TFC Republic Weekly: April 14-20

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 earn 3rd straight draw, still without a win

It was another moral victory for Toronto FC in Saturday’s 0-0 draw against Minnesota at BMO Field.  

But Toronto (0-4-4) sure could use the genuine kind right about now as it is still without a win this season under new coach Robin Fraser. TFC’s third consecutive stalemate means they haven't won in league play (0-8-5) since earning a 2-1 home decision over Austin FC on Sept. 14 when John Herdman was still in charge.  

Toronto has collected just four out of possible 24 points and are one of only three winless teams in MLS in 2025. On the plus side, TFC have recorded a pair of clean sheets in its last three outings after conceding 12 goals in its first five contests. They can also take pride in blanking one of the best sides from the Western Conference.

Minnesota (4-1-3) is now unbeaten in seven games and has a reputation as one of the best counter-attacking units in MLS. Yet, the visitors couldn't break down the hosts and managed just one shot on target. Honduran midfielder Deybi Flores put in a man-of-the-match effort, running himself ragged to support the defence in shutting down Minnesota's dangerous attackers.

"We knew from the beginning that they had a very offensive team and were very good in attack. They have two good strikers and during the week we were working really hard, analyzing different games and seeing how they play, and how they like to find free space. So, I think we played very well, and we had a really good performance on the defensive side," Flores said through a translator.

Injuries left TFC shorthanded on the weekend

Toronto FC was missing no less than six players due to injury for Saturday's home game vs. Minnesota.

Fullback Richie Laryea missed his sixth straight match with a hamstring injury. Also unavailable for Toronto were forward Deandre Kerr (high ankle strain), defenders Henry Wingo, Nicksoen Gomis and Zane Monlouis, and forward Ola Brynhildsen (all lower body injuries).      

Kerr picked up the injury in a 0-0 home draw vs. the Vancouver Whitecaps on March 29. There's no timeline as to when the young Canadian might be able to return. The injuries to Wingo, Gomis, Monlouis, and Brynhildsen are thought to be less serious, but the club's ongoing injury situation is a story worth keeping an eye on.

Reds see progress with Lorenzo Insigne's fitness

Fitness issues have dogged Lorenzo Insigne during his time at Toronto FC. Insigne arrived in MLS during the summer of 2022 and ended up playing in 11 league games. Not bad for a mid-season roster addition. 

But the Italian DP was limited to just 20 league appearances (18 starts, 1,522 minutes) in 2023 and 23 games (17 starts, 1,356 minutes) last season while dealing with a slew of different injuries, fitness issues and health ailments. Small wonder that he’s only scored 14 goals and tallied 12 assists in 57 MLS contests and has failed to live up to his big-money contract.  

This year, the former Napoli captain has proven to be more durable, suggesting that his injury and fitness issues are finally a thing of the past. Insigne sat out the first four contests of the MLS campaign as the club was actively trying to offload him via a transfer or trade. But Robin Fraser has inserted Insigne into the starting 11 in each of the Reds’ last four matches and he has responded by collecting a pair of assists

“In the last two weeks, he has essentially covered the most ground on the team. [Jonathan Osorio] has covered more ground than him by between two and six metres. So, he's covering a lot of ground. His commitment has been really good. His defensive awareness, his willingness to run, his willingness to go to places, to help the team, I think, has been really good. And on the attacking end, I think he'll only get sharper and sharper,” Fraser said last Friday.  

TFC vs. Real Salt Lake on Saturday  

Toronto FC returns to action when it visits Real Salt Lake on Saturday (9:30 p.m. ET/Apple TV).     

Salt Lake (3-5-0) sits in 10th place in the Western Conference and is coming off a 2-1 road loss to Nashville SC on Saturday. Dominik Marczuk scored the opening goal of the game, but then the hosts bagged two goals, including the winner deep into injury time, to send Salt Lake to its third loss in four games.

Salt Lake was on the wrong end of an officiating call in the match, with video reviews earlier in the match denying a possible red card on Nashville defender Daniel Lovitz.

"It makes our job a little bit more difficult," defender Alex Katranis said. "But we can't use these [decisions] as an excuse, because we need to win the game, even if the decisions are not on our side."

Real Salt Lake leads the all-time series against Toronto with 10 wins and four draws in 20 regular season meetings

This will be the only meeting of the season between the two teams. 

AFC Toronto makes it NSL debut this week

AFC Toronto plays its first match in club history when it hosts Montreal Roses FC at BMO Field on Saturday (4:00 p.m. ET/TSN & CBC Gem). 

The 2025 Northern Super League season kicks off with the league’s six founding teams taking to the pitch: AFC Toronto, Calgary Wild FC, Halifax Tides FC, Montreal Roses FC, Ottawa Rapid FC and Vancouver Rise FC. All six clubs will compete in a single table format and will play 25 games during the 2025 campaign.  

The top four teams in the final standings will compete in a home and away format in the semifinals of the playoffs. The playoff matchups will see the top seed facing the fourth seed and second seed against third seed. The higher seeded clubs will play at home for their second match. The championship game is slated for Nov. 15.  

Team rosters will consist of up to 25 players with a maximum of eight internationals. The league is looking at a salary cap of $1.6 million per club. The NSL’s minimum salary is $50,000, with no maximum salary cap for designated players, which the league says ranks it among global leaders for women's soccer.       

AFC Toronto's roster also includes Canadian internationals Victoria Pickett and Emma Regan, and Canadian striker Jade Kovacevic.

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Stories to look out for at TFC Republic 

Deybi Flores is a man of few words. He rarely speaks to the media, preferring to do his talking on the pitch. And the Honduran said plenty with his man-of-the-match effort this past weekend vs. Minnesota United, helping Toronto FC earn its second shutout in three games. Look for my feature story on Flores in the coming days.

Other stories that will be published later this week include:         

• A special feature story on Toronto FC coach Robin Fraser. 
• In-depth pre- and post-game coverage of Toronto's match vs. Real Salt Lake.  
• A new audio interview piece with Caleb Turner of KSL.com Sports ahead of Saturday's game vs. Real Salt Lake.  
• A new TFC Random Thoughts column. 
• A new TFC Talk interview with beat reporter James Grossi.     
• Regular "TFC Tidbits" stories throughout the week.   
• The weekly TFC 2 report. 
• The return of the reader mailbag!
• Post-game coverage of AFC Toronto's match vs. Montreal Roses FC.
• 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 courtesy of 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.