Toronto FC will kick off their 20th Major League Soccer season this Saturday with a visit to FC Dallas at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas. This season opener offers fans their first chance to see how the revamped Toronto FC roster will perform amid hopes of ending the club’s five-year playoff drought.
The Toronto FC roster moves made recently signal a fresh approach as General Manager Jason Hernandez worked intensely throughout the week to bolster the squad in preparation for this pivotal match. With tensions running high, many are eager to see whether these changes will translate into success on the pitch.
Significant Player Acquisitions Strengthen Toronto FC Squad
This past week, Toronto FC underwent considerable roster activity, adding three fresh faces to the lineup. Among the new recruits is forward Emilio Aristizábal, who joined on loan from Atlético Nacional. The 20-year-old Colombian youth international represents a U22 Initiative signing, promising youthful vigor and potential for the team’s attacking options.
Head coach Robin Fraser expressed strong confidence in Aristizábal’s capabilities:
“He’s a really exciting young player who has [an] interesting pedigree. His father was a very prominent player for Columbia, and for Emilio to cut his teeth at Atlético Nacional just speaks volumes about A), how good he is, and B), how mature he is, because that’s a very, very difficult environment to go into as a young player,”
Fraser said on Friday.
Toronto FC also retrieved left fullback Raheem Edwards via waivers from the New York Red Bulls. This marks Edwards’ second tenure with the club, returning to familiar surroundings after contributing to the 2017 treble-winning team.
Discussing Edwards’ return, Fraser noted:
“Raheem is somebody who has been here. Toronto is his home and he’s super excited to come back, but he’s gained a wealth of experience since I last worked with him. I’ve been around Raheem since 2017 and he’s certainly grown and matured a great deal. I feel like we get far more complete virgin Raheem than we had back in 2017,”
the coach remarked.
Another major addition came Thursday, with winger Dániel Sallói acquired in a trade from Sporting Kansas City. The deal involved $300,000 in guaranteed general allocation money spread over 2026 and 2027, plus up to $700,000 in conditional GAM contingent on performance benchmarks.
Fraser praised Sallói’s versatility and consistent scoring:
“Daniel is someone who has been a pretty prolific scorer for a winger in this league for many years. When I was in Colorado, we used to see him several times a year, and he was always a thorn in our sides. So, it’s really exciting to have him with his wealth of experience, and what he has done, he’s managed to be very successful and productive on both sides and even playing up the middle. So, it just offers us more flexibility,”
Fraser explained.
All three players—Aristizábal, Edwards, and Sallói—are confirmed available for Saturday’s clash. Meanwhile, the club remains tight-lipped about the pending transfer of Josh Sargent from Norwich City.
On the matter, Fraser stated:
“This saga has been going on for a while now, and it’s been at least a month that this whole thing has been out there. What I would say is that until it is absolutely done, I don’t even really want to talk about it,”
he said.
Coach Robin Fraser’s Positive Outlook for Upcoming Season
Saturday’s match also marks the second campaign for Robin Fraser as head coach of Toronto FC. After a challenging 2025 season—finishing 12th in the Eastern Conference with a 6-14-14 record—the team looks forward to greater cohesion and improved results.
Significant roster turnover occurred during the offseason, bidding farewell to key players such as goalkeeper Sean Johnson, defender Sigurd Rosted, and fullback Raoul Petretta. In their place came seasoned center back Walker Zimmerman and several other fresh talents, joining holdovers including Djordje Mihailovic and José Cifuentes, eager to start their first full MLS seasons with the club.
Following a pre-season camp in Spain, Fraser expressed satisfaction with how the integration of new players has unfolded:
“I feel as if the returning players, in terms of tactics and that sort of thing, just picked up where they left off. And the job of incorporating the new players was certainly down to not just myself and staff, but to the players as well. And I feel like the ideas have come together pretty quickly,”
he said.
He added:
“In our last pre-season game, we saw a very cohesive effort offensively [and] defensively, which I think speaks volumes to the fact that the group has a pretty good understanding of what’s being asked about. So, having said all that, we’re really excited for what’s coming up.”
Injury Updates Affecting Toronto FC Ahead of Opener
Toronto FC’s squad for the season opener will be missing several players due to fitness and injury concerns. Winger Theo Corbeanu, fullback Matheus Pereira, and defender Nicksoen Gomis remain sidelined. Gomis, in particular, has been on the season-ending injury list since last July after an Achilles tendon injury sustained against the New England Revolution.
Defender Zane Monlouis and forward Deandre Kerr are currently questionable after picking up minor injuries during the Spanish pre-season training camp.
Fraser provided an update on their status:
“Zane and DK are working back to fitness, and Theo, Nicksoen and Matthias are all progressing really well. Theo and Matthias were on the field some last week. Theo was actually in training this week, and Nicksoen is in full training. It’s just a matter of getting [Gomis’] fitness right. He’s worked extremely hard with his rehab, so we feel really good about how he is physically, but it’s just a matter now getting Nicksoen up to up to speed fitness wise,”
the coach explained.
Overview of FC Dallas as Toronto FC’s Opponent
FC Dallas enters the 2026 season having finished seventh in the Western Conference during 2025. Their playoff run ended in the first round with a loss to Vancouver Whitecaps, who advanced to the MLS Cup final.
Coach Eric Quill has overseen several roster shifts this offseason, bringing in Uruguayan midfielder Joaquín Valiente, Israeli midfielder Ran Binyamin, Swedish defender Herman Johansson, and Canadian goalkeeper Jonathan Sirois. However, Dallas also parted ways with key goalkeeper Maarten Paes, who transferred to Dutch club Ajax.
Dallas’ attacking threat largely depends on designated player forward Peter Musa, who tallied 18 goals last season, contributing over a third of the team’s offense. Musa’s prowess draws praise from Toronto’s Fraser, who said:
“He’s a huge threat. Just look at the statistics. He scores a lot of goals and [he’s a] player who is in the mix for one of the best teams in the world, Croatia,”
he stated.
Additionally, Fraser acknowledged the quality of FC Dallas’ squad, saying:
“Dallas has a lot of good, athletic players. They have a lot of talented players, and I think Eric has done a good job in instilling a fighting mentality in them.”
Historical Context of Toronto FC vs. FC Dallas Matchups
This weekend’s game between Toronto FC and FC Dallas is their first encounter since Toronto’s 3-1 victory at BMO Field on May 4, 2024. In that match, Federico Bernardeschi broke a long goal drought with two goals and an assist, earning man-of-the-match honors.
Former coach John Herdman had remarked following that game:
“I think the curse is broken … I think that curse that was on [Bernardeschi] is lifted,”
recalling Bernardeschi’s prolonged scoring difficulties prior to that breakthrough.
Despite this recent victory, Dallas holds the all-time edge in regular-season meetings, boasting 11 wins and six draws in 20 total games against Toronto. On the road, Toronto has struggled particularly, remaining winless in 11 matches played in Dallas, including eight defeats.
Their previous clash in Texas came on February 26, 2022, resulting in a 1-1 draw in the season opener for both teams at Toyota Stadium.
Looking Ahead: The Road Beyond Dallas
Following the season opener at FC Dallas, Toronto FC’s next match will be against the Vancouver Whitecaps on February 28 at BC Place. Fans can anticipate detailed on-site coverage from TFC Republic for that contest as well.
As Toronto FC embraces a combination of returning veterans and new signings under Robin Fraser’s guidance, the stakes remain high. The upcoming matches will likely reveal whether the roster moves translate into meaningful progress and reignite hope for a long-awaited playoff appearance.
