TFC Republic Weekly: August 31-September 6

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 extend unbeaten run to 5 straight games 

This summer has witnessed Toronto FC earn a reputation as a comeback specialist.  

Down a goal at halftime, TFC rescued a point courtesy of Dániel Sallói’s second-half strike in a come-from-behind 1-1 draw vs. New York City FC at BMO Field on Saturday.     

Toronto (5-7-10) extended its unbeaten streak to five games (two wins) to remain within touching distance of the ninth and final playoff berth in the Eastern Conference with 12 matches remaining in the MLS regular season.   

"Definitely a valuable point, especially you know the way the game went. As a collective, we fought really well, and we battled it out till the end. ... We were very dangerous in the second half, and everyone had so much energy. That's the impression I had and I'm very proud of the group, even though it's not three points. It's a point, but valuable point," winger Theo Corbeanu said in the post-match press conference 

The Reds have fought their way back into contention for a post-season spot by collecting nine out of 15 points from their last five matches, coming from behind three times during that same span to earn a result. While Toronto would have much preferred a victory, this latest comeback effort should continue to give them a major boost of confidence as they enter the final stretch of the campaign looking to end their five-year playoff drought.   

"I keep talking about the character of the team. I feel like I do this every week, but they don't quit. They dig in. They fight. But I would say a problem is we are coming from behind too often. No matter how good you are coming from behind, it's not as good a position as leading, and I think we need to be able to take more leads and play from that position," coach Robin Fraser offered. 

Toronto FC vs. New York City FC: 3 takeaways

TFC have developed a knack of coming from behind, bur Robin Fraser would prefer to see his team play with a lead more often.

TFC REPUBLICJohn Molinaro

Robin Fraser fined by MLS for ref outburst 

Robin Fraser's recent outburst about the officiating has cost him some money. 

Major League Soccer announced last Friday it fined Toronto FC's coach an undisclosed amount for violating the league's public criticism policy. The fine was in response to Fraser's epic post-match rant following a recent 3-3 home draw vs. Charlotte FC. 

Playing with 10 men and down by two goals in the second half, TFC showed a lot of character in fighting back to earn a share of the points against their Eastern Conference rivals. But Fraser was far from happy when speaking to reporters in the post-match press conference, taking aim at referee Alexis Da Silva and the VAR crew for a series of calls and non-calls that went against the Reds.  

"It's hard enough to win in this league when you're playing against the 11 players, but then when you have the referees, you feel like you're against them every week. It just becomes difficult. But what I've said to this group is this is the way it is. For some reason, it feels like we're playing more than 11 players, and if that's the case, then we need to do everything we can to score more goals," Fraser said. 

Reader mailbag: Will Robin Fraser’s outburst come back to haunt TFC?

Fraser was quite right to recently call out the refs and VAR officials, and he needn’t worry about any kind of retribution.

TFC REPUBLICJohn Molinaro

MLS summer transfer window closes on Wednesday

The MLS secondary transfer window closes on Sept. 2, which means GM Jason Hernandez only has a limited amount of time remaining if he wants to add a player to his roster via a trade or transfer.

Thus far this window, Hernandez pulled off acquisitions for Niklas Dorsch and Nelson Palacio, moved up Richard Chukwu from TFC 2 to the first team, and parted company with Henry Wingo and Cassius Mailula.

But can we expect any more additions to TFC's squad before the transfer window closes on Wednesday?

"We're obviously looking at a number of different things, and that's probably more of a Jason [Hernandez] question, but I would say till the very end, and as long as we have resources, we'll be looking," Robin Fraser said.

Reader mailbag: Will Robin Fraser’s outburst come back to haunt TFC?

Fraser was quite right to recently call out the refs and VAR officials, and he needn’t worry about any kind of retribution.

TFC REPUBLICJohn Molinaro

TFC vs. Chicago Fire on Saturday 

Toronto FC plays the second of three consecutive home games when it hosts Robert Lewandowski and the Chicago Fire on Saturday (7:30 p.m. ET/Apple TV). 

Chicago (11-6-4) sits third in the Eastern Conference, seven spots and 12 points above Toronto. Like TFC, the Fire are riding a five-game unbeaten run which includes a 2-2 draw away to the Seattle Sounders this past weekend. 

Chicago boasts the third-best defensive record in the East with just 28 goals against and has recorded six clean sheets this season. Belgian striker Hugo Cuypers was their top scorer (13 goals), but he was sold to C.F. Monterrey of Mexico in June. At roughly the same time, the club signed Lewandowski as a free agent, and the Polish international has four goals and an assist in seven games. 

The all-time regular season series between Toronto and Chicago is tied at 14 wins and 14 draws apiece. TFC are 10-6-6 all-time at home vs. Chicago in the regular season but are winless in their last three game at BMO Field with their previous victory coming in 2022. 

This week's match is the final meeting of the regular season between Toronto and Chicago. TFC suffered a 2-1 loss on May 23 at Soldier Field. 

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

Stories to look out for at TFC Republic      

As noted earlier, the MLS secondary transfer window closes this week, giving GM Jason Hernandez one last chance to make player trades or bring in players via transfer. We'll have a full breakdown and evaluation of TFC's summer transfer activity once the window closes. 

Other stories that will be published this week include:                             

• A new TFC Talk interview with beat reporter James Grossi.      
• A piece on the four stories to watch for this week.  
• A TFC notebook column after Tuesday or Wednesday's training session.  
• A feature story on Canadian international Theo Corbeanu.    
• The weekly TFC random thoughts column. 
• In-depth pre- and post-game coverage of Toronto's match vs. Chicago Fire.        
• An audio interview piece with reporter Joe Chatz of On Tap Sports Net  ahead of Saturday's home game.      
• The latest edition of the reader mailbag.      
• The weekly TFC 2 report. 
• Regular "TFC Tidbits" news stories throughout the week.        
• 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.