Toronto FC captain Jonathan Osorio on the verge of another MLS milestone

“It makes me so proud of him,” said Toronto coach Robin Fraser, who was an assistant coach at Toronto from 2015 to 2019 before returning to become head coach on Jan. 10.

Fraser has watched Osorio grow from a “talented, petulant kind of young person” to a mature leader.

“He has earned every single thing he’s gotten,” said Fraser. “I’ve watched his development from near and afar over the years and I’m so excited to have the opportunity to work with him again, because he really has grown into not just a tremendous player, (but) a tremendous leader and a really, really good person.”

Osorio and Toronto visit Orlando City on Saturday.

Out-of-favour Italian star Lorenzo Insigne did not make the trip to Florida. Toronto is actively trying to move the 33-year-old attacker, whose US$15.4-million salary was second only to Miami’s Lionel Messi last season.

Asked about Insigne’s status, Fraser had little to report.

“I really can’t (provide an update) in terms of the bigger picture question. But for me, it was just about picking the group that would give us the best result on the day,” he said Friday from Florida.

Newly acquired Norwegian forward Ola Brynhildsen, who has not played a competitive game since December, is available after not dressing last week.

“We’ll see him some,” said Fraser.

Defender Raoul Petretta is “touch and go” with a minor knock. Winger Derrick Etienne Jr. continues his return from hernia surgery.

With 66 goals in all competition, Osorio ranks third in the Toronto record book behind Sebastian Giovinco (83) and Jozy Altidore (79). He also has 54 assists.

Going into Saturday’s game, Osorio had made a club-record 371 appearances across all competitions.

He’s the 11th player in league history to have played at least 13 seasons in the league and scored in each of them. Only five players have accomplished the feat in 14-or-more seasons.

It’s likely news to Osorio, not one to blow his own horn or even be aware of such milestones.

His teammates know his worth, however.

“Without a doubt, he’s a historic player for the club and a historic player for the league, already,” said Toronto midfielder Alonso Coello.

Osorio opened the scoring last Saturday in Toronto’s season-opening 2-2 draw at D.C. United. Orlando, meanwhile, lost 4-2 to visiting Philadelphia.

Croatian winger Marco Pasalic, Orlando’s new designated player, entered the record book by scoring the fastest debut goal in club history (seven minutes 20 seconds into the match), beating Daryl Dike’s record (17:54) set against Inter Miami in 2020.

Pasalic also became the first Orlando player to score twice in his debut.

Orlando forward Ivan Angulo is set for his 100th appearance across all competitions. The former Colombian youth international has appeared in 86 consecutive MLS regular season and playoff games, dating back to August 2022.

At 15-12-7, Orlando finished 15 points and six places ahead of 11th-place Toronto (11-19-4) in the Eastern Conference last season.

Orlando dispatched Charlotte FC and Atlanta United before falling to the New York Red Bulls in the conference final.

Orlando has held the upper hand over Toronto of late with a 7-1-1 record since Oscar Pareja took over as coach. . However, Toronto won 2-1 when the clubs met in Orlando last April, marking TFC’s first victory over the Florida side since May 2019

Toronto came into Saturday’s game with a 9-9-3 all-time record against Orlando in regular-season play.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 28, 2025

Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press

by Canadian Press

Toronto FC captain Jonathan Osorio on the verge of another MLS milestone

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