TFC Republic Weekly: November 18-24
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...
Radio silence from Toronto FC on multiple fronts
Last Tuesday, Canada Soccer shared the findings of an independent report it commissioned into the drone-spying scandal involving the Canadian women's team that rocked this summer's Paris Olympics. The report essentially concluded that former Canadian women's team coach Bev Priestman and assistant Jasmine Mander “directed, approved and condoned” the illegal filming of New Zealand’s practices at the Olympics using a drone.
Canada Soccer also revealed that John Herdman didn't participate in the investigation due to scheduling conflicts. Canadian soccer's governing body said that it has initiated a proceeding against Herdman to adjudicate potential violations of its code of conduct and ethics during his time in charge of the Canadian men's and women's teams.
In response, MLSE issued the following statement: "[We are] in receipt of the public report from Canada Soccer today outlining the findings of the external investigation into scouting practices and potential involvement of current members of the Toronto FC staff. The organization will thoroughly review and process the report’s findings over the coming days. Both MLSE and Toronto FC will reserve any further comment until that review process has been completed."
There's also no word from TFC on Lorenzo Insigne's status for the 2025 MLS season. MLSE President & CEO Keith Pelley didn't rule out the possibility of moving on from the Italian last month when speaking to reporters at the team's annual locker clean out day.
"I think Lorenzo is somebody that is committed to Toronto, has given his heart and soul to Toronto. But in a rebuild, you have to evaluate everything … We will talk to his agent, talk to Lorenzo in the coming couple weeks, understand what his desire is, and look at it from a holistic perspective and make a decision at that particular time," Pelley said.
There's also been no official statement regarding German forward Prince Owusu and defender Luke Singh and whether the club will pick up its contract options on both players for next season. TFC have to make decisions on Owusu and Singh by next week's league deadline.
Important off-season dates to remember
With TFC coming off a disappointing campaign, this off-season is going to be one of the most important in the team's history. Club management will have to make a series of moves in order to improve the roster and set things right for the 2025 MLS campaign. With this in mind, here are some important off-season dates to circle on your calendar.
Nov. 27 is the deadline for all MLS clubs to decide which players will have their contract options exercised for the 2025 season. TFC already made decisions on 11 players, but they still have to decide what they want to do about forward Prince Owusu and defender Luke Singh, who spent this season on loan with Atlético Ottawa in the CPL.
Dec. 9 is when the MLS half-day trade window (9:00 am to 1:00 p.m. ET) opens up after a three-month freeze. MLS clubs can start tweaking their rosters by making trades with other teams across the league.
Expansion club San Diego FC will become the 30th team in MLS in 2025. But before that, San Diego will get to pick up to five players during the MLS Expansion Draft on Dec. 11. TFC have to determine which players to protect and which ones to leave unprotected.
MLS free agency begins on Dec. 12. Free agency eligible players are out-of-contract and option-declined players who are at least 24 years old and who have completed a minimum of five years of service in MLS. On the same day, the end-of-year waivers process begins. The waiver process pertains to players whose options were not exercised and who are not eligible for free agency or the re-entry process.
The MLS re-entry process kicks off on Dec. 12 with stage 1, while stage 2 is on Dec. 19. Essentially, this applies to MLS players who are out of contract (or had their option declined) but are not eligible for free agency.
The 2025 MLS SuperDraft on Dec. 20 will consist of three rounds.
CanMNT vs. Suriname on Tuesday
The Canadian men's team is 90 minutes away from qualifying for next year's Concacaf Nations League Finals.
Junior Hoilett came off the bench to score the lone goal in a scrappy game and guide Canada to a gritty 1-0 win over Surname in last Friday’s first leg of the quarter-finals.
The hosts frustrated Canada for most of the match before Hoilett’s late heroics silenced the announced crowd of 4,500 inside Dr. Ir. Franklin Essed Stadion in the capital city of Paramaribo. The Canadians will host Suriname in the return match at BMO Field on Tuesday (7:30 p.m. ET/OneSoccer), needing only a draw to advance.
This was Canada’s first competitive match since its fourth-place finish at this summer’s Copa América where it impressed by twice going toe-to-toe with World Cup champions Argentina. That tournament is now firmly in the rearview window, and Les Rouges were reminded of the grim realities of the grinding nature of away games in Concacaf on Friday as they did just enough to secure the victory.
"We stayed calm in the match, and we knew that they were going to be a tough team to break down. It's a little bit the story of our team … because we don't find a way to get that goal in the first half with some big chances, the game is in the balance. And then we have to put a lot of energy into it," coach Jesse Marsch told reporters after the win.
"And it doesn't put us in the position that we want in the series but it's a tough place to play down here."
Canada is No. 35 in the current FIFA world rankings. Suriname is No. 136.
The other quarter-finals are No. 39 Panama versus No. 50 Costa Rica, the 18th-ranked United States versus No. 61 Jamaica, and No. 16 Mexico versus No. 77 Honduras.
The Nations League Finals will take place at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., with the two semifinals scheduled for March 20, and the final and third-place playoff game set for March 23. The four semifinalists will also automatically qualify for next summer's 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup.
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Stories to look out for at TFC Republic
Richie Laryea's return to Toronto FC in 2024 did not go according to plan for the Canadian international. He suffered a hamstring injury in the opening match of the season on Feb. 25 and was then sidelined for until June and waiting until July to return as a starter. When he did come back, he was unable to get into a steady rhythm as he had just one goal and two assists in 12 league appearances. How did the veteran fullback view his return to the club? I recently spoke with him in a one-on-one interview that covered a wide range of topics. Look for my feature story on Laryea in the coming days.
Other stories that will be published later this week include:
- My “Random Thoughts on TFC” column.
- My piece on Toronto FC defender Adam Pearlman.
- Regular "TFC Tidbits" stories throughout the week.
- A new TFC Talk audio interview segment with beat reporter James Grossi.
- Part 3 of our "Toronto FC in 2024: Who was worth their salary cap hit" series.
- Part 3 of our "Toronto FC in 2024: The year that was in roster moves" series.
- Part 5 of our "TFC year in review" series looks back at the month of June.
- A new instalment in our TFC flashback history series.
- Another edition of the reader mailbag.
- In-depth pre- and post-game coverage of Canada's Concacaf Nations League quarter-final second leg vs. Suriname.
- And much more!
TFC Republic mailbag
TFC Republic features 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.