Toronto FC fell to a 1-3 defeat against the reigning Canadian Premier League champions Atlético Ottawa in the preliminary round of the 2026 TELUS Canadian Championship at BMO Field on Tuesday evening.
Toronto FC Head Coach Robin Fraser made seven changes from the side that drew 1-1 against the MLS Western Conference and Supporters’ Shield leaders San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday afternoon. Walker Zimmerman, Derrick Etienne Jr. and Deandre Kerr returned to the eleven along with a quartet of TFC II players, Jackson Gilman, Reid Fisher, Antone Bossenberry and Jahmarie Nolan, who signed Short-Term Agreements with Toronto FC prior to the match.
The Reds began on the front foot and took an early lead when Jackson Gilman found Derrick Etienne Jr.’s clever run down the right, with Etienne Jr. delivering a low cross that Deandre Kerr buried with a powerful first-time finish.
The 16th minute strike marked Kerr’s 21st goal for Toronto FC, moving the Homegrown forward into joint-seventh on the club’s all-time goalscoring charts.
Alonso Coello entered for the hosts following the half-time interval, with Zane Monlouis, Raheem Edwards, Emilio Aristizábal and Malik Henry joining the action in the second half.
Atlético Ottawa equalized through Ballou Tabla in the 71st minute before the Canadian attacker added a second 10 minutes later to give his side a 2-1 lead.
The CPL side were awarded a late penalty in stoppage time, which Tabla converted from 12 yards to complete his second-half hat-trick and seal his side’s progress into the next round of the 2026 TELUS Canadian Championship.
Toronto FC resume their MLS campaign against reigning MLS Cup champions Inter Miami CF on Saturday, May 9. Kick-off from BMO Field in Toronto, Ontario is set for 1:00 p.m. ET and will be broadcast globally on Apple TV and on TSN 2/3/4 in Canada.
LINEUPS
TORONTO FC – Luka Gavran; Jackson Gilman, Walker Zimmerman (Zane Monlouis 63’), Reid Fisher, Kobe Franklin; Markus Cimermancic (Malik Henry 73’), Jonathan Osorio (C) (Alonso Coello 46’), Antone Bossenberry; Derrick Etienne Jr., Jahmarie Nolan (Raheem Edwards 63’), Deandre Kerr (Emilio Aristizabal 64’)
Substitutes Not Used: William Yarbrough, Adisa De Rosario, Dániel Sallói, Fletcher Bank
ATLÉTICO OTTAWA – Tristan Crampton; Emmanuel Mbomio, Noah Abatneh, Sergei Kozlovskiy; Daniel Aguilar (Kamron Habibullah 86’), Manuel Aparicio (C), Juan David Castro (Marko Stojadinovic 86’), Gabriel Antinoro; Jean-Aniel Assi (Wes Timóteo 64’), Ballou Tabla, Emiliano García (Erling Myklebust 74’)
Substitutes Not Used: Roberto Paguaga, Loïc Cloutier, Jonantán Villal, Tim Arnaud, Ralph Khoury
MEDIA NOTES
- Deandre Kerr scored his 21st career goal for Toronto FC, moving into joint-seventh on Toronto FC’s all-time goalscorers list.
- Toronto FC II players Jackson Gilman, Reid Fisher and Jahmarie Nolan made their club debuts and first starts for Toronto FC.
- Antone Bossenberry, Markus Cimermancic, Reid Fisher, Jackson Gilman, Malik Henry, Zane Monlouis, Jahmarie Nolan and Walker Zimmerman made their first Canadian Championship
appearances. - TFC II midfielder Antone Bossenberry started his first match for the Reds.
