Toronto FC is showing signs of life and rejuvenation after a laboured start to their 2026 MLS season.
TFC began their campaign with a pair of road losses that saw them concede six goals. But since a humbling 3-0 defeat to the Vancouver Whitecaps on March 1, the Reds have gone unbeaten in three matches, including a 2-1 home victory over the Columbus Crew this past Saturday.
Down 1-0 at halftime, Toronto (2-2-1, seven points) received second-half goals from midfielder José Cifuentes and centre back Walker Zimmerman to earn its first come-from-behind win in MLS play since the summer of 2024.
It looked like it was going to be a long day at the office for TFC after they found themselves down by a goal in the fourth minute.
The Crew’s Andrés Herrera played a ball out from his half of the field into acres of open space down the right for Max Arfsten, who then delivered a perfect cross to the edge of the six-yard box. Wessam Abou Ali out-jumped TFC’s Raheem Edwards and Alonso Coello to connect on a header that sailed into the top-right corner.
But rather than sulk, Toronto picked itself up, dusted itself off and went to work. TFC furiously pressed for an equalizer before halftime with Josh Sargent, Deandre Kerr, Jonathan Osorio and Dániel Sallói all having decent looks on goal.
The Reds continued to carry the bulk of play and were rewarded for their efforts when Cifuentes scored the leveller early in the second half before Zimmerman netted the winner late in regulation time.
Toronto slammed the door shut on Columbus after that, despite the visitors furiously throwing everything they had at the hosts in search of an equalizer.
TFC’s ability to see things through to the end after it conceded a late equalizer in the previous week’s home opener against the New York Red Bulls is a sign that the team is headed in the right direction, according to coach Robin Fraser.
“We talked a lot during the week about finishing out games where we have a lead,” Fraser said. “(The way Columbus played) can be very disruptive to the team that's leading, but I thought that our guys handled it quite well and their game management over the last 10 minutes of the game, including the seven minutes of extra time, I think is just another step in the growth of this team.”
Captain Jonathan Osorio, who earned his 400th appearance for TFC on Saturday, concurred with his coach’s assessment.
“We have a lot of experienced guys on the team that in those situations when things don't go your way, you stay calm, you remain focused on the task, keep doing the right things, especially when you give up an early goal,” said Osorio. “There's lots of time to work your way into the game still and put the game in your favour. And I thought we did that.”
It should be noted that Toronto is far ahead of where it was this time last year. The Reds only had one point from their opening five contests and went winless through their first eight games of the 2025 season. They didn’t earn their first victory until April 19.
The off-season additions of Zimmerman, fellow defender Benjamin Kuscevic and Hungarian winger Dániel Sallói have made a big difference for TFC, who have also looked far more cohesive under Fraser during his second year on the job.
“It just feels like a team that is building momentum based on their getting to know each other, based on their building relationships on the field,” Fraser said. “And it just feels like we are headed in the direction that we want to be.”
Osorio added: “I feel like everybody has played their part really well. It seems like we're all heading in the same direction as well. Everybody's on the same page, which is important. The front office has done such a great job of building this team and with the players that we have and then the team incorporating everybody and making clear the ideas that we have on the field so that we're all playing in unison.”
Elsewhere in the MLS this past weekend:
• The Vancouver Whitecaps (4-0-1) came out on the wrong end of a 1-0 decision against the San Jose Earthquakes at BC Place on Saturday, the club’s first loss of the season. The Whitecaps enjoyed statistical domination with 61 per cent possession and a 6-2 edge in shots on goal, but Brazilian goalkeeper Daniel de Sousa Britto came up with a number of heroic saves to thwart the home side, while Beau Leroux’s goal in first-half injury time was the difference for San Jose.
Yohei Takaoka is usually the picture of reliability for the ‘Caps. But the Japanese goalkeeper failed to collect the ball off a header from a corner kick and midfielder Cheikh Sabaly failed to make a defensive clearance. The ball eventually found its way to Leroux, who blasted his shot home from 22 yards out.
“We made a big mistake. Yohei should have had the ball and then it got out and then (Sabaly) should have not lost it right there and then they scored,” Vancouver coach Jesper Sorensen said.
• CF Montreal (1-4-0) sits near the bottom of the overall MLS table after suffering a 4-3 road loss to FC Cincinnati on Sunday. The visitors took the lead on three separate occasions and enjoyed a 3-2 advantage in the second half thanks to a brace from top scorer Owusu and played the final 30 minutes against a short-handed Cincinnati side after defender Miles Robinson was red carded.
But Montreal failed to close things out, shooting itself in the foot by giving up two late goals, including one deep into injury time, to throw away three valuable points.
This was the fifth match of a six-game road trip to open the season for Montreal, who must be counting down the days to be able to return home to Stade Saputo in mid-April.
While Owusu (four goals, an assist) and newcomer Wiki Carmona (three goals, two assists) have been in fine form, the team’s lackadaisical defending has been its major undoing. Montreal sports the second-worst defensive record in MLS with 14 goals against, and have conceded at least three goals in a game three times.
John Molinaro is one of the leading soccer journalists in Canada, having covered the game for over 27 years for several media outlets, including Sportsnet, CBC Sports and Sun Media. He is currently the editor-in-chief of TFC Republic, a website dedicated to in-depth coverage of Toronto FC and Canadian soccer.
