Toronto FC are finally back in the win column. Can they turn that into just their second winning streak of 2026?<\/p>\n
The Reds don\u2019t have too much time to celebrate their first win since April, beating the New England Revolution 2-1 on Saturday night<\/a> in their first game back at BMO Field since May. They survived a late red card and goal conceded thanks to a couple of goals scored at the end of the first half \u2014 an own goal forced by a Theo Corbeanu cross and Niklas Dorsch\u2019s wonderful strike from long distance into the top right corner. <\/p>\n \u201cWe needed that, it\u2019s been a really long time,\u201d Corbeanu told reporters including Waking The Red on Tuesday. \u201cRegardless of how the game went, or what we felt like could have been better \u2014 or the fact that we felt like we could have gotten more out of the game in general, we can play much better than that \u2014 we\u2019re still super excited that we got the three points and looking to build on this form now.\u201d<\/p>\n Related Reading: Niklas Dorsch \u2018fantastic\u2019 in Toronto FC home debut at BMO Field, scores and runs TFC midfield<\/a><\/p>\n Charlotte FC are in town on Wednesday night for a midweek clash and come in high on confidence after a big win of their own, 3-1 over the Columbus Crew to bounce back from a Leagues Cup defeat to Pachuca midweek. <\/p>\n Brandt Bronico scored in the first minute of the match and Liel Abada added a second from the penalty spot in the ninth minute as they came flying out of the gates. Chase Adams pulled one back for the Crew late in the first half but Spanish star Pep Biel \u2014 having another MVP-calibre season \u2014 wrapped up the three points with his 73rd-minute goal to restore the two-goal advantage.<\/p>\n The win has them sitting fifth in a crowded Eastern Conference, just four points back of third-place Chicago and just four up on D.C. United, who hold ninth spot and the final playoff ticket. Toronto are still 12th after this weekend\u2019s action but the gap between them and D.C. is also down to four after some help from former Reds striker Prince Owusu, who scored a penalty for CF Montreal to limit DCU to a single point.<\/p>\n Charlotte visits BMO Field with a slightly different squad from the one that beat TFC at Bank of America Stadium on May 16<\/a> after a headline-grabbing transfer window. <\/p>\n Saint-Maximizing the Charlotte FC attack<\/p>\n One of the marquee signings from any MLS club this summer was Charlotte bringing in former Newcastle United standout Allan Saint-Maximin on a designated player contract through the 2028-29 MLS season. <\/p>\n After 18 minutes off the bench in the Leagues Cup and 45 off the bench against the Crew, Saint-Maximin could be in line for his first MLS start on Wednesday night, or at the very least another prominent role off the bench. He could cause problems for TFC, like Revolution newcomer Jack Harrison did at times on Saturday before the home backline eventually got the better of him. <\/p>\n Saint-Maximin started his career in his native France, making the jump to Premier League side Newcastle in 2019 after stops at Saint-\u00c9tienne, Monaco and Nice. He became a fan-favourite in England with his athleticism and acrobatic goal celebrations before leaving in 2023 for Saudi club Al-Ahli.<\/p>\n Brief stints at Fenerbah\u00e7e, Club Am\u00e9rica and Lens followed before \u2014 he surely hopes \u2014 some stability finally in Major League Soccer. <\/p>\n He replaces two major departures for Charlotte. <\/p>\n Wilfried Zaha left the club in June at the expiry of his loan from Galatasaray, with the club opting not to offer him a new contract despite him being available on a free transfer with his contract in T\u00fcrkiye ending at the same time. Charlotte also cashed in on Colombian forward Kerwin Vargas, selling him to Brazilian club Club Athletico Paranaense at the end of July. <\/p>\n \u201c[Charlotte\u2019s squad] is full of guys who are very good players,\u201d TFC boss Robin Fraser said Tuesday. \u201cYou have to obviously be aware of [Saint-Maximin\u2019s] strengths and weaknesses, and be prepared to do the things that we need to do collectively and individually to mitigate some of his strengths, and see what we can do to exploit some weaknesses.\u201d<\/p>\n From top to bottom Charlotte have quality, including United States captain Tim Ream and former Premier League midfielder Ashley Westwood in the spine of their team.<\/p>\n They are a deep squad, and a physically imposing one coached by the experienced Dean Smith.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re a big team,\u201d Corbeanu said. \u201cThey have very large profiles, and we know that their coach is one who\u2019s had a lot of experience in England. He\u2019s tried to instill that that way of playing on his team, so they have some very big players who have a lot of experience, some new additions to the side. <\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re looking forward to it, but whatever comes our way, we\u2019re ready to go up against it and compete to the best level that we know we can.\u201d<\/p>\n How much change is coming to the Toronto FC starting lineup?<\/p>\n Fraser is finally nearing the ability to play his first-choice starting lineup for the first time this season after a slew of injuries, but it won\u2019t happen against Charlotte.<\/p>\n Toronto FC will be forced into at least one change after Djordje Mihailovic\u2019s red card against New England, but don\u2019t be surprised if Fraser makes a few other changes too. He didn\u2019t go to his bench until the 80th minute against the Revs, making two changes then and two more in the 90th minute as TFC looked to see out the match, so there\u2019s a good chance there are still some tired legs. <\/p>\n