Toronto FC aims to keep pushing toward the CONCACAF Champions League final this week as it faces off against Club America in the semifinals.
The reigning MLS champions took down their Liga MX counterparts Tigres in the last round, advancing on away goals after securing a 4-4 aggregate scoreline.
Now Toronto will have to face off against Miguel Herrera’s America side that sits fourth in the Liga MX Clausura, having made it to this round after easily dispatching Panamanian side Tauro 7-1 on aggregate in the quarterfinals.
The winner will go onto face the New York Red Bulls or Chivas.
| Game | Toronto FC vs America |
| Date | Tuesday, April 3 |
| Time | 8 p.m. ET |
| Stream (U.S. only) | fubo TV (7-day free trial) |
TV Channel, Live Stream & How To Watch
In the United States (U.S.), the game can be watched live and on-demand with fuboTV (7-day free trial).
New users can sign up for a free seven-day trial of the live sports streaming service, which can be accessed via iOS, Android, Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, Roku and Apple TV as well as on a web browser.
| U.S. TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| Univision Deportes | fubo TV (7-day free trial) |
In the United Kingdom (UK), the game will not be televised or streamed.
| UK TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| None | None |
Squads & Team News
| Position | Toronto FC players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Bono, Irwin, Patterson-Sewell |
| Defenders | Hagglund, Hasler, Mavinga, Moor, Morgan, Morrow, Van der Wiel, Zavaleta |
| Midfielders | Aketxe, Bradley, Chapman, Delgado, Fraser, Osorio, Vazquez |
| Forwards | Akinola, Altidore, Auro, Giovinco, Hamilton, Ricketts, Spencer |
Nick Hagglund is likely out with a hamstring injury while Justin Morrow is also a doubt with a calf strain. Both were unsurprisingly not named to the 18 for Friday's 3-1 win over Real Salt Lake.
Victor Vazquez has been battling a back injury, while an abdominal issue has sidelined Chris Mavinga since he was forced off in the second leg against Tigres. Both are question marks for Tuesday.
Toronto could come out in a 4-4-2 or a 3-5-2 setup.
Potential Toronto starting XI: Bono; Van der Wiel, Moor, Mavinga, Morgan; Bradley, Delgado, Osorio, Vazquez; Giovinco, Altidore.
| Position | America players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Jimenez, Leon, Marchesin, Pineda |
| Defenders | Aguilar, Aguilera, Alvarez, Cedillo, Orrantia, Valdez, Vargas |
| Midfielders | Arce, Corona, Cordova, Cruz, Da Silva, Ibarra, Rodríguez, Uribe, Zamora |
| Forwards | Diaz, Dominguez, Ibarguen, Lainez, Marin, Martin, Menez, Peralta |
Jeremy Menez missed America's game against Cruz Azul because of a hamstring issue and did not travel to Canada.
Oribe Peralta suffered a rib injury against Cruz Azul. He did travel, however, and is questionable for Tuesday's contest.
Potential America starting XI: Marchesin; Aguilar, Valdez, Aguilera, Vargas; Ibarra, Uribe, Rodriguez, Dominguez; Peralta, Martin
Betting & Match Odds
Toronto FC is the slight favorite to win the match with dabblebet pricing the Reds at 11/8. America is priced at 15/8 to beat the MLS champions and a draw is available at 2/1.
Click here to see all of dabblebet's offers for the game, including goalscoring markets, correct score predictions and more.
Match Preview
No MLS team has ever won the current incarnation of the CONCACAF Champions League, but no MLS team has ever entered with the resume of Toronto FC.
The reigning MLS champions set a points record last season as they completed the Supporters' Shield and MLS Cup double. Toronto also took home the Canadian Championship.
While Toronto did well to get past Tigres, the team nearly gave away the second leg, conceding twice in the final 10 minutes and narrowly advancing on away goals. And the Reds' league form has been middling this far, having lost their first two MLS contests of the season before picking up a win against Real Salt Lake.
They'll face a Club America side that enters fourth in the Clausura, one point and one spot behind Tigres. It is also facing an America side that has been incredibly hard to defeat this year — Toluca inflicted the only loss of the Clausura on America on March 17.
The trio of Sebastian Giovinco, Jozy Altidore and Michael Bradley will obviously be key to Toronto's hopes. All three played large roles against Tigres, with Bradley anchoring the midfield, Altidore scoring in the first leg and Giovinco hitting one of his trademark free-kick stunners, which proved to be the difference in the tie.
America will enter with some injuries. Las Aguilas will be without Frenchman Jeremy Menez because of a hamstring injury. Oribe Peralta is no certainty either, which could leave Miguel Herrera without two key players for the first leg on Tuesday.
Toronto will need to make its home-field count in the first leg on Tuesday. A 2-1 win over Tigres at BMO Field was essential in the overall victory, and with a trip to the famed Estadio Azteca awaiting in the second leg, a triumph in the opener may well be required if the MLS champions wish to make their first trip to the CONCACAF Champions League final.