Major League Soccer’s Toronto FC to Play Home Matches at Rentschler Field This Fall

Major League Soccer's Toronto FC will play its home matches this season at Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, Governor Ned Lamont announced Friday.

The team's first home match is scheduled for Sunday, September 27 in East Hartford against Columbus Crew FC.

“Pratt & Whitney Stadium is an ideal location for professional soccer, and I am excited that we’ve reached an agreement with Toronto FC to have the club play their home games here,” Governor Lamont said in a statement. “Our state is filled with thousands of MLS fans who no doubt will be excited by this news. I thank Toronto FC’s management team for working with my administration to finalize this agreement, and we look forward to having the Reds in Connecticut.”

The match on September 27 is the only one scheduled for the club at Rentschler Field, according to the governor's office and the team's website. Major League Soccer is still finalizing travel protocols but plans to announce additional matches soon.

“While we continue to work with government officials on our travel protocols, it is important to the club to have our own home away from home during this next phase,” Toronto FC President Bill Manning said in a press release announced the agreement. “The State of Connecticut opened their arms for us and my compliments to David Lehman and Governor Lamont for their leadership here. Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field is a great venue. They’ve hosted a number of international games and we’re excited to play there.”

The governor's office said the agreement came after collaboration between the Lamont Administration and Spectra Venue Management Services.

“We felt that it was important to have a surrogate home field that had similarities to BMO Field, in dimension, surface characteristics, and field quality,” Toronto FC General Manager Ali Curtis said. “Also, from a competitive standpoint, a priority was to have our own home field. While playing at BMO Field is always our preferred and ideal option, we think the East Hartford location is the best available option for this next phase.”