TFC Republic Weekly: September 8-14
After some time off due to the international break, Toronto FC returns to action this week away to the New England Revolution.
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...
Toronto FC returns to action this weekend
Idle since a 1-1 draw at home vs. CF Montreal on Aug. 30 due to the FIFA international break, Toronto FC returns to action this weekend in New England.
TFC (5-13-10) sits 13th in the Eastern Conference, 17 points and four spots below the Chicago Fire who hold down the ninth and final playoff berth.
There are only six matches left in the regular season so it's only a matter of time as to when – and not if – the Reds will be eliminated from the playoff race.
It could be as soon as this weekend – a loss or draw in New England would officially end TFC's post-season hopes. A home win by Chicago over New York City FC on Saturday would also eliminate Toronto from the playoff race, regardless of its result against New England.
John Molinaro
TFC, Ola Brynhildsen part ways
Toronto FC made an important roster move last week when it came to a mutual agreement with Ola Brynhildsen to terminate his loan deal, effective immediately.
Originally signed in February by TFC to a year-long loan deal, Brynhildsen returned to his parent club FC Midtjylland of Denmark and was then loaned to Norwegian side Bodø/Glimt.
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 ruled that out. He turned out to be a major flop as he scored just two goals and added one assist in 22 appearances in all competitions.
Brynhildsen went without a goal in his first nine appearances for the club before finally opening his account in Toronto's historic 6-1 road win over CF Montreal on May 17. He 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.
"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," GM Jason Hernandez admitted.
John Molinaro
Reds in search of DP who can score 'double digit goals'
With just five wins on the season, Toronto FC is poised to miss the playoffs for a fifth straight year. It’s not too difficult to understand why the Reds are in this predicament. A quick glance at the MLS table reveals that TFC have the second-worst attack in the league with 28 goals in 28 games.
With Ola Brynhildsen gone, TFC will turn to Deandre Kerr and Jules-Anthony Vilsaint to spearhead the attack through to the end of the regular season. Beyond that, the Reds are in the market to sign a new lead striker, which will be Jason Hernandez’s No. 1 priority ahead of the 2026 campaign.
“As we go into the off season, it's clear that we're going to go and get a designated player, and that player will be a striker. That will be something that we’ll continue to monitor unless, of course, the young guys that we have in our environment really take the reins with both hands and show us why they should have that responsibility to be the main man, to put the ball in the back of the net for Toronto moving forward,” Hernandez said last week.
What are some of the qualities that Hernandez is looking for in a new DP striker?
“Certainly, we are going to be looking to get a player that has a history and a track record of [scoring] double digit goals [in a season]. We're going to be looking to get a player that is motivated and excited to be here in Toronto, and a player that's not going to shy away from the work that it's going to take and the responsibility that's going to come with it to be the main goal scorer for TFC,” Hernandez said.
John Molinaro
MLS roster freeze date is Friday
The MLS roster freeze date is Sept. 12, at which time all clubs must submit their final 30-man roster. Rosters cannot be changed from that date through the day after MLS Cup, subject to the league's extreme hardship rule.
The MLS secondary transfer window closed on Aug. 24, which means clubs aren't allowed to make trades with each other for players, or sign players via transfers from teams outside of the league.
However, MLS teams can still make trades for assets (draft picks, general allocation money, international roster slots) and sign out-of-contract free agents up until Friday's roster free date.
John Molinaro
TFC vs. New England Revolution on Saturday
Toronto FC will be back in action when it visits the New England Revolution on Saturday (7:30 p.m. ET/TSN & Apple TV).
New England (8-14-7) sits 11th in the Eastern Conference with a six-point gap on Toronto, and nine points off the pace of ninth-place Chicago.
The Revolution are coming off a 3-2 road defeat to Chicago this past weekend (they're second loss in a row) and only have two wins in their last 14 league games dating back to June 14.
Veteran Spanish midfielder Carles Gil leads the team in goals (10) and assists (11). U.S. international goalkeeper Matt Turner recently returned to the club, signing a year-long loan deal from French outfit Olympique Lyon.
John Molinaro
CanMNT vs. Wales on Tuesday
A disappointing showing at this summer’s Concacaf Gold Cup has been completely forgotten by the Canadian men’s team as it prepares to co-host the 2026 FIFA World Cup. That much was made clear last Friday in Canada’s comprehensive 3-0 win over Romania in an international friendly at Arena Națională in Bucharest.
Jonathan David opened the scoring while midfielder Ali Ahmed put in a man-of-the-match effort with a goal and an assist. Fullback Niko Sigur also scored for Canada, who was playing its first match since a shocking loss to Guatemala that led to its quarter-final exit at the Gold Cup. Maxime Crépeau made a number of saves to earn his ninth clean sheet.
The Canadians’ previous win on European soil against a European opponent came in a 1-0 decision over Belarus in a friendly in Turkey on March 29, 2011. Canada's last win over a European team playing on home soil was a 1-0 decision over Cyprus on May 30, 2009, in Larnaka
Canada, ranked No. 28 in the world, now turns its attention to Wales (No. 31) in Tuesday's friendly in Swansea (2:45 p.m. ET/TSN & OneSoccer). Canada has a record of one win and two losses vs. Wales, including a 1-0 defeat in their previous encounter on May 30, 2004, in Wrexham.
Jesse Marsch is expected to start Dayne St. Clair in net and make a few other lineup changes. Ex-Toronto FC winger Jacob Shaffelburg will be available for selection after missing the Romania match through suspension.
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Stories to look out for at TFC Republic
Unable to get regular playing time at CF Montreal this season, Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty has thrived while on loan at Charlotte FC, to the point he's earned his first call-up with the Canadian men’s team since 2021. If all goes well, he could earn his first cap vs. Wales in Tuesday’s friendly in Swansea. I recently chatted one-on-one with the former Toronto FC wingback about his national team aspirations and much more. Look for my feature story to run later this week.
Other stories that will be published later this week include:
- A TFC notebook column after Tuesday or Wednesday's training session.
- A feature story on Toronto FC defender Sigurd Rosted.
- In-depth pre- and post-game coverage of Toronto's match vs. New England.
- An audio interview piece with Sam Lattof of The Blazing Musket ahead of Saturday's road game vs. the New England Revolution.
- The weekly TFC Random Thoughts column.
- A new TFC Talk interview with beat reporter James Grossi.
- Regular "TFC Tidbits" stories throughout the week.
- In-depth pre- and post-game coverage of Canada's match vs. Wales.
- A Q&A with Canadian men's team goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau.
- The reader mailbag.
- The weekly TFC 2 report.
- 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)
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