Toronto FC II (1W-1L-0T, 3 points) fell to a 1-0 road loss against Chicago Fire FC II (1W-1L-0T, 3 points) at SeatGeek Stadium on Thursday evening.
Toronto FC II made six changes from the side that defeated FC Cincinnati 2 on Sunday evening in their 2025 MLS NEXT Pro season opener. Marko Stojadinovic, Ythallo, Stefan Kapor, Malik Henry and debutant Tim Fortier started from the first whistle in place of Kobe Franklin, Lazar Stefanovic, Richard Chukwu, Lucas Olguin and Dékwon Barrow.
Following a goalless opening 80 minutes, the Thursday night affair sprung to life in the closing stages in Bridgeview, Illinois. Chicago Fire II capitalized on a positive spell of possession and broke the deadlock when Peter Soudan’s cross from the right flank was headed home by substitute Bryce Richards in the 83rd minute.
TFC II came within inches of an equalizer moments later when Michael Sullivan’s effort from distance forced Fire goalkeeper Patrick Los into a crucial, acrobatic save in the closing stages of regular time. Substitute Joshua Nugent then saw his close-range shot blocked in stoppage time.
The Young Reds’ late comeback effort fell short as Richards’ first MLS NEXT Pro goal ultimately proved enough to separate the two sides on the night, giving the hosts their first victory of the 2025 season.
TFC II visit New England Revolution II in MLS NEXT Pro action next on Friday, March 28. Kick-off from Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts is set for 2:00 p.m. ET and and will be available to watch globally on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
Scoring Summary:
CHI – Bryce Richards 83’ (Peter Soudan)
Misconduct Summary:
TOR – Ythallo 12’ (caution)
Lineups:
CHICAGO FIRE FC II – Patrick Los; Trip Fleming, Jean Diouf, Christopher Cupps (Olu Oyegunle 46’), Juan Miguel Calle; Chase Nagle (Oscar Pineda 90’), Diego Konincks (C), Peter Soudan; Vitaliy Hlyut (Jhoiner Montiel 77’), Claudio Cassano (Bryce Richards 72’), Dean Boltz (Jason Shokalook 70’)
Substitutes Not Used: Patryk Stechnij, Josue Pfrommer, Emir Herrera
TORONTO FC II – Adisa De Rosario (C); Marko Stojadinovic, Reid Fisher, Ythallo, Stefan Kapor (Joshua Nugent 65’); Michael Sullivan, Malik Henry, Nathaniel Edwards; Hassan Ayari (Antone Bossenberry 76’), Timothy Fortier (Lucas Olguin 46’), Charlie Sharp (Dékwon Barrow 46’)
Substitutes Not Used: Nathaniel Abraham, Will Caldwell, Micah Chisholm, Richard Chukwu, Andrei Dumitru
Notables:
- Two Toronto FC Academy products made their Toronto FC II debuts this evening – Tim Fortier as a starter and Antone Bossenberry as a second-half substitute.
- Stefan Kapor, Malik Henry and debutant Tim Fortier made their first starts for TFC II.
