TFC's Hugo Mbongue: 'I don't think it's unrealistic to say I can become a starter'

Hugo Mbongue is soft spoken and a man of few words, but he has very lofty ambitions for himself at Toronto FC.

“I don’t think it’s unrealistic to say I can become a starter,” Mbongue recently told TFC Republic.

Big talk from a player who’s only made seven league appearances (all off the bench) and seen just 107 minutes of action for Toronto this season. But the young forward has every right to feel confident in his abilities.

Mbongue, 18, was a member of TFC's youth academy from 2018 to 2021, playing at several different age levels before signing with TFC 2 last May. He had four goals and five assists in 14 appearances (11 starts) for the Young Reds during the inaugural MLS NEXT Pro regular season in 2022. He turned out for TFC 2 in 10 games the previous year in the USL League One regular season while still a member of the youth academy.