TFC Republic Weekly: July 14-20

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 shoots itself in the foot in draw vs. Atlanta

Finding new ways to shoot itself in the foot is becoming one of Toronto FC’s specialities this season. Just minutes away from earning what would’ve been a valuable home win, TFC conceded deep into injury time en route to settling for a 1-1 draw against Atlanta United at BMO Field on Saturday.

Substitute Charlie Sharp, who only entered the contest seconds earlier, was judged to have fouled Luke Brennan with a mistimed tackle inside the 18-yard box following a lengthy VAR review. Sharp took a heavy touch on the ball and connected with Brennan while trying to win it back while the Atlanta midfielder was headed away from goal. Emmanuel Latte Lath powered his penalty past Sean Johnson, who managed to get a hand on it, but couldn’t prevent it from nestling into the back of the net.

"I don't think we were great on the night, but an incredible effort. I don’t think we were as sharp as we needed to be, but I don't think everyone was as sharp as they needed to be. Some guys were pretty on it, and some guys were a little bit off. But in spite of all that we did enough, we think, to win the game. [It was] a kick in the gut,” coach Robin Fraser said.

The team’s lack of composure in key moments of games continues to be one of its many shortcomings. This one will hurt, but the Reds have nobody to blame but themselves as the win was there for the taking.

“Feels like a loss. I mean, it wasn't a perfect game, by all means, but we held our own, and we're leading until the 100th minute. From there, you can see the finish line, but the work’s not done. And there was a lapse in focus, and we got punished for it. Not much more to be said other than that," midfielder Kosi Thompson said.

Theo Corbeanu eyeing permanent move to TFC

If Theo Corbeanu had his way, he’d be back at Toronto FC next season. But the Canadian international revealed last week that his long-term status with TFC remains undecided and that he’s uncertain if his loan deal will become a permanent move.  

“Honestly, I don't know anything, and I can't speak on this right now, because I'm in a situation where I don't know. … I would like to stay here ideally, but I have 14 games [left in the regular season] to show why I want to be here and why I deserve to be here,” Corbeanu said.  

Corbeanu, a 23-year-old from Hamilton, Ont., joined Toronto in January from Spanish side Granada CF on loan for the duration of the 2025 MLS campaign, with an option to purchase. The Canadian is making $411,625 US with TFC this season.  

On Feb. 1, 2024, Corbeanu signed with Granada, and made his debut two days later and scored his first goal for the club the following month. Granada was relegated from La Liga to the second division at the end of last season.

Corbeanu left no doubt when asked by TFC Republic if he wanted to stay on with Toronto beyond this year.  

“Definitely. This is a place I envision myself in. I've been here before. … I would like to stay here because it's my hometown. I have everybody here, and especially the club is a club I love so much. So, I would really like to stay here,” Corbeanu said.  

TFC vs. San Diego FC on Wednesday    

TFC pay a visit to Snapdragon Stadium for a game against San Diego FC on Wednesday (10:30 p.m. ET/TSN & Apple TV), the opening contest of four-match road swing for the Reds.

San Diego (13-5-4) is punching well above its weight for an expansion franchise, as it sits atop the table in the Western Conference and second in the Supporters' Shield standings.

The California club has won five of its last six games and is coming off a 2-1 road win over the Chicago Fire courtesy of a brace from Anders Dreyer.

The Danish winger has 11 goals and a league-leading 15 assists this season, becoming only the third player in league history to record at least 10 goals and 15 assists in his debut season. Toronto’s Sebastian Giovinco (22 goals, 16 assists in 2015) and Minnesota’s Darwin Quintero (11 goals, 15 assists in 2018) are the others.

Wednesday's first ever match between the clubs will be their only meeting of this regular season.

TFC vs. Nashville SC on Saturday    

After playing out West, Toronto FC will remain on the road when it faces Nasvhille SC on Saturday (8:30 p.m. ET/TSN & Apple TV).         

Nashville (12-5-5) is in third place in the Eastern Conference, 10 spots and 23 points above Toronto in the table. The Tennessee-based club had won four in a row and was riding an amazing 12-game unbeaten run (eight wins) before suffering a 2-1 road loss to Inter Miami last weekend. 

English forward Sam Surridge has 16 goals this season, tied with Miami's Lionel Messi for first place in the MLS scoring race. 

Nashville leads the all-time series against Toronto with four wins and three draws in eight regular season matches. TFC have a 1-2-1 road record vs. Nashville. 

This is the second and final meeting of the regular season between the clubs. Toronto suffered a 2-1 home loss on May 24. 

Note: I will be at Geodis Park in Nashville to cover Saturday's game, so be sure to visit TFC Republic all weekend in order to check out our special on-site coverage. 

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

Stories to look out for at TFC Republic  

Kobe Franklin has only made four league appearances totalling 69 minutes this season for Toronto, but the young fullback is eager to get back into the full swing of things with some regular action after recently returning from an injury layoff. Impressing Fraser will be foremost on Franklin's mind, as he'll be entering the option year of his contract next season, and TFC's coach has already said he's going to use the rest of the campaign to assess players to determine who'll be back next year. I recently chatted one-on-one with Franklin about this and other topics. Look for an in-depth feature later this week.  

Other stories that will be published later this week include:                 

• A piece of the four stories to watch for this week.  
• An audio interview piece with Abraham Zepeda of SanDiego.Futbol about Wednesday's road game vs. San Diego.    
• In-depth pre- and post-game coverage of Toronto's match vs. San Diego FC.      
• An audio interview piece with Valair Shabilla of SixOneFive Soccer about Saturday's road game vs. Nashville.    
• In-depth pre- and post-game coverage of Toronto's match vs. Nashville SC.      
• A special video travel blog from Nashville. 
• 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.