TFC Republic Weekly: October 26-November 1

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...

Road loss puts dent in Toronto FC's playoff hopes

One step forward, two steps back for Toronto FC.    

Coming off an impressive and hugely important road win, TFC laid an egg in Saturday afternoon’s 4-2 loss to the Columbus Crew at ScottsMiracle-Gro Field.   

Dániel Sallói and Josh Sargent scored in a losing effort for Toronto who was attempting to win back-to-back MLS road games for the first time since the 2024 campaign.  

The previous week’s victory away to the New York Red Bulls seemingly gave TFC renewed hope and a lifeline in a very tight playoff race. But Toronto had the wind knocked out of them in Columbus, falling flat in a road loss that inflicted serious damage to the team’s post-season aspirations. 

You’d have expected much more from the Reds in such a critical match as confidence was high within the club thanks to a three-game unbeaten run coming into this weekend.

But they were played off the park and overawed in midfield by the Crew for most of the contest before finally coming to life in the last half hour when they were down by four goals and playing a man up.   

Toronto FC's Theo Corbeanu: 'Our season's not over'

The speedy TFC winger refused to concede defeat in the playoff chase after Saturday's disappointing loss in Columbus.

TFC REPUBLICJohn Molinaro

Robin Fraser fumes over non-call from referee

Robin Fraser attributed the loss to defensive lapses in the first half and his team leaving itself vulnerable to deep progressions when attempting to apply pressure on the Crew.  

But he also felt Malte Amundsen went unpunished for a foul on TFC defender Zane Monlouis that directly led to the Crew's critical second goal.  

Replays clearly showed that Amundsen shoved Monlouis in the back from behind while positioning himself deep inside the penalty area to get on the end of a corner kick from Dylan Chambost. That created enough separation and space for Amundsen to nod home the ball at the near post and give Columbus a 2-0 lead. 

The play went to a VAR review, but the goal stood, much to the chagrin of Fraser. 

“They certainly scored a number of good goals today. However, I just watched a replay of their second goal. I've been in this game a long time. I've never seen a two-handed push in the back go unpunished, especially when it results in the goal. So, I have no idea what's going on; I don't even know how that's debatable. … And the problem is that goal is a backbreaker,” Fraser said. 

“At 1-0, you're absorbing pressure and that sort of thing. But at 2-0, it feels like the mountain gets unbelievably huge. And again, I'm not taking anything away from Columbus' performance. I thought they were good.  But I cannot fathom having a two-handed push in the back, resulting in a goal and going unpunished. It just doesn't make sense to me." 

Reader mailbag: Who is TFC's most improved player this year?

Spanish midfielder Alonso Coello has developed into one of Toronto FC's top playmakers this season.

TFC REPUBLICJohn Molinaro

No Reds on MLS 22 Under 22 Rankings

Last week. MLS published its annual "22 Under 22 Rankings" which highlights the best young domestic and international prospects across the league. No TFC player made the cut for a fourth straight year.

The rankings are based on voting by a panel of MLS coaches, general managers, sporting directors, Apple TV commentators, and select members of the media. This year's list is topped by Philadelphian Union midfielder Cavan Sullivan. To read this year's MLS 22 Under 22 Ranking, CLICK HERE.  

Players had to be 21 or younger before Nov. 7, 2026, in order to be considered. Four TFC players who saw first team action this season were eligible for voting: Richard Chukwu (18), Antone Bossenberry (18), Lazar Stefanovic (20) and Emilio Aristizábal (21) 

MLS first published its young player rankings in 2010, originally launched under the name 24 Under 24. In 2018, the league switched to a 22 Under 22 list.  

Only three Toronto FC players have ever cracked the MLS 22 Under 22: Ayo Akinola finished fourth in 2020 and 17th in 2021; and Jayden Nelson (20th) and Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty (22nd) in 2022. 

Assistant coach Wolde Harris dedicates TFC win to his late father

With Robin Fraser suspended, Harris took charge of Toronto FC and helped guide them to a huge road win on Saturday.

TFC REPUBLICJohn Molinaro

Two hugely important games for Toronto this week

Saturday’s result didn’t officially eliminate the Reds from playoff contention, but it does leave them with a major mountain to climb to get into the post-season.   

The loss in Columbus means Toronto (8-11-12, 36 points) fell one place to 11th in the Eastern Conference, two spots and three points below the playoff line with only three matches remaining in the season.

Realistically, TFC would have to win all three of their remaining matches to have a legitimate shot at making the playoffs. Only a fool would put money down on that happening, as the Reds have only won back-to-back MLS games once during Robin Fraser’s tenure as head coach. 

Toronto returns to action on Wednesday when it hosts D.C. United in its final home match of the regular season. The Reds then close out the campaign with road games against Atlanta United FC on Nov. 1 and the Philadelphia Union on Nov. 7. 

“This game's over. We need to concentrate on Wednesday. We'll talk about what went wrong here, but we need to concentrate on Wednesday and not allow this feeling to carry over to Wednesday because we have another big game coming up and it's at home, and certainly the feeling is that we have to win it,” Robin Fraser said. 

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

Stories to look out for at TFC Republic        

Former Toronto FC midfielder Brandon Servania returns to BMO Field this week with D.C. United to take on the Reds in a game that has massive playoff implications for both clubs. Servania had a goal and an assist in 31 appearances for Toronto across two seasons before leaving to sign with D.C. ahead of the 2025 season after having his contract option declined by the Reds. I'm scheduled to conduct a one-on-one interview with Servania on Tuesday afternoon. Look for my feature story later that same day.

Other stories that will be published this week include:                               

• A new TFC Talk interview with beat reporter James Grossi.    
• A piece on the four stories to watch for this week.  
• A TFC notebook column after one of this week's training sessions.
• In-depth pre- and post-game coverage of Toronto's match vs. D.C. United.  
• An audio interview with José Mauricio Umaña of WTOP News ahead of Wednesday's home game in D.C.    
• In-depth pre- and post-game coverage of Toronto's game vs. Atlanta United.      
• An audio interview piece with Doug Roberson of the Soccer With Doug website ahead of Saturday's road game.  
• The latest Random Thoughts column.  
• 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.