Toronto FC II (1W-0L-0T, 3 points) opened their 2025 MLS NEXT Pro season with a 1-0 road victory against FC Cincinnati 2 (0W-0L-0T, 0 points) at NKU Soccer Stadium, courtesy of Nathaniel Edwards’ first-half goal in Highland Heights, Kentucky.
TFC II Head Coach Gianni Cimini’s season-opening starting XI featured a blend of three returning players (Hassan Ayari, Lucas Olguin and Dékwon Barrow), a pair of new signings via the 2024 MLS SuperDraft (Reid Fisher and Michael Sullivan), five players joining on loan from the First Team (Adisa De Rosario, Lazar Stefanovic, Kobe Franklin, Nathaniel Edwards and Charlie Sharp) and an Academy product (Richard Chukwu).
Toronto began proceedings on the front foot and made their early dominance count in the first half. Fifteen minutes before the interval, a swift passing sequence between Michael Sullivan, Lucas Olguin and Hassan Ayari resulted in Ayari’s low cross across the box getting tapped home from close-range by Canadian midfielder Nathaniel Edwards, making it 1-0 for the visitors.
The 30th minute goal, TFC II’s first of the 2025 MLS NEXT Pro season, marked Edwards’ third goal and Ayari’s third assist for the Young Reds since the pair joined the club prior to the 2024 campaign.
With new signings Reid Fisher and Michael Sullivan handed their club debuts from the start, the second half also saw new faces Joshua Nugent and Malik Henry enter the fray to make their debuts.
The Young Reds’ defensive rearguard was tested in the second half, with Reid Fisher and Richard Chukwu making crucial clearances to keep the hosts at bay. TFC II ultimately withstood the pressure from the Orange and Blue to defend the one-goal and secure all three points to get the new season up and running with a winning start. The result marks the club’s first season-opening win since 2021 and TFC II’s first-ever season-opening victory in MLS NEXT Pro action.
Next up, Toronto FC II continue their road trip to visit Chicago Fire FC II in MLS NEXT Pro action on Thursday, March 13. Kick-off from SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, Illinois is set for 8:00 p.m. ET and and will be available to watch globally on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
Scoring Summary:
TOR – Nathaniel Edwards 30’ (Hassan Ayari)
Misconduct Summary:
TOR – Lazar Stefanovic 17’ (caution)
TOR – Dékwon Barrow 40’ (caution)
Lineups:
FC CINCINNATI 2 – Paul Walters; Nick Hagglund (Noah Adnan 46’), Brian Schaefer, Andrei Chirilla; Monsuru Opeyemi (Dilan Hurtado 71’), Peter Mangione (C), Kenji Mboma Dem, Stiven Jimenez (Ademar Chávez 79’), Yorkaeff Caicedo (William Kuisel 61’); Tega Ikoba (Gerardo Valenzuela 61’), Stefan Chirila
Substitutes Not Used: Nathan Crockford, Juan Machado, Carson Locker, Xhosa Manyana
TORONTO FC II – Adisa De Rosario; Reid Fisher, Lazar Stefanovic (Ythallo 73’), Richard Chukwu; Kobe Franklin (C), Hassan Ayari (Andrei Dumitru 81’), Michael Sullivan, Lucas Olguin, Nathaniel Edwards (Malik Henry 89’); Dékwon Barrow (Joshua Nugent 73’), Charlie Sharp
Substitutes Not Used: Nathaniel Abraham, Micah Chisholm, Marko Stojadinovic, Stefan Kapor, Antone Bossenberry
Notables:
- Four players made their debut for Toronto FC II this evening: Starters Reid Fisher and Michael Sullivan along with Malik Henry and Joshua Nugent as substitutes.
- TFC II’s season-opening starting XI featured seven Canadians (Adisa De Rosario, Lazar Stefanovic, Richard Chukwu, Kobe Franklin, Lucas Olguin, Nathaniel Edwards and Dékwon Barrow) with a further three (Malik Henry, Andrei Dumitru and Joshua Nugent) appearing as second-half substitutes.
- Nathaniel Edwards scored the first goal and Hassan Ayari registered the first assist of Toronto FC II’s 2025 MLS NEXT Pro campaign.
- Goalkeeper Adisa De Rosario recorded his first clean sheet of the 2025 MLS NEXT Pro season.
- With the victory, Toronto FC II’s all-time Season Opener record moves to 4W-5L-1T (13 points).
