TFC mid-season report: Where do things stand with the Reds?

Let's not mince words: Toronto FC has A LOT of work to do in the second half of the 2026 MLS regular season.

TFC are in serious danger of seeing their playoff drought extended to six years after earning just three wins and 16 points through the first 17 matches of the current campaign. The dog days of summer have taken their toll on Toronto side who is in serious danger of falling completely out of the playoff race if it doesn't quickly turn things around.

"We know it's a difficult road in the second half of the season because we had so many home games in the first half. But we just have to show up and keep fighting and keep playing. And I have faith in this group that before it's all said and done, that we'll be good," coach Robin Fraser said last weekend.

TFC winger Theo Corbeanu added. “I think, all in all this season, there's been positive moments. There's been negative moments. I think everybody knows that. And all I can say is that with the group that we have, with the mentality that lies in this group, our fate can change." 

Here's where things stand with Toronto FC at the official midway point of the MLS season.

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TFC stutters through injury-riddled 1st half of season 

Toronto (3-3-7) occupies 12th place in the Eastern Conference and is six points below the playoff line at the halfway point of the MLS season. 

Last Saturday’s 2-0 road loss vs. D.C. United means the Reds are winless in 11 consecutive MLS games – 12 in all competitions – and haven't registered a win since April 4 when it earned a 3-2 home decision over the Colorado Rapids.    

A disastrous May saw TFC lose three in a row (and take just one out of a possible 12 points during the month), while losing to Atlético Ottawa of the CPL as it was eliminated in the first round of the Canadian Championship. 

A never-ending injury crisis has prevented Robin Fraser from fielding a consistent starting 11 – a crisis that reached its nadir in a May 16 loss to Charlotte FC when 13 members of the 27-man squad were out injured. Notably, DP midfielder Djordje Mihailovic has missed most of the season while dealing with a pelvic stress injury, robbing the club of the services of its chief playmaker. 

Toronto has been competitive in all but one game — a blowout road loss to the Vancouver Whitecaps in March — and has consistently played with genuine grit and determination. But that's not much of a silver lining when you're talking about three wins and 16 points from 17 matches. 

TFC are slowly starting to get back to full strength, so there'll be no more excuses. It's now or never. They have to start piling up some wins and collecting points in order to climb back into the thick of the playoff race in the East. 

"As a club and players and staff, [we all] know the situation that we're in, and we are doing our very best every day to right that wrong. We're all professional at the end of the day. We need to look forward to our next game, [the] next task. We can't dwell on the past too much. We can only look at what's ahead of us. So, we're all locked in as a group on the next thing ahead, and those three points will come," fullback Kobe Franklin said this week. 

Lack of goals a serious issue for the Reds 

You don't have to look very far to find out why Toronto has struggled for results this season. 

TFC's stuttering attack has produced just 23 goals — fourth worst in the Eastern Conference — for a paltry average of 1.35 goals per match.  

The Reds have been shut out three times and have gone eight straight games without scoring more than two goals, something they've only done three times this year. They haven't enjoyed a lead since a 1-1 draw vs. the San Jose Earthquakes and have consistently played either from behind or on level terms throughout the year. 

Toronto also hasn’t been getting its money’s worth from DP Josh Sargent, who has yet to set MLS alight since his transfer move from English club Norwich City in late February. The American forward has three goals and an assist in 10 league appearances (eight starts) while logging 691 minutes — an average of one goal contribution every 173 minutes.    

Part of the issue is that Sargent hasn't had the benefit of quality service from DP playmaker Djordje Mihailovic, who only recently returned after being sidelined since March with a pelvic stress fracture. The pair have played together for just 33 minutes this season, but now that Mihailovic is fit again, TFC will be counting on him to forge a dangerous attacking relationship with Sargent in order to get the American scoring goals that they so desperately need.  

Others have to step up, too. Deandre Kerr and Jules-Anthony Vilsaint have combined to play in 13 MLS games, but they don't have a single goal contribution between them – goalkeeper Luka Gavran has scored more goals than both of them. 

Hungarian winger Dániel Sallói leads the team in goals (four) and assists (five) but is without a goal in six games and has just one in his last nine appearances. Jonathan Osorio's club record of scoring at least one goal in consecutive seasons (13 straight) is in serious danger of being halted. 

The defence has to tighten things up 

Don't let the recent back-to-back clean sheets fool you: Toronto's defence has been suspect in 2026. 

TFC have conceded 31 goals this year for an average of 1.82 goals per game. The 31 goals represent 70 per cent of the 44 goals they coughed up all of last season through 34 matches (1.29 goals per game average). 

The team's aforementioned injury crisis has taken a particular toll on the back line as every defender and fullback has missed at least one game this year. Matheus Pereira has only played 120 minutes while Benjamin Kuscevic has been limited to just six appearances. Nicksoen Gomis has only appeared in two MLS matches, and Lazar Stefanovic remains sidelined with a long-term foot injury. 

Robin Fraser has routinely had to play guys out of position or call up TFC 2 recruits on short-term loans just to have a decent number of defensive options in games. 

The good news is that after a laboured start to the year, free agent centre back Walker Zimmerman has looked like a true defensive anchor in recent weeks. German defensive midfielder Niklas Dorsh was recently acquired via transfer from FC Heidenheim 1846 and should be able to provide the back four with some badly needed protection. 

"He's physical. His closing speed is very good. His first touch is excellent. He's a good passer. He has good vision. I know that sounds like an all-encompassing thing, but certainly when you find a player who has all those characteristics, it's a good thing. So, we're really excited to have him in the mix," Fraser said. 

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The playoff picture: TFC needs at least 30 more points 

Toronto FC has three more points and sits two spots higher in the Eastern Conference table compared to the halfway point of the 2025 season. But that shouldn’t disguise the fact that the Reds find themselves in a major bind with half of the current campaign in the books.   

TFC are 12th in the East at the moment with 16 points – six points and three places below D.C. United who hold down the ninth and final playoff berth. It’s not an insurmountable gap to close by any means, especially with 17 games left to play. But it will take some doing.

Based on an average of 45.3 points and 11.3 wins that the ninth team in the East needed to qualify for the playoffs over the last three seasons, TFC would have to earn at least 30 points from now until the end of the season to clinch a post-season berth.   

Thirty points out of a possible 51 points during the second half of the 2026 campaign would require TFC to average 1.76 points per game the rest of the way - they're averaging 0.94 points per match so far this year. 

Based on a 12-win/46 point season, Toronto would have to win at least nine of their final 17 matches of 2026. The Reds have only won 12 games in a single season on five occasions in their history and not since 2020.

2nd-half schedule isn't in Toronto's favour  

Getting those 30 points won’t be easy for Toronto FC based on its schedule for the second half of the campaign.  

Here’s how the rest of the season shakes out for TFC:  

• July 31 – New York City FC (away)  

• August 15 - New England Revolution (home) 
• August 19 - Charlotte FC (home) 
• August 22 - Inter Miami (away) 
• August 29 - New York City FC (home)  

• September 5 - Chicago Fire (home) 
• September 9 - Nashville SC (home) 
• September 12 - Orlando City (away) 
• September 19 - St. Louis City SC (away) 
• September 26 - Nashville SC (away)  

• October 10 - CF Montreal (home) 
• October 14 - Orlando City (home) 
• October 17 - New York Red Bulls (away) 
• October 24 - Columbus Crew (away) 
• October 28 - D.C. United (home)  

• November 1 - Atlanta United (away) 
• November 7 - Philadelphia Union (away) 

Of the 17 matches the Reds still have left to play, nine are away from BMO Field – including their final two games of the season and four of their last five.  

Toronto has an anemic 1-5-2 road record this season, which means it’s taken just five out of a possible 24 points from their games away from home.    

Since 2021, TFC have won just 12 of 93 games on the road (just 60 total out of a possible 279 points away from BMO Field).  

All but three of Toronto's remaining games are against teams that sit above them in the overall MLS table at the moment.

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MVP of the 1st-half of the season: Richie Laryea 

There is no standout pick, nobody that stands head and shoulders above the rest of the pack. Not like last year when former goalkeeper Sean Johnson (now with D.C. United) was clearly the Reds' best player and the team would have been in a far worse position if not for his heroics. 

It's slim pickings this season. Captain Jonathan Osorio has failed to score and only has three goal contributions. Josh Sargent has yet to break out. Fellow DP Djordje Mihailovic has been limited to just seven league appearances (four starts) due to injuries. Newcomer Dániel Sallói started out hot, but he hasn't scored since May 2. 

That leaves Richie Laryea, who has been Toronto's most reliable performer this year. The Canadian international has been a model of consistency this season, having played every minute of all 12 matches he's appeared in (1,080 minutes in total). He's also only one of three outfield players (Osorio and Sallói are the others) to play at least 12 complete games.  

Laryea has scored two goals and added a pair of assists, so he's already topped his offensive output from each of his past three seasons with Toronto – three goal contributions in 2023 and 2024, and two in 2025. Still, you'd like to see a little more offensive production from him. 

Nevertheless, Laryea has also been a valuable asset in terms of his versatility, having not only played in his natural fullback and wingback positions, but also as a centre back and in central midfield. His adaptability is one of the reasons why he's become one of Robin Fraser's most trusted lieutenants on the pitch.   

"He’s been excellent for us; he’s been excellent for Canada. We’ve thrown him into a number of different positions; it doesn’t matter where you play Richie, he’s still effective," Fraser said this week. 

“I think it’s a real testament to his versatility, his ability, his mentality that in all these different scenarios, different positions here, playing in the World Cup, playing in big international matches, Richie’s the same guy. He’s intense, he’s focused, he’s engaged, and he’s an incredible defender while at the same time being a very effective attacker." 

Big questions facing the Reds in 2nd half of season  

Can Toronto FC get players healthy again, keep players healthy and finally put its injury woes in the past so that Robin Fraser can field a strong starting 11 and have consistent access to his full squad? 

Will Jason Hernandez bring in more reinforcements to strengthen TFC's roster before the MLS secondary transfer window closes on Sept. 2?   

Can the back line come together and record more clean sheets and not leak goals like it did through the first half of the season? 

Can Josh Sargent finally get going and live up to his big-money contract by scoring goals on a regular basis? 

Will Djordje Mihailovic be able to forge a strong relationship with Josh Sargent on the pitch and rediscover his old form when he was one of the best playmakers in MLS?