TFC Republic Weekly: June 29-July 6

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 through to the round of 16 at the World Cup

The Canadian men’s team has made history by advancing to the round of 16 at the FIFA World Cup.

Stephen Eustáquio scored deep into injury time to lift Canada to a 1-0 victory over South Africa in a dramatic round of 32 encounter on Sunday at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. Canada advances to the round of 16 on July 4 in Houston where it will play the winner of Monday’s match between the Netherlands and Morocco. 

"I think the performance was really strong and disciplined. We didn't really give much away, and even when their goalkeeper was slowing things down, we didn't lose our patience. ... We could have made life a little easier on ourselves if we would have made a play earlier when we had some big chances, but obviously the timing of the goal means that the win is incredibly dramatic," coach Jesse Marsch said.

"And I think the effect that it will have in Canada and the inspiring of people will be immense. So, I'm really proud of our team."

Les Rouges were made to work for their first ever victory in a World Cup knockout match, leaving it very late before eventually pulling it out against a stubborn South African side. 

But the Canadians were full value for this historic win, showing great determination and grit against Bafana Bafana. Now bigger challenges are ahead for Canada as it prepares to enter unchartered territory at the World Cup.

"I feel very happy that I scored the goal that was able to help the team, but that shot, I felt that everybody in the team shot that ball with me. We are very good. We believed a lot in this game. We knew that if we were our best, we could win, and we made history at the same time. We know we have to recover well, because we have a big game next week," Eustáquio said.

What is José Cifuentes' future with TFC?

We could find out this week whether or not José Cifuentes will be staying at Toronto FC.

The Ecuadorian midfielder's loan spell with TFC expires at the end of the month at which point the Reds can either sign him on a permanent basis or send him back to his parent club, Glasgow Rangers.

Cifuentes, 27, recorded just one assist in seven MLS appearances in 2025 for TFC. This year he’s shown more of the form he displayed during his time at LAFC (15 goals and 20 assists from 2020 to 2023) with one goal and three assists in 10 matches. But he’s been sidelined since late April with a knee injury.  

The MLS Players Association published the salaries for all of its players for the 2026 season in May, revealing that Cifuentes is earning $1,570,000 US. Even as a TAM-level player, the Ecuadorian midfielder still carries the league's maximum salary cap charge of $803,125. That's a big salary cap hit for a player who has battled injuries and fitness issues during his time in Toronto, and who only recently showed a consistent level of top form. 

If Toronto can convince Raners to assume a chunk of Cifuentes' contract and substantially lower their transfer fee demands (a reported $2 million US) – or if they can get the Ecuadorian to take a pay cut – then it might be worth signing him to a permanent basis. 

Cifuentes still has another 12 months on his four-year deal with Rangers who paid a £1.2 million transfer to LAFC to bring him to Scotland. The Glasgow club isn't really in a strong bargaining position with Toronto and could be looking to make a deal to simply get Cifuentes off their books 

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     

We'll have in-depth pre- and post-game coverage of Canada's round of 16 match on Saturday in Houston.

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.            
• 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.