Red Bulls Preparation for Visiting Toronto FC

By Daniel Feuerstein | Morris Township, NJ | October 16th, 2026

Red Bull New York is back at Sports Illustrated Stadium as they get ready for their Canadian opponents, as Toronto FC will face the club. This is a very important match as the Red Bulls are fighting to keep their position in the playoffs, as they have FC Cincinnati with them in the Wild Card round. D.C. United, NYCFC & Toronto FC are right behind both clubs and are looking to get past them. For the Red Bulls, it’s important to get a result to remain where they are and above the playoff line.

Lewis Morgan will return to Harrison

Scottish International Lewis Morgan, who was originally traded to San Diego FC before the new season started, was transferred to Toronto FC in the Summer window. When Lewis Morgan was with the Red Bulls, he had two solid seasons out of four, as the other two were injury-riddled seasons. But when Morgan was playing, he was a dangerous player who was on the attack and scored big goals. He converted two hat tricks, scored an amazing golaso against D.C. United, and was part of the big run to the 2024 MLS Cup Final. He was loved by the fans.

“He’s a really good guy. I think his time here speaks for itself in terms of the way that he was able to play and the success that he helped bring to the club. I think in a very short amount of time, he has established himself as an important player for Toronto. And so we’ll see how they put their team together for tomorrow. But whether he starts or comes on as a reserve, we know that Lewis is a really, really good player and a guy who will be motivated to make a difference,” said Michael Bradley

Toronto FC is a dangerous club

As the season got started, Toronto FC hasn’t been good, but with Robin Fraser at the helm as head coach, the club has been slowly improving, and now they are within shouting distance from the Red Bulls for that Wild Card position. Not only did they get a big win over their East Coast Canadian Rivals in CF Montreal, but they also hosted Orlando City in the midweek and had a huge three-goal draw to keep them three points behind the Red Bulls. Toronto is now a dangerous club as they will come after you and are hungry to get back to where they were many years ago.

“It’s a team that in this last period has scored a lot of goals. And so you give them big credit for that. It’s a team in this last period that when they’ve been down at the end of games, and they’ve needed to really push and find a way to throw everything they have at it and try to get a late equalizer or a late winner, they’ve been able to do that. And so that breeds confidence, and I know Robin well. A really good man. I think he has done a really good job with moving that group along over the course of the season. And we know they’re going to come in here ready for a big game and ready for a game that they have. They’ve talked about it as a game they have to win. And so we’ll be ready. We’re excited for a big night,” said Michael Bradley

Ethan Horvath has improved his play

Since the Red Bulls’ four-match road trip, their defensive play and goalkeeping have improved. Especially Goalkeeper Ethan Horvath. His footwork has been better; he’s been more vocal and he made a huge penalty kick stop on San Diego FC’s Anders Dreyer by diving to his left and low to stop the ball with his hand late in the first half last weekend. He’s also earned an extra three to four clean sheets since the home opener back in March against the New England Revolution. While the entire team has improved, with the exception of the games against St. Louis City & D.C. United, the Red Bulls have improved.

“When we were on the road trip, you know, it was a very successful road trip. The four away games, you know, we walked away with a lot of confidence with that. You know, it’s not just me. I think the team, we were, you know, we were in a very, very good rhythm. You know, when we played San Diego, it showed, you know, I can’t go score goals, so that’s on the other guys. So, you know, I think as a group and as a whole team, we were feeling really good about ourselves and took the confidence from that road trip, you know, and like, okay, we had the game against St. Louis; we were missing a bunch of guys, but then we came back against San Diego and had a really, really, probably one of our best games as a whole team,” said Ethan Horvath

The players on Toronto are dangerous

While certain players are not scoring for Toronto FC, certain players are, and they are uplifting the club to get back into a playoff position. The Players are very well aware that this is going to be a slugfest, and it’s up to the Red Bulls to take advantage of whatever comes their way. If they can do a great job of paying attention to details and defending their lives on their side of the pitch, then on offense they need to connect with each other and take their chances well to beat Toronto.

“At the top of my head, I’ve played against him too many times, Josh Sargent. I know he maybe lately hasn’t been on the score sheet for them, but he’s still somebody to look out for. He’s strong; he shoots well outside the box with both feet. Inside the box, he’s very intelligent. It always seems he’s at the right place at the right time. If you play Georgie (Mihailovic), you know he’s a very intelligent player; he’s got a bit of an X-factor as well, good shooting from outside the box, free kicks, set plays. So off the top of my head, those are the two guys that come to mind from what we saw this morning. They have different types of crosses that they like to put in the box, so we need to make sure, from a defensive standpoint, that, number one, we’re in the right position, and number two, we’re marking Josh and marking the runners in the box to clear our lines,” said Ethan Horvath

All these games remaining are big games for the Red Bulls, and they will need every player to get out on the pitch and perform at their highest level to remain in a playoff spot and stay over the line. There are no easy games anymore, and this one against Toronto FC will not be easy at all. It’s time for the Red Bulls to get ready for a dogfight and get the result they need.

Red Bull New York is hosting Toronto FC in an important home game to keep their playoff spot.

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