Fulltime: Toronto FC 2-1 Tigres - Jonathan Osorio backheels Reds to victory

Last updated 10 p.m.

Fulltime: TORONTO FC WIN! The Reds will head down to Mexico next week with a one-goal cushion. They’ll have to be careful, though, with Tigres bagging an away goal.

Let us know your thoughts on the match in the comments! We’ll have a full match report with all the quotes and analysis up later, but for now, tell us what you think.

And don’t forget to Rate the Reds!

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90+’ — Chris Mavinga makes a trademark terrifyingly risky tackle, and pulls it off perfectly to preserve TFC’s lead.

89’ Toronto FC 2-1 Tigres — JONATHAN OSORIO ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? Oso clips a cheeky backheel past Nahuel Guzman after a nice ball across from Sebastian Giovinco. The Reds are in front!!

85’ — Nick Hagglund comes in to replace Eriq Zavaleta, who may be hurting.

80’ — Victor Vazquez enters the match to replace Marky Delgado, and Auro comes in for Gregory van der Wiel.

58’ Toronto FC 1-1 Tigres — JOZY ALTIDORE!!!!! The big man brings TFC level with a fantastic finish into the bottom corner. Things are getting spicy now.

52’ Toronto FC 0-1 Tigres — Eduardo Vargas puts Tigres up 1-0 with a great finish.

48’ — Toronto FC appeal for a foul on Jozy Altidore in the box. Anything in it?

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We’re back out for the second half. Tigres have subbed on Andre-Pierre Gignac to replace Enner Valencia.

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Halftime: Nothing doing after 45 minutes. TFC have had a few chances, but so have Tigres. The second half is sure to be a good one. The Reds probably had the upper hand in the last 20 or so minutes.

Stats at the break:

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Pre-match: Toronto FC supporters reveal a banner that reads “Muertea los Gatitos,” which translates to “Kill the Kittens.”

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Are you nervous? If you’re not, maybe you should be.

Tonight, Toronto FC play one of the biggest games in club history. They’ll host the Liga MX 2017 Apertura champions, Tigres UANL. This is a pretty big moment for MLS as a whole; many consider this TFC team the league’s best-ever hope of competing with the giants from Mexico.

Only one MLS side has ever beaten a Mexican team in a CONCACAF Champions League knockout tie. That accolade rests with the 2013 Seattle Sounders, who ousted Tigres in the quarterfinals after Djimi Traore scored one of the most ridiculous goals the competition has ever seen.

Nobody from outside of Mexico has ever won the tournament, either. But you all know that.

This is the kind of tie Tim Bezbatchenko and his staff had in mind when they went out into the transfer market this winter. Doing damage in the Champions League is a stated goal of theirs, and a competitive showing against Tigres here would fit that description.

It will not be easy. Tigres are a dominant side with an insane amount of attacking ability. Read Gianluca’s analysis of them here; you’ll understand that they can score. Andre-Pierre Gignac, Enner Valencia and Eduardo Vargas are all likely in the top five attacking players Alex Bono has ever faced.

(As an aside on Valencia, please take some time to watch this hilarious event that would truly only happen in South American football:)

Apparently Valencia actually got into an ambulance and had it flee from the police, as well.

Anyway.

TFC have struggled a little out of the gate this season, while Tigres are joint-second in Liga MX with 10 games played. The conditions probably won’t be great, with snow in the forecast, but that could well be an advantage for Toronto.

Are you ready?

Team news: injuries and suspensions

Toronto FC: Victor Vazquez is day-to-day with a nerve issue in his back. Everyone else is apparently good to go.

Michael Bradley is on a yellow card, and will be suspended if he sees another one.

Tigres UANL: Centre-back Francisco Meza is out long-term with an ACL injury. Fullbacks Ivan Estrada and Luis Rodriguez have also been ruled out.

Pre-game reading

Getting to know Tigres’ offensive threats (Gianluca Lia)
Columbus loss just the wakeup call Toronto FC needed (Charlie O’Connor-Clarke)
Toronto FC’s offence needs to wake up by Wednesday (Mitchell Tierney)
Legend of Toronto FC: Breath of the CONCACAF Champions League (Tej Sahota)

How to watch

Match date/time: 8 p.m. EST, Wednesday, March 7
TV: TSN 2 (Canada), Univision Deportes (USA)
Live stream: TSN Go (Canada), go90 (USA)
Radio: None, as far as I can tell.

Lineups

Toronto FC:

Tigres UANL:

Guzman, Jimenez, Juninho, Ayala, Nilo, Zelarayan, Vasquez, Aquino, Duenas, Vargas, Valencia

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We’re trying something a little bit new with our game threads around here. We’ll be updating this post during the Toronto FC vs. Tigres match with highlights, analysis, and commentary, right up until the final whistle. Follow along with us in the comments section!