April 13, 2024 – MLS NEXT Pro (MLS NEXT Pro)
Toronto FC II News Release
After playing the opening two games of the 2024 MLS NEXT Pro season on the road Toronto FC II are looking forward to finally getting the home portion of the campaign underway.
The Young Reds will host FC Cincinnati 2 at York Lions Stadium on Sunday.
Kickoff is set for 2 pm, general admission tickets are available for $10 at the gate ($5 for kids, seniors, and York University students), while entrance is free for Toronto FC season ticket holders with their membership card.
“Playing at home is always an advantage for any team,” said forward Julian Altobelli on Friday. “We haven’t played at home since last year and it’s something we’re all looking forward to.”
Every single one of the 28 matches the side will play this year are important, but the 14 played in familiar surroundings carry a little something extra.
“You get a routine, you get a rhythm, the feeling of the locker room, the dimensions of the field, when you score what it feels like, when you get scored on,” listed TFC II Head Coach Gianni Cimini, in his third season at the helm. “Those types of moments are the consistency part. You play at home every other week, whereas when you go to another stadium, those moments are slightly different, they feel different.”
Just some of the comforts of home.
“You come to the [BMO Training Ground], you do a little workout and you go to the grounds. There’s rituals around the game,” detailed Cimini. “That makes it more comfortable rather than just being in a hotel the whole time when on the road.”
Six weeks in, it’s been a disrupted start to the season for TFC II.
The side played their first game in the middle of March alongside the rest of the league, falling 2-1 away to Philadelphia Union II at Subaru Park, but then the rescheduling of a game against the Chicago Fire and an early bye-week meant there were 20-odd days between fixtures.
TFC II returned from that lengthy pause last weekend, beaten by the same scoreline against Columbus Crew 2 at Historic Crew Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
Now eight straight weeks of action lie ahead. With games in hand and some ground to make up the Young Reds are cautiously pleased with the growth from game one to game two.
“First game against Philly, away from home, a bunch of new guys, some really, really good additions, and it wasn’t our best performance,” lamented Altobelli. “We ended up getting the first goal, which should have been a confidence booster and we should…
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