Transaction tracker: Ola Brynhildsen's TFC loan cut short

The transaction tracker at TFC Republic is a special feature where we will list all of the roster additions and cuts, trades, signings and re-signings, and transfers made by Toronto FC, and examine what each move means for the club moving forward.

It's a great way to keep tabs on what Toronto FC is doing and how it's building its roster, as we look at each transaction in a bit of detail. To view the full transaction tracker, click on the link below:

Toronto FC transaction tracker

The transaction tracker at TFC Republic is a special feature where we will list all of the roster moves made by Toronto FC.

TFC REPUBLICJohn Molinaro

Sept. 2, 2025: Brynhildsen returns to FC Midtjylland

Toronto FC and forward Ola Brynhildsen mutually agreed to a loan termination, effectively immediately. Brynhildsen returns to FC Midtjylland of the Danish Superliga.

Quick analysis: The Ola Brynhildsen era at Toronto FC has come to a premature and merciful end after the two sides decided to cut short his loan spell with six games left in the MLS regular season. 

Originally signed in February by TFC to a year-long loan deal, Brynhildsen has returned to his parent club FC Midtjylland of Denmark. He has been linked with a move to Norwegian side Bodø/Glimt, who'll compete in this season's UEFA Champions League.

The Reds had the option to sign Brynhildsen to a permanent contract once his loan deal was over. But the Norwegian's poor showing in MLS this season ensured that was never going to happen.  

"Considering how many games we have remaining, there's certainly deeper conversations that we're having internally about where some of these things will shake out as far as end-of-year decisions. For Ola, someone [who] for different reasons didn't catch on in the way that he had hoped and we had hoped, I think we were all pretty clear that certainly at the end of the season we were going to go in a different direction," Hernandez admitted.

Much was expected of Brynhildsen, 26, when he arrived at TFC after scoring 76 goals and 33 assists in 267 games across all competitions in a club career that began in his native Norway with Stabæk Fotball, the club that former TFC coach Bob Bradley managed on two separate occasions. 

Brynhildsen fit the profile of the type of striker that TFC craved: An experienced player who was in his mid-20s and who had a history as a consistent goal scorer in a top European league. The Reds needed to get younger and more athletic in order to be more competitive after having one of the worst attacking records in MLS in 2024 with 40 goals (fourth worst in the league). 

“I will say that I'm an all-around type of player. I can go in behind; I can link up. I enjoy playing with the [ball at my feet]. I don't see myself having so many weaknesses in the game,” Brynhildsen said shortly after his arrival.  

“If the ball comes long, I will fight with the defenders. But, of course, I enjoy getting in behind, to have good players behind me that can put me in behind, creating goal scoring opportunities and hopefully score some goals.” 

In desperate need of a go-to striker to lead the attack, Toronto was pinning its hopes on Brynhildsen. But even though he provided the Reds with a solid physical presence up front, the Norwegian turned out to be a major flop as he scored just two goals and added one assist in 22 appearances in all competitions.  

Brynhildsen debuted for the Reds in the second game of the season on March 1 when he came off the bench away to Orlando City and went without a goal in his first nine appearances for the club. 

He finally opened his account in Toronto's historic 6-1 road win over CF Montreal on May 17 and followed that up with another goal in a 2-1 home loss to the Philadelphia Union on May 28. Since then, the Norwegian went 10 games (all starts) without a goal and had only two shots on target. 

Brynhildsen's lack of production wasn't entirely his fault as he dealt with injuries even before he arrived in Toronto, and then during the first half of the season, while also lacking quality service throughout the campaign. Still, you would have expected much more from a player of his pedigree who was signed to a TAM-level deal and who was one of the club's highest earners at $1,629,610 US this season. 

Hernandez noted the Brynhildsen faced many challenges on and off the pitch during the season.

"I certainly don't want to dive too much [into] off the field for the player. But most players that join MLS the first time, specifically who left Scandinavia for the first time, MLS certainly has a very unique system, [not] just competitively, but also culturally, and how we operate within the North American space and the different challenges that come with that," Hernandez said.

He added: “Him having to deal with more niggling injuries and knocks than he had to previously, those things combined with …  for the better part of the season [we] haven't had consistency in how we're generating attacks and really creating danger, there's a lot of elements combined for Ola not to necessarily just kick on in the way that we all had anticipated."

Make no mistake about it: Brynhildsen's time at Toronto was a bust and a clear instance of Hernandez and his scouting staff getting things wrong.

“Clearly, he's a player with talent. Clearly, he's a player that had quite a bit of success before coming to us. And I would imagine he'll still find quite a bit of success back in Scandinavia. But this is a part and parcel of football, certainly from a lot of different ways in which the player appeared to be a really good fit for what we were trying to do, [but] in the end it just didn't materialize. And we have to accept that."

At the same time, the damage was mitigated by it only being a loan deal as it allowed the Reds to test drive a player to see how he fit in MLS before signing to a permanent deal. In the end it didn't work out and Toronto was able to cut its losses.

Brynhildsen's departure is very good news for young forwards Deandre Kerr and Jules-Anthony Vilsaint who'll be expected to lead the attacking charge for the club during the final six games of the regular season.  

Kerr has three goals in 16 MLS games while dealing with injuries this season. Since coming over in the trade from Montreal late last month, Vilsaint has made two appearances off the bench, scoring in his debut and having a hand in setting up Jonathan Osorio's equalizer this past weekend. 

"[Kerr and Vilsaint] have earned the right to compete for more minutes and the lion share of the minutes for the remainder of the season to see what they can bring to the table on a consistent basis, and how it could work," Hernandez said.

(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.