TFC Republic Weekly: July 27-August 2
Winless in 11 MLS matches, Toronto FC wraps up its four-game road swing this week against New York City FC.
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 extends MLS winless run to 11 matches
Talk about a kick in the teeth. Toronto FC looked destined to earn a third consecutive, hard-fought road draw on Saturday, only to come out on the wrong end of a 2-1 loss to D.C. United before an announced sellout of 19,215 at Audi Field.
Tai Baribo’s goal from the penalty spot deep into injury time cancelled out Theo Corbeanu’s marvellous equalizer for the Reds with 14 minutes left in regulation. Coach Robin Fraser was fuming in the post-match press conference over the VAR decision to award D.C. a penalty, feeling that TFC defender Jackson Gilman was incorrectly called for a foul on Andre Dozzell.
"I don't really know what's going on. Last week in Montreal, Josh [Sargent] gets hammered from behind. It doesn't even go to the VAR. How is this possible? I think he gets fouled twice in the same play, and it doesn't go to VAR. And tonight, the ball changes direction as Jackson touches it. Jackson gets the ball first, and then they collide, and the threshold is supposed to be clear and obvious,” Fraser said.
“I would love an explanation as to how the ball went that direction before contact was made. So, I don't really know what's going on. I don't understand. I can't really figure it [out]. I don't know what's happening. I don't know what the feeling is about TFC."
This demoralizing defeat means Toronto (3-7-7) is now winless in 11 straight MLS games – 12 in all competitions – and hasn't registered a win since April 4. With just a trio of wins at the halfway point of the regular season, the Reds are in serious danger of falling completely out of the playoff race if they don't quickly turn things around.
John Molinaro
Reds closing in on deal for Niklas Dorsch
A source confirmed to TFC Republic last week that Toronto FC is finalizing a transfer deal for midfielder Niklas Dorsch from German club FC Heidenheim. News of the transfer was first reported by Fabrizio Romano.
Dorsch was in Toronto this past weekend to complete his medicals and the deal is expected to be announced sometime this week.
The addition of the German midfielder should help significantly strengthen the middle of the park for TFC. Dorsch, 28, is much more than just a defensive midfielder who can win balls and break up attacks. He’s also a skilled footballer who can drive his team forward with his possession skills and ability to deliver line-breaking passes.
With Dorsch’s age, experience at European club level and profile, this move is somewhat reminiscent of Michael Bradley's move to TFC in 2025 from Italian outfit AS Roma. If the German can have even a fraction of the impact that Bradley did with the Reds, this will turn out to be money well spent by Hernandez (the German is reportedly signing a five-year deal following a $4.3 million US transfer fee).
Dorsch will arrive in MLS with an impressive resume, having come up through Bayern Munich’s youth system before making a single appearance for the senior side and then spending time with fellow German clubs FC Heidenheim and FC Augsburg, as well as Gent in Belgium.
He was a key figure for Heidenheim in the 2025-26 season, appearing in 32 of 34 Bundesliga matches (27 starts) while earning an assist. Despite his efforts, Heidenheim was relegated to Germany’s second division. He also had a goal and an assist in the DFB-Pokal (German club). In total, Dorsch has four goals and three assists in 118 career Bundesliga games with Heidenheim, Augsburg and Bayern Munich since debuting in the 2017-18 season.
John Molinaro
The MLS summer transfer window
Major League Soccer observes two transfer windows each year.
This season's primary transfer window ran from Jan. 26 to March 26. The secondary transfer window opened on July 13 and closes on Sept. 2.
During the summer transfer windows, MLS clubs can:
- Sign players who are out of contract.
- Buy and sell players via transfer both from teams within MLS and from abroad.
- Make trades with other MLS teams, either for players or assets (GAM, draft picks, etc.).
- Sign players on loan from clubs within MLS and from abroad.
Jason Hernandez said prior to the opening of the window that he was looking to bolster the midfield and defence during the summer transfer window, but that he was only looking to add a few pieces rather than make wholesale changes.
John Molinaro
TFC vs. New York City FC on Friday
Toronto FC wraps up its four-match road trip on Friday vs. New York City FC (7:30 p.m. ET/Apple TV).
New York (7-6-4) sits fifth in the Eastern Conference, seven spots and nine points above Toronto. NYCFC will enter Friday's game on the back of consecutive wins, including a 3-1 home victory over the Chicago Fire this past weekend.
With 30 goals, New York has the fourth best attack in the East, led by Argentina's Nicolás Fernández (12 goals). NYCFC also has the fourth best defence in the conference with just 23 goals against.
New York leads the all-time regular season series against Toronto with 11 wins and seven draws in 24 meetings. TFC has a 1-6-5 road record vs. NYCFC. Although the Reds won a playoff game (in 2016) at Yankee Stadium, they've never won there during the regular season – their lone road regular season victory vs. NYCFC was at Red Bull Arena in 2020.
This week's match is the first of two meetings during the regular season between Toronto and New York. They'll meet again on Aug. 29 at BMO Field.
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Stories to look out for at TFC Republic
We're now at the official halfway point of the MLS season with 17 games in the book and another 17 to go. With a 3-7-7 record, Toronto FC sits 12th in the Eastern Conference, three spots and six points out of a playoff berth. What have been the positives and negatives of the campaign so far? And what will the second half of the season look like for Toronto? Look for my half-season report story on TFC in the coming days.
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 feature story on TFC defender Adam Pearlman, currently on loan in the CPL.
- In-depth pre- and post-game coverage of Toronto's match vs. New York City FC.
- An audio interview with Matthew Mangam of New York Soccer Journal ahead of Friday's road game in New York.
- 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.
TFC Republic subscribers can get up to a 25% discount on ticket prices for Toronto FC home games during the 2026 MLS regular season and the 2026 Canadian Championship. To receive the special promo code, email me at jmo1897@gmail.com
(Please don't share promo code with non-TFC Republic subscribers).
