TFC Republic Weekly: May 25-31

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 winless in 9 after road loss to Chicago Fire

The MLS break for this summer's FIFA World Cup comes at the perfect time for Toronto FC who suffered a 2-1 loss to the Chicago Fire at Soldier Field on Saturday in the second match of its six-game road swing.  

Josh Sargent scored for Toronto (3-6-5) who dropped from 11th to 12th in the Eastern Conference and is now winless in nine games across all competitions with its last victory coming on April 4.

“I thought the performance was really quite good. They're a good team; lots of talented players, they really hurt you in moments where they can get behind you. And I thought by and large we did pretty well, not only containing them, but creating quite a few chances, especially in the first half," coach Robin Fraser told reporters after the loss.

He added: "It's disappointing, because I think the team often has done well enough to win and just small mistakes keep hampering us. … It's disappointing, but it's a group that I really believe in, and we just look forward to getting back after [the break]."

Toronto FC vs. Chicago Fire: 3 takeaways

Saturday’s loss extended TFC’s winless run to nine games and left them with a lot to think about going into the World Cup break.

TFC REPUBLICJohn Molinaro

MLS goes on break; TFC now off until July 16

The upcoming MLS hiatus means TFC are off until July 16 when they face CF Montreal at Stade Saputo.

The Reds head into the break on a negative note having lost three straight times in MLS and finishing the month of May with just a single point out of a possible 12.

They have also gone 12 straight games in all competitions without a clean sheet (and only have one all year), while conceding 29 goals through their first 14 MLS contests – that’s 65 per cent of the 44 goals they gave up in 34 matches in 2025.  

Toronto has to use the next seven weeks to reset and get injured players back healthy for the second half of the campaign. GM Jason Hernandez also has to take a very hard look at his roster and figure 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. 

Robin Fraser insisted that his players know what they have to do in the second part of the season to turn things around and believes they'll be up for the challenge.

“I think when the whole group is back together, the level of competition in training will just heighten intensity, engagement, awareness. If we elevate that just a bit, I think that would make the difference for us. So, we continue to do things that we're doing – we're creating chances, we're defending quite well, which sounds crazy, considering the number of goals we've conceded, but it's not like teams are playing us off the park," Fraser offered.

"It's not like we're getting blown out in games. We're in every game, we're playing quite well at moments throughout the game, and it's about managing and mitigating mistakes. I have very little doubt that when the whole group is together and the competition is at its highest, that we will see the team be even sharper in those situations where we lose it, and even sharper in situations that we're creating on the other."

Random thoughts on TFC: Reds’ injury situation is out of hand

“There’s a very keen eye on trying to figure out why we’ve had all these injuries,” coach Robin Fraser told TFC Republic this week.

TFC REPUBLICJohn Molinaro

Reds sign TFC 2's Jackson Gilman

Last week, Toronto FC signed TFC 2 defender Jackson Gilman to an MLS contract through the 2026 season with club options through the 2027-28 campaign. 

Gilman is a talented young prospect, and he looks like he can be a solid contributor for Toronto FC based on his limited appearances for the MLS club thus far. 

But you can't help but wonder if TFC's ongoing injury crisis led to this signing and that Gilman would have (and should have) spent more time in MLS NEXT Pro with the Young Reds this season under normal circumstances. Questions about the timing of this move and whether it was rushed should be asked.

Whatever the reasons may be, Toronto appears to have bolstered its back line during a time when it's dealing with a rash of injuries by signing a young, versatile defender.  

Gillman spent the previous four seasons at the University of Pittsburgh registering two goals and seven assists through 75 appearances (74 starts) while serving as team captain for three years.

He was a second-round pick in the 2026 MLS SuperDraft and then signed with TFC 2 in February and started in six of the team’s first 10 games of the MLS NEXT Pro season. He made his first-team debut in Toronto's loss to Atlético Ottawa in the Canadian Championship and played in a 3-1 loss to Charlotte FC on May 16 before signing his first MLS contract.

TFC’s Deandre Kerr looks to build upon his 100 MLS appearances

Kerr recently hit the century mark for Toronto FC, joining a special group that includes Michael Bradley and Sebastian Giovinco.

TFC REPUBLICJohn Molinaro

What's being done to get to the bottom of the injury crisis? 

Toronto FC has consistently dealt with injuries since the start of the 2026 MLS campaign – and really, it even goes back to the team's pre-season training camp in Spain during the winter. 

But TFC's injury crisis hit its nadir in their recent loss to Charlotte. No less than 13 members of the 27-man roster (48 per cent of the squad!) were ruled out due to injury.  

Robin Fraser has continually (and unfairly) been asked to fill out his matchday roster and try to get the most out of his team with so many important players consistently being unavailable. Simply put, TFC's injury crisis has gotten completely out of hand. The Reds are in an untenable situation – they need to get guys back healthy after the break (and keep them healthy and fit – if they have any reasonable shot at making the playoffs. 

All of which leads to the big question: What is Toronto FC doing behind the scenes to get to the bottom of why it has been hit so badly with injuries? Is the club doing some sort of internal investigation into the matter to get some answers and find solutions? 

“I mean, without a doubt. It's not like we're just sitting around twiddling our thumbs. Certainly, from the very, very top of the organization [all the way] down, there's a very keen eye on trying to figure out why we've had all these injuries," Fraser told TFC Republic in a one-on-one chat last week. 

He later added: "I do know that there is a deep dive being performed as we speak and trying to figure out how we can get to the bottom of it, and more importantly, make sure it doesn't happen again." 

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Stories to look out for at TFC Republic     

Antone Bossenberry is one of Toronto FC's brightest prospects. The TFC 2 midfielder recently made his senior team debut for the Reds, drawing praise from coach Robin Fraser for his mature display. I recently chatted one-on-one with Bossenberry. Look for my feature story in the coming days.

• A feature story on TFC heading into the MLS break.    
• Regular "TFC Tidbits" news stories throughout the week.        
• A new TFC Talk interview with beat reporter James Grossi.      
• The reader mailbag.      
• The weekly Random Thoughts column.       
• The weekly TFC 2 report.
• A news story on the Canadian men's team's World Cup roster.
• A news story on the latest Canadian women's team roster.
• 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.