TFC's Djordje Mihailovic optimistic ahead of new season
"I think we had a really good pre-season. I think we are miles better as a collective compared to the end of last season," Mihailovic said.
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FRISCO, TEXAS – Toronto FC is coming off another disappointing MLS campaign after finishing 12th in the Eastern Conference in 2025 and missing out of the playoffs for a fifth straight year.
But the club showed a bit of life at the tail end of last season when it recorded a league-record eight draws in a row and lost just one of its final 10 games.
TFC gathered in Spain for nearly a month for pre-season training camp in January and February, allowing some of the newcomers, most notably centre back Walker Zimmerman, to get firmly embedded with his teammates.
The team’s performances in Marbella, combined with the other roster additions made by GM Jason Hernandez, gives DP midfielder Djordje Mihailovic reason to be optimistic ahead of the team’s 2026 season opener away to FC Dallas this weekend.
Note: I will be at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas to cover Saturday's game, so be sure to visit TFC Republic all weekend in order to check out our special on-site coverage.
“I think we had a really good pre-season. I think we are miles better as a collective compared to the end of last season, and we ended on a good note last season. So, I think as a team, we've improved so much,” Mihailovic said.
“It's a very good energy around the locker room at this point and right now the only thought is, how can we start the season well? I saw something on Twitter that we haven't won a season opener in a while, so I think it's time.”
In fact, the Reds haven’t won an MLS curtain raiser since 2019 when they earned a 3-1 road decision over the Philadelphia Union.
Not since 2020 have TFC qualified for the playoffs. That’s also the last time they won a trophy, the COVID-delayed Canadian Championship played in 2021.
Getting back to the post-season and adding more hardware to the club’s trophy cabinet are foremost on Mihailovic’s mind this year.
“We want to win everything available, Can Champ, every trophy available, and this club is fighting for that. … I don't want to say we are limiting ourselves to making just the playoffs,” Mihailovic said.
TFC had one of the best defensive records in MLS last year with 44 goals against. At the same, Toronto ranked third-worst in goals scored with just 37.
The additions of Dániel Sallói and Emilio Aristizábal, and the soon-to-arrive Josh Sargent, should help Toronto improve its attacking fortunes. But Mihailovic doesn’t want to see the team abandon its commitment to being a tough team for opponents to break down.
“When you control games, that doesn't mean you have to have 60 or 70 per cent possession. You can control games without the ball, defending well, and at the end of the day, the better you defend, the better chance you have of winning trophies. And we take a lot of pride in defending,” he said.
“I do as well. Even though I'm an attacker, I take a lot of pride in defence, and I try to improve myself in that part of the game. But we have a good understanding as a team, our roles on the defensive side and now it's about how we can get better in the attack and that's the fun part. That's the part I enjoy, is assisting and scoring goals and showing that side. And I think we're getting better every day.
This off-season was both the best and worst of times for the veteran midfielder.
Mihailovic and his longtime partner Ajla were married two days after Christmas in Florida in the presence of family, friends and their 19-month-old son Aleksi. It was supposed to be the happiest time of Mihailovic’s life. But joy quickly turned to sadness on Jan. 6 when his mother Zivka passed away at the age of 54.
To have two completely different life-changing experiences within a matter of days can be traumatic, the range of emotions involved often debilitating. Mihailovic found comfort in being with his teammates in training camp in Spain.
“It’s a roller coaster of emotion. … It's been hard but the best thing that could have happened to me was going to go away pre-season with the team and take my mind away from being focused on playing. And I was happy doing that,” Mihailovic offered.
(Top photo by Lucas Kschischang/Toronto FC)
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