Reader mailbag: Have outgoing loan deals worked out for TFC?
Toronto FC has a very poor track record in recent years with young players it has loaned out, but it's trying to change that.
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Now that the central attacking midfielder spot for the foreseeable is filled, what do you feel is the next most pressing position for TFC to address?
In case you missed it, Toronto FC pulled off a major coup this week when it acquired midfielder Djordje Mihailovic via transfer from the Colorado Rapids for $8 million US and up to $1 million in conditional cash if certain performance-based metrics are met. Colorado also retains a sell-on percentage if the player is traded or transferred.
Mihailovic joins TFC as a designated player and has signed a three-and-a-half-year contract through the end of 2028 with a club option for 2029. And from the sounds of it, he’s quite eager to get his hands dirty with his new outfit.
John Molinaro
"When I hear Toronto FC, all I think about is the treble [in 2017], the trophies, the MVP players [who came] before me, and you think of just a massive club. That's what it was when I first came to the league. And that thought alone drew me immediately. When I heard this idea came to me, I quickly tried to grab it. The thought of playing here… and to be part of that history and to help get Toronto back to the top of the league," Mihailovic said during his introductory press conference on Friday.
The addition of the U.S. international fills a very big hole in Toronto’s roster. Not since former league MVP Alejandro Pozuelo left midway through the 2022 MLS season have the Reds had a game-breaking, creative midfielder who can also score goals and set up teammates with goal opportunities.
But there are still big holes in the Reds’ current roster, most notably at the No. 9 spot. Norwegian forward Ola Brynhildsen has been a bust during his loan spell, scoring just two goals in 18 MLS games and not providing value for his hefty contract.
Toronto has the fourth-worst attack in MLS with just 26 goals in 25 games and has been shut out nine times. It’s no wonder this team sits near the bottom of the table with only five wins on the campaign and is destined to miss the playoffs for a fifth consecutive year. Getting an experienced player who is a proven goal scorer has to be top of GM Jason Hernandez’s to-do list.
The club also has to add some depth in central defence. Henry Wingo, Zane Monlouis and Nicksoen Gomis are on the season-ending injury list which means they can't play for the rest of the year. That means that Kevin Long, Sigurd Rosted and Lazar Stefanovic are the only healthy centre backs.
Long is out of contract at the end of the season, while Rosted will enter his option year in 2026. Assuming the one (or both) of them won’t be back, the Reds have to bring in another centre back who can play anywhere across the back line.
“We can't be naive to think that acquiring Djordje now means we're winning every game for the rest of the season, and now we're contending for trophies. Djordje is going to give us a massive boost in so many ways. However, he needs to be only just the beginning. And we need to continue to try to improve all parts of the team. We need to continue to invest in all parts of the team,” Hernandez told reporters on Friday.
John Molinaro
Has any TFC player loaned out to a CPL team ever rejoined the club to become a regular starter or significant depth piece? I like Adam Pearlman; I'm rooting for him to stay at TFC.
The blunt answer is no. There hasn't been a single TFC player who was loaned out to a CPL club that was able to come back and establish himself as a regular starter or significant depth piece with the MLS outfit.
When you look at all of the outgoing loan deals from Toronto over the last few years that take into account all teams (not just from the CPL), there's only been one player who was able to return and establish himself: Kosi Thompson spent part of the 2023 season on loan with Lillestrøm SK in Norway.
In 2018, the club sent Spanish midfielder Ager Aketxe on loan to Cádiz CF. Later that year, TFC and Aketxe terminated the remaining term on his contract by mutual consent.
In 2019, Ryan Telfer (York9 FC, now York United), Aidan Daniels (Ottawa Fury) and Jon Bakero (Phoenix Rising FC) were loaned out. In 2020, Julian Dunn (Valour FC), Rocco Romeo and Noble Okello (both HB Køge) went on loan. In 2021, it was Romeo again (HB Køge and Valour FC), Liam Fraser (Columbus Crew) and Jordan Perruzza (San Antonio FC).
In 2022, it was Auro Jr. (Santos), Luke Singh (FC Edmonton) and Jacob Shaffelburg (Nashville SC). In 2023, it was Singh (Atletico Ottawa), Ayo Akinola (San Jose Earthquakes) and Jordan Perruzza (Halifax Wanderers). In 2024, it was Hugo Mbongue (San Antonio FC), Singh (Atletico Ottawa) and Cassius Mailula (Wydad AC).
With the exception of Thompson, none of the aforementioned players are currently with Toronto FC. Most of them never played a game for the Reds after being loaned out.
TFC currently have three players out on loan: Mbongue (Vancouver FC), Adam Pearlman (Halifax Wanderers) and Charlie Sharp (Tampa Bay Rowdies). The hope is that they won't suffer the same fate as their predecessors who were loaned out by Toronto.
The club clearly has recognized they've had an issue with players going out on loan and recently hired Matt Slayford, formerly at Brighton & Hove Albion of the English Premier League. He's been put in charge of keeping tabs with players when they're loaned out and meeting with them to discuss their progress.
"We keep in touch, for sure. We speak often," Pearlman recently told TFC Republic.
"I'm in touch with [Slayford] who's in charge of keeping tabs on loan players, and he and I get together every second week to just talk about my game. So, it's been very good from that perspective because I don’t feel isolated or forgotten about."
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I get the impression that Ola Brynhildsen is not going to work out as an attacking forward. Your thoughts?
– Colin Freebury
Much was expected of Ola Brynhildsen when TFC signed him on a season-long loan from Danish side FC Midtjylland utilizing targeted allocation money.
Brynhildsen, 26, had 76 goals and 33 assists in 267 games across all competitions in a club career that began in his native Norway with Stabæk Fotball. At one point, Brynhildsen was linked with a transfer move from Molde to Dutch giants PSV Eindhoven, French side Girondins de Bordeaux and Nottingham Forest of the Premier League. So, it seemed like TFC was getting a gem of a player.
But I think it's fair to say he hasn't lived up to his hefty contract ($1,629,610 US), scoring just two goals and adding a single assist in 17 MLS appearances. If those numbers aren't bad enough, consider this: He only has seven shots on target. Seven!
The Norwegian has been bedevilled by injury problems since his arrival in Toronto, and he hasn't exactly benefitted from the best service. Still, you'd have expected more out of him, aside from offering TFC a steely physical presence up front in battling it out with opposing defenders.
Forwards are judged on the number of goals they score, not their hold-up play. So, on that score, it has to be said that he's been a major letdown.
TFC have the option to sign Brynhildsen on a permanent deal at the end of the season, so GM Jason Hernandez has a big decision to make: Either double down and bring him back or cut him loose at the end of the year.
Unless the Norwegian goes on a scoring tear during the last nine games of the season, I can't see how Toronto could justify signing him to a permanent deal.
(Top photo by Lucas Kschischang/Toronto FC)
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