TFC Republic Weekly: October 27-November 1
Toronto FC declined its contract option on Sean Johnson, but that doesn't necessarily mean the veteran goalkeeper is on his way out.
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...
End-of-season roster decisions
Toronto FC announced last Friday that it declined its 2025 contract options on goalkeeper Sean Johnson; defenders Kevin Long, Raoul Petretta and Sigurd Rosted; midfielder Nathaniel Edwards; and forwards Derrick Etienne Jr, Hugo Mbongue and Charlie Sharp.
Toronto picked up its one-year contract options on defenders Kobe Franklin and Nicksoen Gomis; midfielders Malik Henry and Kosi Thompson; and forwards Deandre Kerr and Jules-Anthony Vilsaint. TFC exercised their purchase option on winger Theo Corbeanu, while the loan deal for midfielder Maxime Dominguez will expire at the end of the year.
TFC will remain in contract conversations with select players from the group of eight 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.
This is a very important point to remember: Just because a player's option was declined, it doesn't necessarily mean they have been let go or won't return next year. It's often the case that such players simply have their deals renegotiated (most times for less money) and come back for another year.
The most eye-catching name of the list of option declined players is Sean Johnson, who enjoyed his best season for TFC this year since joining the team in 2023. But Johnson was among the highest paid goalkeepers in the league ($1,063,125 US) and he turns 37 next May. Toronto also has backup Luka Gavran waiting in the wings, so the club could be looking to move on from the veteran shot stopper.
After Johnson the two highest-paid contract declined players are defenders Raoul Petretta ($854,750) and Sigurd Rosted ($805,000). Both enjoyed their best seasons with TFC in 2025 after previously battling inconsistency issues, and they played a big part in the club's defensive turnaround – 44 goals against this year (tied for third-best in MLS) vs. 61 conceded in 2024 (fifth-worst in the league).
John Molinaro
New DP forward tops Hernandez's to-do list
Toronto is coming off an offensively anemic season in which it scored just 37 goals in 34 games (tied for third-worst in MLS with Austin FC), for an average of 1.09 goals per match. Theo Corbeanu was TFC's top scorer with six goals, while Deandre Kerr (four goals) was the team's only forward to score more than once.
Toronto desperately needs a DP striker – a No. 9 with a proven track record as a consistent goal scorer, who can spearhead the attack and serve as the main reference point up top.
"It's certainly not lost on us that in MLS, most of the teams that are seeing sustainable success have a guy at the striker position who delivers week in and week out. And for too long, unfortunately, we haven't had that. There's a few reasons behind that, but really, the most obvious reason was just considering the resources in the DP space and what we didn't have access to, as far as those discretionary monies," GM Jason Hernandez said last week.
"And now for us and being afforded this opportunity in this landscape to invest in this way, we certainly are looking forward to the opportunity to add a DP striker, and what that would mean, as we've seen, in a lot of clubs in MLS, certainly what it's meant to this club in our strong years and our successful years, and so that'll certainly be a top priority."
John Molinaro
Important off-season dates to remember
With TFC coming off a disappointing campaign, this off-season is going to be 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 eight players: Sean Johnson, Kevin Long, Raoul Petretta, 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
CanWNT vs. Netherlands on Tuesday
Ranked No. 9 in the world by FIFA, the Canadian women's team faces the Netherlands (No. 11) on Tuesday in Nijmegen.
Canada is coming off a 1-0 loss to No. 24 Switzerland in Lucerne last Friday, a game that saw coach Casey Stoney's side squander several scoring chances and allow themselves to be physically bullied.
A very physical match turned ugly in the 37th minute when Canadian forward Olivia Smith crashed to the ground after being barged into by Viola Calligaris who made no attempt to play the ball. Inexplicably, no yellow card was issued on the play, and Smith was in tears as she was helped off the pitch with an apparent ankle injury.
Both Smith and Kaylee Hunter (who came into camp nursing an injury) have returned to their pro clubs to continue their rehabilitation.
The Canadians and the Dutch have met 14 times since 1988. Canada has nine wins, four draws, and a loss against the Netherlands with their most recent encounter coming at the Tournoi de France in 2020, which resulted in a 0-0 stalemate.
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Stories to look out for at TFC Republic
Toronto FC's 2025 regular season wasn’t the worst in franchise history. That honour still goes to the 2023 campaign when TFC established new franchise records for the fewest wins (four) and points (22) in a single season. But no matter how you look at it, this was a hugely disappointing year for TFC who failed to qualify for the playoffs for a fifth consecutive time. We'll look at some of the key statistics and numbers behind Toronto FC's 2025 MLS season. Look for my feature story later this week.
Other stories that will be published later this week include:
- A feature story on Toronto FC coach Robin Fraser.
- A feature story on GM Jason Hernandez.
- A new TFC Talk interview with beat reporter James Grossi.
- The weekly "TFC Random Thoughts" column.
- Part 2 of our "TFC year in review" series looks back at the month of March.
- 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 Canada's match vs. the Netherlands.
- 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.
