TFC Republic Weekly: November 17-23
Big changes are coming to the MLS schedule which could have profound effects on Toronto FC and other northern clubs.
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...
MLS schedule changes and what it means for TFC
Major League Soccer made a big splash last week when it announced changes to its regular season schedule with the 2027-28 campaign starting in the summer and ending in the spring.
The move was approved by the league's board of governors which means the regular season will kick off in mid-July and run through April with playoffs and the championship game in May. The new schedule will include a winter break from mid-December through to mid-February, and another break in June and July to coincide with FIFA international windows.
"Today our owners made a decision that I think is one of the most important in our league's history. It gives us a wide variety of opportunities that will expand our ability to be on this path to be one of the top and leading leagues in the world," commissioner Don Garber said.
The 2026 campaign will still be played on the current winter-winter schedule, to be followed by what MLS is calling a "transition season" from February to May 2027. That campaign will feature a 14-game schedule, plus playoffs and an MLS Cup.
This is a seismic move from MLS that changes the landscape of the league on so many fronts – no more clashes with FIFA international windows, and MLS teams will now be in a better position to buy and sell players as its transfer periods will align with Europe's windows.
But the move to a more traditional European-like season has raised concerns amongst fans and pundits about the effects on the league's northern teams, including Toronto FC, who plays its home games at the outdoor BMO Field. There's no denying that there will be more cold weather matches for TFC and the northern teams with the new schedule. There's also going to be fewer games in the warm weather months. That's bad from a TFC perspective.
"Our northern teams will be impacted far more than certainly our southern teams were. But our southern teams were very impacted by playing games in Texas and in Florida, parts of the United States that were super-hot during the summer window," Garber argued.
TFC issued a statement after the announcement saying it looks forward to working with the league and its team partners to "ensure that this evolution for Major League Soccer is a win for all involved, but especially our fans."
"To be sure, the calendar change discussion also raised challenges related to the weather for a number of the league’s most northern-based teams, but we are confident in the efforts that have been made, and will remain a priority for the entire league, to address it. It was our view that with more than 90 per cent of the proposed MLS schedule staying consistent with its current format, the benefits to the future league product outweighed the potential challenges," TFC's statement read.
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. Venezuela on Tuesday
Canada takes on Venezuela in Fort Lauderdale on Tuesday in a rematch of last year's Copa América quarter-finals. It will also be the last game of the year for Jesse Marsch's side as it looks ahead to next summer's FIFA World Cup.
The Canadians are coming off a 0-0 draw against Ecuador last Thursday at BMO Field. The hosts were forced to play with 10 men after Vancouver Whitecaps midfielder Ali Ahmed was red carded in the sixth minute.
The goal-less draw means Canada’s scoring woes continue unabated after failing to score in both of their matches during last month’s international window (a loss and a draw). Les Rouges are now winless in three games and have gone 319 consecutive minutes without a goal dating back to their 1-0 win over Wales in Swansea on Sept. 9 when centre back Derek Cornelius scored off a marvellous free kick.
"We've got goals in us. I'm really not worried about that," Canadian coach Marsch told reporters after the Ecuador match.
Canada and Venezuela faced off at last summer’s Copa América where Marsch’s side earned a penalty shootout win in the quarter-finals. Canada and Venezuela previously met in a pair of international friendlies, playing to a 2-2 draw on June 1, 2007 in Maracaibo and a 1-1 draw on May 29, 2010 in Mérida.
Canada is No. 28 in the current FIFA world rankings, well ahead of Venezuela (No. 50) who failed to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.
Note: I will be at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale to cover Tuesday's game between Canada and Venezuela, so be sure to visit TFC Republic all weekend in order to check out our special on-site coverage.
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Stories to look out for at TFC Republic
Toronto FC forward Hugo Mbongue broke out in a big way this year while on loan at Vancouver FC of the Canadian Premier League, scoring seven goals and adding two assists in 15 games. I chatted one-on-one with Mbongue about his loan spell and his experiences in the CPL. Look for my special feature story on Mbongue later this week.
Other stories that will be published later this week include:
- A Q&A with former Toronto FC general manager Ali Curtis.
- A feature story on TFC 2 players who have graduated to the first team.
- Part 2 of our "Toronto FC in 2025: Who was worth their salary cap hit" series.
- The weekly "TFC Random Thoughts" column.
- Part 2 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 5 of our "TFC year in review" series looks back at the month of June.
- The reader mailbag.
- Regular "TFC Tidbits" stories throughout the week.
- In-depth pre- and post-game coverage of the Canada vs. Venezuela match.
- 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.
