Feb 22, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Toronto FC forward Federico Bernardeschi (10) celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal on a penalty kick against D.C. United goalkeeper Joon-Hong Kim (not pictured) during the second half at Audi Field. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images Toronto FC will look to earn points in back-to-back matches as they continue a season-opening three-match road trip at Orlando City on Saturday night.
Toronto started the MLS regular season with a 2-2 draw at D.C. United last weekend, improving to 5-9-5 in season openers. Captain Jonathan Osorio and Italian midfielder Federico Bernardeschi had the Toronto goals.
“Overall, I thought it was really good,” Toronto coach Robin Fraser said. “I thought we started off with a few nervous mistakes. I think we grew into the game, guys got more comfortable in the spots they needed to be in and knew what their options were going to be.
“As confidence grew, certainly our stance changed. We started to be a little bit more aggressive.”
With his goal, Osorio became the 11th player in MLS history and the only active player to appear in at least 13 seasons in the league and score in each.
Orlando enters the Saturday match following a 4-2 home loss to Philadelphia Union last weekend.
Marco Pasalic, who signed a three-year contract with the Lions as a designated player on Feb. 5, scored a brace in his Orlando City debut.
The 24-year-old Croatian opened the scoring against Philadelphia in the eighth minute and cut into the Union’s lead in the 79th minute.
“I think Philadelphia was sharper than us, especially in the two boxes,” Lions coach Oscar Pareja said. “When they had their chances, they were lethal.
“We still have habits that we need to correct. Just in this competition, it showed us we still have one or two more gears to go.”
Saturday marks the first of two MLS regular-season meetings between Toronto and Orlando. The Lions travel to Toronto on Oct. 18 to conclude the season series. The teams split their two matches last season — each winning on the road.
–Field Level Media
