New DP forward Josh Sargent is drawing a lot of attention for Toronto FC, especially after he made his MLS debut in last week’s 1-1 draw against the New York Red Bulls.
At the same time, fellow TFC newcomer Dániel Sallói has quietly flown under the radar as the team’s best player early on this season with two goals in four appearances. He will be looking to add to his goal tally when Toronto hosts the Columbus Crew on Saturday at BMO Field.
Sallói, 29, has helped breathe new life into a stagnant Toronto attack that ranked among the worst in MLS last season ever since joining the Canadian club via a trade with Sporting Kansas City before the 2026 campaign.
The Hungarian is a proven MLS attacker with plenty of experience and who can play either as a winger or as a striker. He boasts speed, dynamism in attack and finishing ability, and is exactly the type of player profile the Reds desperately needed.
His skills haven’t gone unnoticed by his new teammates.
“I think he brings another level of attacking ability,” Toronto winger Etienne Jr. said. “He can run in behind (defences), but he can also get the ball to feed (teammates), and he has a great shot on him. The two goals he has, they were two great finishes. … The more we’re able to utilize his strengths of getting him isolated out wide and getting him shots around the 18-yard box, he’s going to be great for us.”
In nine seasons with Kansas City, Sallói scored 67 goals and tallied 43 assists in 286 appearances in all competitions. His best campaign came in 2021, when he posted career highs in goals (16) and assists (eight). He was also an MLS all-star and was named a finalist for the Landon Donovan MLS MVP award that year.
Scheduled to be out of contract at the end of this year, Sallói was signed to an extension by Toronto earlier this week.
“We knew he was a good player coming in,” coach Robin Fraser said before Saturday’s match. “But working with him day in and day out, I think he’s even better than I thought he was, and his character is fantastic. He’s someone who just wants to play for his team and to help his teammates out and help the organization out. I could see him doing really well for us for a while.”
Thus far, Sallói is paying dividends for TFC. He helped set up Etienne Jr.’s goal in Toronto’s season-opening loss away to FC Dallas. He followed that up with his first goal for the club in a 1-0 win over FC Cincinnati and found the net again last weekend against the New York Red Bulls.
Late in the first half against New York, goalkeeper Luka Gavran made a heads-up play by playing a quick outlet pass for Djordje Mihailovic off a restart that caught the visitors napping. Mihailovic broke up-field and gave his marker the slip before finding Sallói, who beat goalkeeper Evan Horvath with a one-touch chip shot from just inside the penalty area.
It was an exquisite finish that drew thunderous applause from the hometown fans.
“That was special to be here and find a new home,” Sallói said after his man-of-the match performance. “These fans have welcomed me so far very nicely. And, finally, I got to play in front of them and that was very special to be able to score here. I hope we get to share many, many moments like that in the future.”
Elsewhere in MLS this weekend:
• Austin FC hosts LAFC on Saturday in a game that will see two Canadian internationals go head-to-head. Mathieu Choinière is coming off a two-goal performance against St. Louis City SC last week and is considered a lock for this summer’s World Cup roster. Jayden Nelson is on the outside looking in as far as a World Cup call-up and has yet to score for Austin in four games since being traded there during the off-season from the Vancouver Whitecaps.
• Speaking of the Whitecaps, they’ll host the San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday in a match-up between two of the best sides in the Western Conference. Vancouver (4-0-0) is one of only two perfect teams in MLS, while San Jose (3-0-1) is flying high thanks to the efforts of its back line that has recorded three clean sheets and conceded just one goal this season.
• CF Montreal (1-3-0) plays the fifth match of a six-game road swing to open the season when it visits FC Cincinnati on Sunday. Montreal is catching Cincinnati at the right time as the orange and blue are coming off a midweek 5-1 loss to Mexican side Tigres in the Concacaf Champions League. Last weekend, they suffered a humiliating 6-1 road loss to the New England Revolution in MLS.
John Molinaro is one of the leading soccer journalists in Canada, having covered the game for over 27 years for several media outlets, including Sportsnet, CBC Sports and Sun Media. He is currently the editor-in-chief of TFC Republic, a website dedicated to in-depth coverage of Toronto FC and Canadian soccer.
