The New York Red Bulls take on Toronto FC at Red Bull Arena on Saturday, June 18. Kickoff is set for 7:00 p.m. ET with coverage on MSG, MSG GO, and New York Red Bulls Radio in English and Spanish via TuneIn, the New York Red Bulls app and NewYorkRedBulls.com.
Get to know who the Red Bulls’ will be hosting in their upcoming match.
How they’re doing
Sitting in 12th place in the Eastern Conference, Toronto FC is working its way through an early-season slump.
Toronto has collected four points in their last two league matches after losing five straight from late April to mid-May. The team is coming off a 3-2 win at home against Chicago in its most recent MLS outing thanks to a brace from veteran midfielder Alejandro Pozuelo.
Toronto hasn’t played an MLS match since the FIFA International Window got underway, with its upcoming clash against the Red Bulls marking its first in league play in three weeks.
The team did play a match in the Canadian Championship during that stretch – winning the COVID-19-postponed 2020 Canadian Championship on June 4 over Canadian Premier League side Forge FC, 1-1 (5-4 on penalties).
The biggest issue for Toronto, who have started the 2022 regular season 4-3-7, has been on the defensive end. They rank last in the Eastern Conference with 27 goals conceded and have yet to keep a clean sheet nearly halfway through the 2022 slate.
Toronto has also struggled away from home, going winless with just three points in its seven road matches this season.
Head-to-head history
Since Toronto’s inaugural MLS slate in 2007, the Red Bulls have held the head-to-head edge – winning 20 of their 39 meetings and losing just 10 matches across that 15-year stretch.
New York is unbeaten in its last six matches against Toronto, including a 4-1 victory this season at BMO Field on March 5 behind a hat trick from Lewis Morgan. The Red Bulls have also won four straight at home against Toronto dating back to 2018.
Red Bull Arena has been a fortress for New York when hosting Toronto. The Red Bulls hold an 11-2-2 record against the Toronto since the stadium opened in 2010.
Player to watch – Forward Jesús JiménezÂ
The first-year MLS striker has been the leading scorer for Toronto with seven goals in 14 MLS matches, good for fourth in the league.
He tallied the team’s lone score against the Red Bulls during their meeting back in March.
His production has slowed as a finisher since the beginning of May, being held without a goal in his last five matches.
Jiménez has played a role as a playmaker, however, recording an assist in each of the last two league matches to help Toronto earn a result in both outings.
The 28-year-old arrives in Toronto as part of the latest stop in his 10-year senior career. He spent several seasons with lower-tier Spanish clubs before finding a home in 2018 with first-division Polish side Górnik Zabrze, where he tallied 37 goals in 121 matches across four years.
