Match Preview: Toronto FC v. AIK Stockholm | OneFootball

Yes - it's still preseason. And yes, only the most dedicated Toronto FC supporters will want to get up and watch a match at 10 am EST on Super Bowl Sunday with a questionable YouTube feed with no commentary. I'll be there watching and taking notes with a big cup of coffee. Join me in the madness that is Marbella Football Centre Matchday!

Who Are Ya? - AIK Fotboll

AIK Fitboll - or Allmänna Idrottsklubben - is a Stockholm-based team and plays in the Swedish top-flight Allsvenskan. AIK finished seventh in the league in the 2025 Season. Over their history, the team has won the Allsvenskan title six times - winning their last title in 2018. AIK plays their football out of the Strawberry Arena, which is a retractable roof stadium located in the northern suburbs of Stockholm. With a capacity of 50,000 for football, it is the largest stadium in Scandinavia. Additionally, the venue has served as Sweden's national stadium for men's football, hence the name Nationalarenan. I think they really missed an opportunity to call the stadium "Strawberry Fields" - you could have the name last forever.What is noteworthy to TFC supporters is two-fold - the ability to have an hybrid grass pitch with a retractable roof and the number of seats for a national football stadium. Despite existing in colder climates, Strawberry Arena has the ability to have a retractable roof and maintain a high-quality pitch through the use of LED lights. Perhaps it helps to maintain the pitch by not having to cover the grass in the winter and having it go dormant. Part of BMO Field's issues early in the season has resulted in from trying to recover quickly from harsh winters and dealing with snow mold. AIK's season starts in February with the Swedish Cup or Svenska Cupen, which aligns with the start of the MLS season. Being able to hold 55,000 fans in a national football stadium demonstrates the importance of having a big venue for a 42nd-ranked team. It would be nice to see that type of turnout for a Canada game, where BMO Field is rarely a sell-out.

Here's a look at the Strawberry arena with the roof closed. Sweden was playing Switzerland in a FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifier. | Mateusz Slodkowski/GettyImages

Opposing Players to Watch

Johan Hove - #8 - the Norwegian, who split his time between midfield and right-wing last year, led the team with 8 goals in the 2025 Allsvensken campaign and 10 goals in all competitions. Hove is entered his second year with AIK after spending 2 years with Dutch side FC Groningen and helping them win promotion back to the Eridvisie. Bersant Celina - #10 - The Kosovo international is the team's primary playmaker with 11 total goal involvements (5 goals, 6 assists). Similar to Hove, he plays multiple positions - splitting his time between the midfield and playing up top as striker. Celina is a well-travelled footballer having spent time in England, France, Wales, Norway, and Türkiye before arriving at AIK in 2023.Kevin Filling - #29 - The 17-year-old striker has already attracted interest from major European clubs like Manchester United and Borussia Dortmund. Filling scored AIK's lone goal in a 3-1 loss against Latvian side FK Liepaja. Since it is a preseason match, he is expected to see significant minutes instead of just filling in as substitute.

The TFC Connection

Kenny Stamatopoulos used to be a Red! | Nils Petter Nilsson/GettyImages

One would think it would be a bit of a stretch to find a connection between Toronto FC and AIK - but we found one! One-time TFC Goalkeeper Kyriakos (Kenny) Stamatopoulos has spent 13 seasons with AIK - seven as a players and six as a goalkeeper coach - a position that he still currently holds. Stamatopoulos was born in Greece and immigrated to Canada when he was two years old. He grew up in grew up in Markham, Ont. and has four caps with Canada. In 2007, Toronto FC was facing a keeper crisis as Greg Sutton was suffering the after-effects of a concussion while he was with Canada's Gold Cup team in June earlier that year. Stamatopoulos was signed on a loan deal from Norwegian side Tromsø and made his TFC debut on August 5, 2007 against the LA Galaxy. David Beckham was with the team but did not play due to a sore ankle. The match ended in a 0-0 draw. Stamatopoulos went on to play a total of 12 games to finish the 2007 between the sticks for Toronto FC. Prior to Stamatopoulos' first match, manager and GM Mo Johnston stated, "He'll handle it, he'll handle it well." Unfortunately, Toronto only won one match with Stamatopoulos in net - a 2-1 victory over the Chicago Fire. The team lost eight games and drew three. How did Kenny perform? His save percentage was a measly 67.2% making 41 saves from 61 shots and conceding 20 goals.

Let's TF-See - Toronto FC's Current Form

Since it's still preseason, there is not a lot of information to gather regarding the current level of performance of this squad. Additionally, preseason is a chance for team management to take a look at squad depth and team chemistry.

Toronto has played two preseason matches against two Korean Clubs - Incheon United and Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors FC. The match between TFC and Incheon United was a closed door scrimmage and the results were not formally released, although it was a rumoured 4-1 win for TFC. Toronto earned a 2-0 victory over Jeonbuk with goals from Djordje Mihailovic and Richie Laryea.

Gavran Laryea - Zimmerman - Monlouis - Thompson Osorio - Cifuentes - Coello Mihailovic - Kerr - Henry