TFC Republic Weekly: November 10-16
Raoul Petretta left Toronto FC last week. Who'll be the next option-declined player out the door for the Reds?
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...
Who'll be next out the door for Toronto FC?
Late last month, Toronto FC announced that it declined its 2026 contract options on eight players, including fullback Raoul Petretta. The club said at the time it would remain in contract conversations with select players from the group of eight.
But last Tuesday, Petretta revealed he won't be back next season with the Reds.
"My time with Toronto FC has come to an end after three unforgettable years. These past seasons have been full of memories, on and off the pitch, that I’ll carry with me forever," Pettretta wrote in an Instagram post.
"I’m grateful to everyone who’s been part of this journey. My teammates, the coaching staff, everyone at the club, and the fans who supported us through every high and low. Toronto has truly become a second home to me. I’ll always look back on my time here with pride, gratitude, and a lot of love. Thank you for everything, this city and this club will always have a special place in my heart."
Toronto FC thanked Petretta for his services via a post on its official Twitter account.
When they made their end-of-season roster decisions in October, TFC said they would remain in contract conversations with select players from option-declined group, which also included goalkeeper Sean Johnson; defenders Kevin Long and Sigurd Rosted; midfielder Nathaniel Edwards; and forwards Derrick Etienne Jr, Hugo Mbongue and Charlie Sharp.
So, Toronto still has to decide on the fate of seven option-declined players. And in the case of Johnson and Etienne J, they have to decide by the league's deadline of Nov. 26 or potentially lose them to MLS free agency.
John Molinaro
Important off-season dates to remember for TFC
With TFC coming off a disappointing campaign, this off-season is one of the most important in club history. Club management will have to make a series of moves in order to improve the roster and set things right for the 2026 MLS campaign. With this in mind, here are some important off-season dates to circle on your calendar.
Nov. 26 – This is the deadline for all MLS clubs to decide which players will have their contract options exercised and which players won't. Toronto FC already announced it declined its options on these players: Sean Johnson, Kevin Long, Sigurd Rosted, Nathaniel Edwards, Derrick Etienne Jr, Hugo Mbongue and Charlie Sharp. TFC remains in contract conversations with select players from this group and can re-sign them to new deals by the Nov. 26 league deadline. If a new contract can't be agreed upon by then, the players will be free to walk.
Dec. 10 – Free agency kicks off! MLS clubs can start engaging with players, other than their own, who are eligible for free agency. Free agency eligible players are out-of-contract and option-declined players who are at least 24 years old and who have completed a minimum of four years of service in MLS.
Dec. 11 – The MLS re-entry process kicks off with stage 1. Essentially, this applies to players who are at least 22 years old with one year of MLS service, and who are out of contract (or had their option declined) but are not eligible for free agency. Players who go into the re-entry process are eligible to be selected by another MLS team. Stage 1 and 2 of the re-entry process are conducted in the reverse order of the league standings at the end of the regular season, taking post-season performance into account.
Dec. 11 - The end-of-year waivers process begins. The waiver process pertains to players whose contract options were not exercised and who are not eligible for free agency or the re-entry process. The waiver process is conducted in the reverse order of the league standings at the end of the regular season, taking post-season performance into account.
Dec. 17 – Stage 2 of the re-entry process, which consists of MLS players who were not selected in Stage 1.
Dec. 18 – The 2026 MLS SuperDraft will consist of three rounds. The draft order is set by taking the reverse order of the league standings at the end of the regular season, taking post-season performance into account.
John Molinaro
CanMNT vs. Ecuador on Thursday
Toronto FC captain Jonathan Osorio and fullback Richie Laryea remain firmly in the fold for the Canadian men’s team less than one year out from the FIFA World Cup.
Both players are included in coach Jesse Marsch’s 24-man roster for this month’s international friendlies, alongside goalkeeper Owen Goodman and defender Alfie Jones who’ve been called up by Canada for the first time. Winger Marcelo Flores has also been summoned into camp as a “training player,” which means he won’t play in these upcoming matches.
Ranked No. 28 in the world, Canada faces Ecuador (No. 23) at Toronto’s BMO Field on Nov. 13 and Venezuela (No. 50) at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale on Nov. 18.
Laryea’s call up for this window shouldn’t come as a surprise. If there was one Canadian player whose World Cup stock has significantly risen over the last two international windows, it’s Laryea's. So much so that Marsch now has to find a way to work the hardworking fullback into his starting 11 when captain Alphonso Davies, who also plays at left fullback, returns from a knee injury. Marsch said last month that Laryea has "probably been our best player overall" this year.
Laryea has one goal and six assists in 69 caps for Canada since his national team debut in 2019.
Canada has an all-time record of two losses and one draw against Ecuador dating back to their first meeting in 1999. Their previous encounter ended in a 2-2 draw at BMO Field on June 1, 2011, when Terry Dunfield and Tosaint Ricketts scored for the home side.
November marks the final international window of the 2025 calendar and gives Canada a chance to improve upon its record of six wins, two draws and four losses this year. The Canadians are coming off an October window that saw them lose 1-0 to Australia in Montreal and battle Colombia to a 0-0 draw in Harrison, New Jersey.
John Molinaro
1st NSL final goes Saturday at BMO Field
BMO Field will host the first final in the Northern Super League's history on Saturday.
The Vancouver Rise booked its spot in the final with a dramatic 4-3 win on penalties against the Ottawa Rapid FC on Saturday in the nation's capital in the second leg of their semifinal series.
The second leg of the NSL semifinal between Montreal Roses FC and AFC Toronto was supposed to take place on Sunday afternoon at York Lions Stadium but was postponed due to inclement weather. The game was rescheduled for Monday evening.
AFC Toronto won the first leg 2-0 so all it needs is a draw at home on Monday to advance to the final.
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Stories to look out for at TFC Republic
It looked like 2025 was going to be another injury-plagued year for Richie Laryea when he injured his hamstring in the second match of the campaign. But the Canadian international rebounded from his lengthy injury layoff and reminded people of the Richie Laryea of old. Look for my special feature story on Laryea's strong comeback season later this week.
Other stories that will be published later this week include:
- A feature story on TFC 2 players who have graduated to the first team.
- Part 1 of our "Toronto FC in 2025: Who was worth their salary cap hit" series.
- The weekly "TFC Random Thoughts" column.
- Part 1 of our "Toronto FC in 2025: The year that was in roster moves" series.
- A new TFC Talk interview with beat reporter James Grossi.
- Part 4 of our "TFC year in review" series looks back at the month of May.
- The reader mailbag.
- A new instalment in our TFC flashback history series.
- Regular "TFC Tidbits" stories throughout the week.
- In-depth pre- and post-game coverage of the Canada vs. Ecuador match.
- In-depth pre- and post-game coverage of the NSL Final.
- 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.
(Top photo by Lucas Kschischang/Toronto FC)
TFC Republic has a comments section! At the very bottom of every story, there is a feature where you can post your comments, so be sure to share your thoughts and views.
