Toronto FC tested semi-pro Simcoe County Rovers FC on Wednesday, defeating the Ontario League 1 champions 5-0 in the preliminary round of the Canadian Championship.
Prince Owusu, Cassius Mailula, Kevin Long, Jonathan Osorio and Tyrese Spicer scored for Toronto, which led 4-0 at halftime with three of the goals in nine minutes. Owusu could have had a hat trick or more in the first half.
Toronto coach John Herdman emptied his bench in the second half.
Simcoe County showed flashes of their ability, but Toronto, despite going deep into its roster that night, had too much. The MLS club’s flank attacks overwhelmed Simcoe, which begins its regular season on Sunday.
Toronto will face Halifax Wanderers FC of the CPL or Quebec champion CS Saint-Laurent in the quarterfinals. TFC has won the Canadian Championship eight times, most recently in 2020. They finished runner-up five times.
It was all Toronto in the opening minutes with Simcoe unable to retain possession. But the visitors threatened in the 13th minute when goalkeeper Luka Gavran pushed Alexander Zis’s low free kick wide of the post to safety.
Zis, selected in the second round of the 2019 CPL-U Sports draft by the University of Guelph’s Forge FC, was in the Saudi third division.
Orlandis Benitez’s half-volley forced another save from Gavran in the 22nd minute.
Normal service was then resumed.
Owusu opened the scoring in the 18th minute, heading in Kobe Franklin’s cross after Simcoe failed to clear the ball, allowing TFC to relaunch their attack. It was the six-foot-tall German’s fourth goal in three games and his fifth in the last six.
However, Simcoe began to settle down after losing a goal and made several attractive drives towards the Toronto end.
But Osorio, making his 350th appearance in all competitions for TFC, found Owusu in the penalty area and the German fed an unmarked Mailula for a tap-in in the 30th minute for a 2-0 lead. It was the South African’s first goal in his first start for the club.
Three minutes later, the six-foot-two Long headed in an Osorio corner.
Mailula and Owusu set up Osorio in the 39th minute with Owusu heading Mailula’s cross towards Osorio who, turning his body to shoot, beat goalkeeper Rimi Olatunji.
Spicer, the first overall pick in the 2024 MLS SuperDraft, made it 5-0 in the 76th minute, heading in a cross from Franklin after taking over the forward position from Owusu.
Simcoe almost scored in the 78th minute, but Gavran had a hand in stopping Benitez’s strong shot from close range.
Herdman had sent on Spicer, Sigurd Rosted and 17-year-old midfielder Andrei Dumitru to open the second half. It was the TFC debut for Dumitru, who like 24-year-old Honduran forward Jesús Bátiz, signed a short-term deal with MLS from Toronto FC II earlier in the day.
Honduran international Deybi Flores and Nicksoen Gomis followed from the TFC bench.
Simcoe qualified by winning the Ontario League 1 title last year. The club finished runners-up in the 2023 regular season at 15-4-1 before defeating league leader Scrosoppi FC 4-2 in the championship game last September.
Simcoe has not played since preseason games. But he was buoyed by 1,500 fans who traveled on Wednesday and packed the north stand.
Simcoe’s ownership group includes former Canada captains Julian de Guzmán and Atiba Hutchinson and current Canadian internationals Janine Beckie, Doneil Henry and Cyle Larin.
Henry was present on Wednesday. No stranger to TFC, the 31-year-old defender spent two seasons at the MLS club and was the first youth player to sign for the first team, back in August 2010.
Simcoe’s starters featured six players with TFC connections and more in the full squad.
Defender Jalen Watson was selected 32nd overall by TFC out of Penn State in the 2023 MLS SuperDraft. Goalkeepers Dikola Douglas and Olatunji, defenders Jordan Barclay, Cameron DaSilva, Aidan Hugo and Justyn Thomas, midfielders Javier George, Andron Kagramanyan and Zis and forwards Matthew Fisher and Ijah Halley spent time in Toronto’s academy.
The last time Simcoe midfielder Alejandro Portal played at BMO Field was in September 2019 as a member of the Cuban team defeated 6-0 by Canada. He and Benítez were among several Cuban players who later defected.
The Simcoe players trained at BMO on Tuesday and took their time inspecting the pitch on Wednesday when they arrived at the stadium.
Osorio was one of Toronto’s four starters in Saturday’s 1-0 win over New England. Franklin, Owusu and midfielder Matty Longstaff also retained their starting spot.
Toronto did not field any of its three designated players with Lorenzo Insigne and Richie Laryea injured and Federico Bernardeschi with the night off.