TFC Republic Weekly: November 9-15

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...

Robin Fraser fired as coach of Toronto FC

The Robin Fraser era is over at Toronto FC.

TFC announced on Monday that they have parted ways with Fraser after two seasons in charge of the MLS club. Fraser, who turns 60 next month, was originally signed to a three-year contract prior to the 2025 MLS season.

Also departing the club are assistant coaches Neil Emblen, Wolde Harris and Jase Kim. 

TFC will immediately begin its search for a new coach ahead of the 2027 Sprint Season which kicks off in February.

“On behalf of the club, I want to thank Robin for his passion and commitment that he brought to Toronto FC as head coach over the last two years,” Toronto GM Jason Hernandez said in a media release.

"Unfortunately, the performance and results did not meet our expectations for this roster, and it was determined that a new voice is required to take it to the next level. A thorough search for the club's next head coach will begin immediately as we work to deliver a consistent contender to our city and our supporters.”

Toronto FC ends dismal season on a dismal note

Already eliminated from playoff contention, Toronto FC closed out its 2026 MLS regular season with a brutal 4-1 defeat to the Philadelphia Union at Subaru Park on Saturday.   

DP forward Josh Sargent scored in a losing cause for TFC in their season finale against the playoff-bound Union. 

"We've talked all year about putting ourselves in a hole. We did it early in the first half. Did well to get a good goal before halftime and then I would like to have thought second half would have gone differently, but again, we just made a few mistakes and we got punished," Robin Fraser said.

Richie Laryea was just as blunt in his assessment of Toronto's performance.

"We feel like we're in a decent spot, all things considered with how [things] went in the first half and then second half just obviously got away from us. So, not a good game from us. We're not happy about that and the results and it's a sh*t way to end the season," Laryea offered.

What's next for TFC now that the season is over?

Saturday’s defeat confirmed that Toronto (9-13-12, 39 points) finished 12th in the Eastern Conference for a second year in a row. TFC improved upon their 32-point and six-win totals from 2025, suggesting that some very modest progress was made.  

But those minor improvements don’t gloss over the fact that this season was an abject failure. A defence that conceded a franchise-high 67 goals – 23 more goals than it coughed up in 2025 – didn’t help matters. Picking up only 11 points out of a possible 27 during a nine-game homestand before the World Cup break put the Reds behind the eight ball. 

GM Jason Hernandez faces a hugely important off-season. Besides hiring a new coach, he also has to overhaul the back line and make some tough decisions on 16 players who are either out of contract, entering their option years or at the end of their loans.

Reader mailbag: Is Toronto FC considering changing GMs?

TFC face a hugely important off-season, but will Jason Hernandez continue to oversee things?

TFC REPUBLICJohn Molinaro

Important message from TFC Republic

First, I would like to thank all of you for your readership and continued support of TFC Republic in the form of paid subscriptions. We've grown our customer base each year since the website launched in 2021 which has allowed me to continue on with this project. I'm humbled by your support and will never take it for granted.

And second, I wanted to let you all know that even though the regular season is now over, TFC Republic won't be going on hiatus. Quite the opposite.

This is shaping up to be one of the most important off-seasons in the club's history. As such, we'll be providing extensive coverage of Toronto FC over the next six weeks before taking time off for Christmas and New Years (I'll be in Florence, Italy for the holidays!)

We'll be reviewing the 2026 campaign and looking ahead to 2027 Sprint Season with plenty of thoughtful analysis, all the while reporting on the latest news of this off-season. There are also important fixtures coming up for both the Canadian men's and women's teams. We'll be covering those events as well.

So, even though the season is over, TFC Republic will be continuing on as we have been all year by producing daily coverage. Be sure to check the website every day for fresh content.

Important off-season dates to remember

With TFC coming off a disappointing campaign, club management will have to make a series of moves in order to improve the roster and set things right ahead of 2027. With this in mind, here are some important off-season dates to circle on your calendar.

Nov. 25 – 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 has a lot of decisions to make as 13 players on the current roster are now in the option years of their contracts: goalkeeper Adisa De Rosario; defenders Benjamín Kuscevic (end of loan), Richie Laryea Raheem Edwards, Nicksoen Gomis, Jackson Gilman and Zane Monlouis; midfielders Nelson Palacio and Markus Cimermancic, Malik Henry; and forwards Emilio Aristizábal (end of loan), Derrick Etienne Jr and Lewis Morgan.

Dec. 21 – The 2027 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. 

Dec. 21 - 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. End-of-year waivers closed on Dec. 23.

Dec. 22 – 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. 23 – 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. 30 – Stage 2 of the re-entry process, which consists of MLS players who were not selected in Stage 1. 

CanMNT vs. Guatemala on Friday

Coach Jesse Marsch announced his 23-man squad last week for Canada’s upcoming matches vs. Guatemala in the 2026-27 Concacaf Nations League qualifiers. Included in his roster are TFC's Jonathan Osorio, Richie Laryea and Richard Chukwu.   

Canada opens the two-legged series against Guatemala at Estadio Manuel Felipe Carrera in Guatemala City on Nov. 13 before hosting the return match at BMO Field on Nov. 16.

The winner advances to the Concacaf Nations League Finals in Los Angeles in March 2027 and also qualifies directly for the 2027 Concacaf Gold Cup. The loser participates in the preliminary round of the Gold Cup qualifiers.   

Canada is No. 27 in the current FIFA rankings, well ahead of No. 95 Guatemala. The two sides previously met at the 2025 Gold Cup where Guatemala earned an upset penalty shootout win over Canada in the quarter-finals.   

RELATED READING: Newsletter || Features || Match reports || Opinion || Q&As || Videos || News || Transactions || TFC 2 ||

Stories to look out for at TFC Republic   

Toronto FC's traditional end-of-year media availability, otherwise known as locker clean out day, will take place on Tuesday at the club's training facility in North York. It's the last chance that TFC Republic and its media colleagues have to grill GM Jason Hernandez and several players about the 2026 campaign and the upcoming off-season. Look for my in-depth recap to be published on Tuesday evening.      

Other stories that will be published later this week include:                         

• A new TFC Talk interview with beat reporter James Grossi.   
• A feature story on TFC's end-of-season roster decisions. 
• A feature story on Canadian winger Theo Corbeanu. 
• The weekly "TFC Random Thoughts" column.     
• The reader mailbag.         
• Regular "TFC Tidbits" stories throughout the week.    
• In-depth pre- and post-game coverage of Canada's match vs. Guatemala.              
• 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.