TV: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV + TSN 1/4
English (Apple TV): Callum Williams (Play-by-Play) and Calen Carr (Analyst)
English (Apple TV – Local Feed): Matt Cullen
English (TSN): Luke Wileman and Steven Caldwell
Spanish (Apple TV): Moisés Linares (Play-by-Play) and Pablo Mariño (Analyst)
Toronto FC (11-15-3, 36 points) play hosts to the defending MLS Cup and Leagues Cup champions Columbus Crew (14-5-8, 50 points) at BMO Field on Saturday evening. The Matchday 33 encounter in Toronto, Ontario kicks off at 7:30 p.m. ET and can be viewed globally on MLS Season Pass on the Apple TV app and on TSN 1/4 in Canada.
Both Eastern Conference clubs enter Saturday’s match-up eager to extend their positive run of form respectively with Toronto picking up three victories from their last four matches and Columbus recording two wins and a tie in their last four matches following the 2024 Leagues Cup tournament. Historically, TFC hold an 11W-19L-13T record through their first 43 meetings with the Black & Gold and the Reds will be looking for their first home victory at BMO Field against the Crew since October 2019.
NO PLACE LIKE HOME
Toronto FC welcome Columbus Crew, one of Major League Soccer’s ten founding clubs in 1996, for the second and final MLS regular season meeting between the two clubs on Saturday evening. With seven home wins in 2024, TFC hold a 122W-89L-77T all-time record (443 points) in MLS regular season matches played on home soil to date.
AN ODE TO THE PAST
Toronto FC host defending MLS Cup and Leagues Cup champions Columbus Crew for the 44th encounter in the all-time regular season series between the two clubs. Historically, TFC hold an 11W-19L-13T record through their first 42 meetings with the Black & Gold and a 7W-6L-7T record through 20 MLS matches played at home. TFC will be looking for their first home victory at BMO Field against the Crew since Alejandro Pozuelo’s game-winner gave the Reds a 1-0 victory on October 6, 2019.
THE CLIMB CONTINUES
Toronto FC returned to winning ways following the September international break with a 2-1 victory over Austin FC on Saturday evening. First-half goals from Canadian pair Jonathan Osorio and Deandre Kerr along with a season joint-high seven save performance from goalkeeper Sean Johnson helped the Reds secure their first-ever victory against Austin FC and all three points in front of 25,538 fans at BMO Field. With the game-winning goal in the 30th minute, Deandre Kerr also made history and entered TFC’s all-time top 10 goalscorers chart with 16 goals. Toronto FC picked up a pair of wins and one loss in the club’s three matches prior to the international break. The Reds recorded 1-0 victories against Houston Dynamo at Shell Energy Stadium on August 24 and Forge FC at BMO Field three nights later to qualify for the 2024 TELUS Canadian Championship Final before dropping a 1-3 result to D.C. United at BMO Field on August 31.
TEAM OF THE MATCHDAY
Toronto FC captain Jonathan Osorio was named to the Major League Soccer Team of the Matchday 32 bench after an influential performance in the club’s victory against Austin FC on the weekend. Fresh from representing Canada in a pair of friendlies against the United States and Mexico during the international break, Osorio returned to the starting line-up and gave the Reds an early lead after unleashing an unstoppable half-volley past Austin goalkeeper Brad Stuver in the opening stages. The 7th minute goal marked Osorio’s 65th goal for TFC across all competitions, becoming only the third player in club history behind Sebastian Giovinco and Jozy Altidore to reach the 65-goal mark for the club. The midfielder was then also involved in the neat passage of play leading up to Deandre Kerr’s 30th minute strike against Los Verdes. With the goal and the secondary assist on Kerr’s game-winning goal, Jonathan Osorio became only the second player in club history to record 100 MLS regular season goal contributions (48 goals, 52 assists) and the club’s first since Sebastian Giovinco (120). The MLS Team of the Matchday selection marks the Canadian international’s first honour of the 2024 MLS campaign and the twelfth of his MLS career with the Reds. In total, Toronto FC have now earned 18 MLS Team of the Matchday honours during the 2024 MLS regular season – Federico Bernardeschi (4), Sean Johnson (3), Lorenzo Insigne (3), Deybi Flores (2), Deandre Kerr (1), Richie Laryea (1), Kevin Long (1), Jonathan Osorio (1), Prince Owusu (1) and Tyrese Spicer (1).
FAMILIAR FACES
TFC’s Derrick Etienne Jr. previously spent time with and played an vital role for the Columbus Crew. Etienne Jr. signed with Columbus on February 4, 2020, and recorded 12 goals and 14 assists in 90 combined appearances for the Crew across three seasons (2020 – 2022). In 2020, the Haitian winger made 22 appearances and scored in the 2020 MLS Cup, helping Columbus defeat Seattle Sounders to lift the Crew’s second MLS Cup in club history. In 2021, the Richmond, Virginia native set career-highs in starts (21), minutes played (1,849) and assists (five), and helped the Crew defeat Cruz Azul, as a starter, to lift the 2021 Campeones Cup. In his final campaign with the Black & Gold, Etienne Jr. enjoyed a breakout campaign, starting 25 of his 33 appearances and registering nine goals and six assists in 2022. Since joining from Atlanta on April 24, 2024, Etienne Jr. has scored five goals and recorded three in 26 appearances across all competitions (MLS regular season, Canadian Championship and Leagues Cup) for the Reds. In the visitors’ corner, Columbus Crew’s Jacen Russell-Rowe came through the youth ranks at TFC Academy and made a sole appearance for Toronto FC II during the 2019 USL League One season. Since joining the Black & Gold in March 2022, the Toronto, Ontario native has scored 11 goals and registered six assists through 61 appearances for the Crew across all competitions.
