saturday’s season opener for any of TFC’s offseason acquisitions – goalkeeper Adisa De Rosario, winger Theo Corbeanu and forward Ola Brynhildsen – would mark their respective club debuts. Homegrown defender Kobe Franklin, meanwhile, has made 49 MLS appearances for his hometown club to date and his next appearance will be his 50th in MLS action since signing with the Reds on February 24, 2023.
BLACK HISTORY MONTH SPOTLIGHT
Toronto FC is committed to honour and celebrate Black History Month. The month of February continues to spotlight the significant contributions Black individuals have made over the years to society, sport and culture. TFC is proud to shine a light on figures like Head Coach Robin Fraser, who has made an important impact both on and off the pitch. Fraser’s journey, first as an MLS player and now as an MLS coach, is one of dedication, resilience and leadership and fans can tune into a special episode featuring TFC’s new Head Coach discussing his career and the importance of Black History Month exclusively on Apple TV.
ONCE A RED
D.C. United, TFC’s opening-weekend opponent, have strengthened their roster with the additions of a pair of former Reds, Lukas MacNaughton and Brandon Servania, this off-season. Canadian Lukas MacNaughton joined TFC from Pacific FC (Canadian Premier League) on January 25, 2022, and made 31 combined appearances for the Reds across two seasons (2022, 2023) before joining Nashville SC via trade in April 2023. The defender made 34 appearances for the Boys in Gold across two seasons (2023, 2024) before joining the Black-and-Red via trade in December 2024. American Brandon Servania joins D.C. United as a free agent after spending two seasons (2023, 2024) with Toronto FC. The box-to-box midfielder made 31 appearances for the Reds in his debut season before an anterior cruciate ligament injury sustained in October 2023 limited Servania to three substitute appearances in 2024.
