TFC Republic Weekly: August 18-24

Welcome to the latest edition of TFC Republic Weekly, an email newsletter that will land in the inbox of both paid subscribers and free members of TFC Republic every Monday.

This newsletter will look at what's in store over the next seven days for Toronto FC, and also get a glimpse of what to expect at TFC Republic in the coming days.

So, without further ado...

Toronto FC earns comeback draw vs. Columbus Crew

For the second week in a row Toronto FC showed some grit in coming from behind to earn a draw against one of the best teams in MLS. 

Forward Jules Anthony-Vilsaint marked his debut for the Reds by scoring the equalizer in a 1-1 stalemate against the Columbus Crew on Saturday at BMO Field. Toronto looked destined for defeat before Anthony-Vilsaint came off the bench in the second half and scored two minutes later to allow the home side to secure a share of the points. 

TFC (5-13-8) is now winless in four outings (two losses) and although they remained in 12th place in the Eastern Conference, they’re 16 points out of a playoff spot with only eight games remaining in the campaign.

"I thought we started off a little nervous; didn't start off quite as sharply as we wanted to. Obviously gave away a pretty bad goal. But again, credit to the group, they dug in and fought and grew into the game, and by the end, obviously scored a great goal, created some good chances. I just can't say enough about the effort to be honest, and the ability to fight and keep themselves in games," coach Robin Fraser said.

Toronto FC vs. Columbus Crew: 3 takeaways

TFC showed plenty of resolve in coming from behind to earn a share of the points against Columbus at home on Saturday.

TFC REPUBLICJohn Molinaro

TFC trades Matty Longstaff to CF Montreal

Toronto FC pulled off a big trade last week when it sent midfielder Matty Longstaff to CF Montreal in exchange for forward Jules-Anthony Vilsaint and up to $275,000 in general allocation money (GAM) – $225,000 in guaranteed 2025 GAM and an additional $50,000 in conditional 2026 GAM pending Longstaff’s roster status next season. 

Toronto not only shed an under-performing player from its crowded midfield corps, but it also received a promising forward and a significant amount on GAM as part of the deal with Montreal. 

Longstaff was a regular contributor for the Reds last season, making 32 league appearances (25 starts) under John Herdman. He ended up recording two goals and a pair of assists in his first MLS campaign and finished third on the team in total minutes (2,227). Not a bad contribution for a player who was earning a modest $216,378 US.

But this year, he was limited to just 17 MLS games (11 starts, 906 minutes) under Robin Fraser. He also earned a sizeable pay increase ($331,869 in 2025). It's not an outrageous amount, but considering Longstaff only had one assist and no goals in MLS this year, he wasn't living up to his salary cap hit. 

Vilsaint, a 22-year-old from Montreal, is a promising prospect who TFC hopes can bolster their attack. He has shown flashes of brilliance since making his MLS debut in 2023 when he had one goal in 11 league appearances. Last year, he played in 19 games (11 starts) while tallying two goals and recording three assists under former Montreal coach Laurent Courtois. 

But Vilsaint wasn't given many opportunities by Marco Donadel since he took over as Montreal's interim coach in March. The youngster had just one assist in nine MLS games (one start, 219 total minutes) for Montreal in 2025. In total, Vilsaint had three goals and five assists in 45 appearances for his former club. 

TFC Tidbits: Departed Matty Longstaff fondly remembered

Longstaff was only at Toronto FC for less than two seasons, but he left a big impression on the coaching staff and his teammates.

TFC REPUBLICJohn Molinaro

Reds keep adding to GAM stockpile

Toronto FC announced last week it acquired $175,000 in 2025 GAM from Inter Miami in exchange for an international roster slot. This trade continued a recent trend from TFC who have been stockpiling GAM at a steady rate since the MLS secondary transfer window opened on July 24.

In July, the club received $50,000 in GAM in a trade with Sporting Kansas City for an international roster slot. Earlier this month, Toronto traded Trinidadian winger Tyrese Spicer to Orlando City for up to $550,000 in GAM.

The Reds pocketed $100,000 in GAM from Los Angeles FC in exchange for the "discovery priority" for Ryan Porteous, and acquired $175,000 in GAM from the Portland Timbers for an international roster slot. 

TFC also acquired $175,000 in GAM from Charlotte FC in exchange for an international roster slot and received up to $275,000 in GAM in the trade with CF Montreal for Matty Longstaff. In case you lost track, that's a grand total of $1.5 million in GAM.

GM Jason Hernandez has impressively put together a healthy reserve of GAM that should allow him to make some more roster moves, either before or after the closure of the league's secondary transfer window on Aug. 21. TFC doesn't have to use all of this GAM this year; MLS clubs are allowed to carry over unused GAM into next season.

“This is all part of our plans and gives us more roster flexibility and more options going forward," Hernandez told TFC Republic.

Reader mailbag: Should Luka Gavran be TFC’s No. 1 goalkeeper?

Gavran is good enough to start for Toronto FC. He’s just unfortunate to be on the same team as MLS veteran Sean Johnson.

TFC REPUBLICJohn Molinaro

Robin Fraser hints at more roster moves

Since the MLS secondary transfer window opened on July 24, Jason Hernandez has made a number of deals that have brought in approximately $1.5 million in general allocation money. 

He’s also signed a new designated player in Djordje Mihailovic, added a depth forward in Jules-Anthony Vilsaint, moved Malik Henry from TFC 2 up to the first team, traded away former No. 1 draft pick Tyrese Spicer and English midfielder Matty Longstaff, and sent out forwards Hugo Mbongue and Charlie Sharp on loans.  

And from the sounds of it there could be more roster moves coming from TFC before the league's transfer window closes on Aug. 21.   

“I know that we're looking at a number of things, so there's still a possibility of more additions [and] subtractions. There’s still a possibility of some things happening,” Robin Fraser said.  

He later added: “I know there's more in the works, and I have so much faith in what [Hernandez is] doing and what he's looking at.  

TFC Tidbits: Robin Fraser hints at more roster moves

“I know that we’re looking at a number of things, so there’s still a possibility of more additions [and] subtractions,” Fraser said.

TFC REPUBLICJohn Molinaro

TFC vs. Atlanta United on Sunday    

Toronto FC returns to action when it visits Atlanta United on Sunday (4:00 p.m. ET/Apple TV & TSN).           

Atlanta (4-12-10) sits 13th in the Eastern Conference, one spot and one point below Toronto and is mired in a terrible winless run. 

The Georgia-based club is coming off a 1-1 road stalemate vs. CF Montreal on the weekend, its second consecutive draw. In total, Atalanta is winless in its last nine matches (four losses) and hasn't collected three points since earning a 3-2 home win over Orlando City on May 28. 

The all-time regular season series between Toronto and Atlanta is tied at five wins apiece and seven draws in 17 meetings 

This is the final regular season meeting between the clubs. They battled to a 1-1 draw at BMO Field on July 12.   

RELATED READING: Newsletter || Features || Match reports || Opinion || Q&As || Videos || News || Transactions || TFC 2 ||

Stories to look out for at TFC Republic  

Richie Laryea suffered a hamstring injury in the second game of the season that ruled him out for three months. The veteran wingback returned to action in late May and has been a constant presence in Toronto FC's starting 11 ever since. He's also been asked to play several different positions, which he's done without complaint. Laryea recently spoke to reporters about his lengthy injury layoff and returning to action for the Reds. I'll have a full-length feature story on the Canadian international in the coming days.

Other stories that will be published later this week include:                  

• A TFC notebook column after Tuesday or Wednesday's training session. 
• A piece on the four stories to watch for this week.       
• In-depth pre- and post-game coverage of Toronto's match vs. Atlanta United.       
• An audio interview piece with Doug Roberson of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution of Saturday's home game vs. Atlanta.   
• A new TFC Random Thoughts column.      
• A new TFC Talk interview with beat reporter James Grossi.          
• Regular "TFC Tidbits" stories throughout the week.     
• The reader mailbag      
• The weekly TFC 2 report.      
• And much more! 

TFC Republic mailbag

TFC Republic will feature a regular reader mailbag column where I answer questions from subscribers about Toronto FC and Canadian soccer in general.

I'll answer the best questions submitted to me by TFC Republic readers, so feel free to drop me an email at jmo1897@gmail.com. You can also reach out to me via Twitter.

(Top photo by Lucas Kschischang/Toronto FC)

TFC Republic has a comments section! At the very bottom of every story, there is a feature where you can post your comments, so be sure to share your thoughts and views.