TFC Tidbits: A night of debuts in MLS season opener

Welcome to TFC Tidbits, a special feature at TFC Republic that curates small bits and pieces of news about what's going on with Toronto FC.

Cimermanic, Corbeanu, Monlouis earn 1st appearances

WASHINGTON, D.C. – It was a night of many firsts for Toronto FC in its season opener on Saturday.

A 2-2 draw against D.C. United at Audi Field marked newly-hired coach Robin Fraser's first game in charge of TFC, while captain Jonathan Osorio became the first player in club history to play and score in 13 seasons. 

It was also a night of first appearances, as midfielder Markus Cimermanic, winger Theo Corbeanu and defender Zane Monlouis made their debuts for Toronto. 

Cimermanic, 20, played the full 90 minutes against D.C. just over 24 hours after being officially added to the Reds' roster for this season. The former youth academy product and TFC 2 midfielder put in a decent showing while being deployed as a wingback, making three tackles and a trio of interceptions. 

Fraser was full of praise for the youngster after the game. 

"I thought he was very good in his first start. [He] got put in some tough situations a few times, but I thought he handled it well. And he went through the kind of ups and downs that you see for a first-time player. As the game went on, he really grew into it and he was very, very solid," Fraser said. 

It wasn't perfect from Cimermancic on the night. He didn't properly close down Jacob Murrell and allowed the forward to deliver a cross to the edge of the box for teammate Christian Benteke to head home to give D.C. a 2-1 lead going into halftime. 

But overall, the former TFC 2 midfielder held his own. 

"Honestly, [it’s a] dream come true. I've been with the club since 2015. I've been just trying to get here for so long. I went seven years with the academy and then three years with the second team, so making my debut, it's just a dream come true. I still can't believe it," Cimermancic said. 

Corbeanu also earned a start and made two key passes – a pass that creates a clear goal scoring opportunity for a teammate – before being subbed out in the 80th minute. He started up top alongside Bernardeschi, and although the Canadian looked lively, he didn't appear to be on the same page as the Italian for most of the night. 

"It's newer guys coming in, guys who've been here and trying to mix them all together. And it's not surprising to have a few mix ups in front of the goals, especially early in the season," Fraser conceded.

TFC announced the signing of Monlouis on Saturday and the former Arsenal youth team product earned his first MLS minutes when he entered the game deep into injury time.

"He is a player with a pretty good pedigree, having been at Arsenal for many, many years. He's comfortable on the ball. He has good size, he has good athleticism, and he's certainly a player that we think will will be an important player for us this year," Fraser said.

(Top photo courtesy of Lucas Kschischang/Toronto FC)

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