TFC Republic Weekly: August 19-25

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 offer a glimpse of what to expect at TFC Republic in the coming days. 

So, without further ado... 

Playoff push shifts into high gear for Toronto FC

Toronto FC has been idle since Aug. 8 when a 4-3 road loss to Inter Miami resulted in its elimination from the Leagues Cup in the round of 32.

Break time is now over for TFC who'll return to MLS action this weekend with a crucial road game vs. the Houston Dynamo.

Toronto (9-14-3, 30 points) currently sits eighth in the Eastern Conference, one spot above the playoff cutoff line, with eight matches remaining in the regular season. TFC have two wins in their last three league matches, including a shutout victory away to CF Montreal in its previous outing.

But all seven teams directly below the Reds in the table are within seven points and have a game in hand – the New England Revolution (23 points) have three games in hand.

So, a playoff berth is far from a sure thing for Toronto, who last qualified for the post-season in 2020 when it bowed out in the first round to Nashville SC.

If John Herdman's side is going to make a playoff push down this final stretch of the season it has to start showing some consistency and pick up points on a regular basis in order to stay ahead of the trailing pack.

Transfer deadline closed, but TFC can still make moves

The closure of the MLS secondary transfer window last Wednesday means teams can't make any more trades involving players or transfer signings for the rest of 2024. 

However, clubs can still sign free agents – players who are out of contract and unattached players – so long as they do so by the MLS roster freeze date of Sept. 13. 

Among the other options still on the table for TFC are: 

• Loaning or selling a player to a non-MLS club, subject to the receiving club's applicable federation's transfer window, 
• Making trades with other MLS teams that don't involve players (draft picks, international roster spots, general allocation money and other assets), 
• Signing homegrown players from its youth academy, 
• Calling up players on loan from TFC 2. 

So, there's plenty of important work that GM Jason Hernandez can complete even though the transfer window is now closed. 

Aside from the possible signing of free agents, you'd have to think that accumulating general allocation money (GAM) would be at the top of Hernandez's to-do list. The more money he accumulates between now and the opening of the MLS primary transfer window in January, the better position he'll be in to strengthen Toronto's roster ahead of the 2025 campaign. 

This month's trade with CF Montreal involving Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty saw the Reds receive $850,000 in guaranteed GAM – $450,000 in 2024 GAM and $400,00 in 2025 GAM. 

TFC can carry over that $450,000 in GAM over into next year. But they can also put it to use to sign a free agent from abroad to strengthen their push for a playoff spot, so long as they complete such a deal by the roster free date. 

TFC vs. Houston Dynamo on Saturday 

Toronto heads to Texas for a rare road game against the Houston Dynamo at Shell Energy Stadium on Saturday (Apple TV/8:30 p.m. ET).

Houston (10-7-7) currently sits sixth in the Western Conference table, and has just one loss in its last 10 league games dating back to late May. The Dynamo are undefeated in three MLS contests and have won two in a row, including a 4-3 road win over the Vancouver Whitecaps on July 20.

Like TFC, the Dynamo advanced to the round of 32 of the Leagues Cup before bowing out of the tournament courtesy of a penalty shootout loss to Toluca of Liga MX on Aug. 9.

Nigerian forward Ibrahim Aliyu leads Ben Olsen's team in scoring this season with six goals, while former TFC midfielder Latif Blessing (traded to Houston in March) and Paraguayan forward Sebastián Ferreira have each scored five times. French midfielder Amine Bassi is the club's top playmaker with seven assists, and goalkeeper Steve Clark has started 21 of 24 games with five clean sheets.

Blessing isn't the only former TFC player in the Dynamo's squad. Midfielder Griffin Dorsey has eight goals and 11 assists in 89 regular season games for Houston since being waived by the Reds in 2021.

Former Canadian international goalkeeper Pat Onstad is Houston's GM.

Houston leads the all-time regular season series against Toronto with eight wins and 10 draws in 23 meetings. These sides previously met on July 20, 2019 when the Dynamo earned a 3-1 road win. Jozy Altidore scored the lone goal for TFC in the 75th minute.

This will be the only meeting of the regular season between the clubs.

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

Stories to look out for at TFC Republic

It's been an amazing few months for Nathaniel Edwards. The defender from Brampton, Ont., was signed to his first pro contract by TFC 2 in February after finishing his senior year of NCAA soccer at Syracuse University. Edwards, 21, made his debut for the Young Reds in March before earning his first taste of action with the senior team in May during a Canadian Championship match. TFC Republic recently spoke with Edwards about his career path and his future ambitions. Look for my feature story in the coming days.

Other stories that will be published later this week include:                

• My piece looking at the key storylines to watch from TFC this week.     
• My Random Thoughts on TFC column. 
• Regular "TFC Tidbits" stories throughout the week.  
• The latest instalment in our "MLS rules explained" series.
• A new audio interview piece with Dustyn Richardson of Bayou City Soccer ahead to Saturday's game vs. Houston Dynamo.
• In-depth pre- and post-game coverage of Toronto's road game vs. Houston.   
• The TFC 2 report with James Grossi.   
• The reader mailbag
• 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 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.