TFC Republic Weekly: 22-28
Toronto FC's Richie Laryea should feature prominently in Canada's World Cup encounter vs. Switzerland in Vancouver.
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...
Canada on the cusp on advancing at World Cup
Canada's historic 6-0 win over Qatar last Thursday didn't mean it officially advanced out of the group stage of the FIFA World Cup. But the Canadians' place in the round of 32 is virtually assured, and they stand a very good chance of staying in Vancouver.
Canada and Switzerland are tied atop Group B with four points apiece, but Canada sits in first based on a superior goal difference (plus-six versus plus-three). Bosnia and Herzegovina and Qatar each have one point.
Canada wraps up Group B play on June 24 when it faces Switzerland at BC Place, needing only a draw to win the group. If Canada finishes first, it will play its round of 32 game in Vancouver (a potential round of 16 contest would also be at BC Place). If Canada advances as a second- or third-place team, it will play all of its knockout games in the United States, losing its home advantage.
"If we come second or third, we obviously play the games in the U.S., and of we finish first, we stay here at home. I said last game to the guys and to my family that the crowd in Vancouver, [and the] national anthem, I got goosebumps. It was amazing, I think the energy the crowd gave was honestly amazing, so I feel like to stay here and have that environment for every game would be a big advantage for us," winger Liam Millar said on Sunday.
Playing for the draw isn't an option, according to central defender Derek Cornelius.
"We're gonna go into the game playing to win. We're playing in front of our home crowd; they want to see us attacking more so than defending. So, we're going to try and stick to who we are and how we play. Obviously, with that being said, we also need to use our brain in the last minutes of the game, seeing where the result is," Cornelius offered.
Canada in No. 30 in the current FIFA world rankings, 11 spots below Switzerland.
The latest from Canada's training ground
Centre back Alfie Jones did not train with the rest of the rest of the team on Sunday; instead, he was involved in individual training after missing the side's previous practice as he has been dealing with a muscle injury. Canada Soccer didn't provide an injury update on Jones.
Midfielder Stephen Eustáquio was not training at the start of practice on Sunday. Reporters only get to watch the first 15 minutes of training, so we don't know if he joined the team for the remainder of the session. Canada Soccer didn't provide an update or comment on Eustáquio.
Fellow midfielder Ismaël Koné has surgery on his broken left leg in the aftermath of the Qatar match and is ruled out for the rest of the World Cup.
Aside from that, every other member of the Canadian squad (including captain Alphonso Davies) was involved in the first 15 minutes of practice.
John Molinaro
Nathan Saliba the next man up for Canada?
Ismaël Koné's injury leaves gaping hole in central midfield for Canada, forcing Jesse Marsch to turn to someone else to fill his considerable shoes.
Replacing Koné won’t be easy, as there isn’t a like-for-like player on Canada’s roster. He’s a physical box-to-box midfielder who runs himself ragged for the Canadian cause, while also offering his country a touch of class in possession and while distributing the ball. His absence will be felt.
“From a talent and tactical perspective, it weakens us in the tournament,” Marsch admitted.
So, who'll take his place? There are several options, including TFC captain Jonathan Osorio, the most experienced player on Canada's roster. Youngster Niko Sigur is a jack-of-all-trades kind of player who can slot in at fullback as well as in the centre of the park. Mathieu Choinière is a classy midfielder with a genuine eye for splitting defences with pinpoint through balls. But it would appear Nathan Saliba has the inside track on the starting role.
When Koné was stretchered off the field early in the second half, it was Saliba, 22, who Marsh subbed on in his place. Just seven minutes after stepping onto the pitch, Saliba repaid his coach’s faith by bending a sweet free kick from 20 yards out around Qatar’s defensive wall, off the crossbar and into the back of the net to make it 4-0. It was Saliba’s third goal in 16 national team appearances, all of which have come under Marsch’s watch.
"Saliba is a top player, a top guy. He understands the game very well; he's a very mature player, especially for his age. If it's him that Jesse chooses to replace Koné, we're all confident that he'll do a great job. We already saw that in the second half when he came in after Koné injury. But we have a great squad and a lot of depth, so whoever Jesse chooses to fill those shoes will do the job," Derek Cornelius said.
3 members of Canada's back four on yellow cards
Canada has to proceed with a modicum of caution during the crucial encounter vs. Switzerland as three members of the defence are on yellow cards.
Jesse Marsch has gone with the same back four through the first two group stages matches. Centre back Luc de Fougerolles and fullback Alistair Johnston picked up yellow cards in the game vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina, while centre back Derek Cornelius was cautioned vs. Qatar. The only member of the starting back line who hasn't been cautioned is Toronto FC's Richie Laryea.
Per World Cup rules, a player who earns two yellow cards during the group stage will be suspended for the round of 32. That means de Fougerolles, Johnston and Cornelius will be suspended for the round of 32 if they are cautioned against the Swiss.
"You try not to go into the game thinking about that. You just try and focus on getting the job done to win the game. If you can avoid getting another yellow, and then possibly missing future games, you do that. But I don't think that's going to change our mentality in terms of our [aggressiveness] or our willingness to go after the game and be on the front foot," Cornelius said.
Players with one yellow card will have their slate wiped clean after the group stage and again after the quarter-finals. If the Canadian trio avoid a yellow card vs. Switzerland, they'll start the knockout stage with essentially a clean record.
John Molinaro
MLS on an extended break; Toronto FC off until July 16
MLS has been on hiatus since May 24 and won't resume action until mid-July.
Toronto FC headed into this break on a negative note with three straight losses in MLS and without a win in nine games across all competitions – its last victory came on April 4. TFC sits 13th in the Eastern Conference with a 3-6-5 record, four points and four spots out of a playoff berth.
TFC are off until July 16 when they face CF Montreal at Stade Saputo, which means they have plenty of time to rest and get several injured players fully fit by the time they travel to Quebec.
GM Jason Hernandez also has to use this time to make a decision about José Cifuentes, while also taking a very hard look at his roster and figuring out what moves he must make during the summer transfer window in order to strengthen his squad in hopes that it can make a concerted push for a playoff spot.
An important note about TFC Republic during World Cup
With Toronto FC on an extended break until mid-July, TFC Republic is turning its attention to the Canadian men's team and the World Cup that is being co-hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States.
TFC Republic's main focus for this month will be on Canada, who will play its opening World Cup match at BMO Field before closing out the group stage with a pair of games at BC Place. I will be covering all of Canada's group stage contests on site – I'll be in Toronto until June 14 and then will be in Vancouver from June 15-26.
Readers can expect in-depth coverage of the Canadian men's team for the full duration of its run in the World Cup, so be sure to check out the website for regular daily content.
As a result, we will be providing minimal coverage of Toronto FC during the month of June. That's not to say we're going to ignore TFC, but we won't be doing the regular daily coverage of the team you have come to expect from us. Instead, there'll likely be only one to three pieces of content on Toronto FC per week during the World Cup. Of course, if there is major news that breaks about the MLS club, we will provide in-depth coverage.
Regular service will resume at TFC Republic early next month with daily content about Toronto FC leading up to its first game back after the break, away to CF Montreal on July 16.
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Stories to look out for at TFC Republic
I'll be in Vancouver straight through to the end of the group stage at the World Cup. Be sure to check out the website on a daily basis for in-depth pre- and post-match coverage of Canada's contest vs. Switzerland on Wednesday at BC Place.
Other stories that will be published this week include:
- A new TFC Talk interview with beat reporter James Grossi.
- News from Canadian men's team training sessions in Toronto.
- Regular "TFC Tidbits" news stories throughout the week.
- The reader mailbag.
- 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).
