Reader mailbag: Does Toronto FC need 'a complete rebuild'?
TFC Republic's reader mailbag column is where I answer questions from subscribers about Toronto FC and Canadian soccer in general.
I'll respond to the best queries 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.
Here we go...
What did you think of Keith Pelley's recent comments about the state of TFC, and do you think they'll hire a new president or just have Jason Hernandez report to Keith?
Earlier this week, MLSE president Keith Pelley spoke to Neil Davidson of the Canadian Press.
In Davidson's article, Pelley mentioned that former Bayern Munich technical director Marco Neppe has been doing a "full organizational review" of Toronto FC for two and half months, not unlike Jürgen Klinsmann did when he was hired by MLSE to do a comprehensive audit on the MLS club prior to the 2011 MLS season.
"TFC is a complete rebuild … Everything is on the table," Pelley was quoted as saying.
He added: "We don't have a club identity, a club ethos, currently right now for TFC … I kind of realized that pretty quickly that it's kind of lost its way."
Pelley took charge of MLSE in April and made headlines in June when it was announced that TFC president Bill Manning was leaving the organization by mutual consent. Since then, Jason Hernandez has been reporting directly to Pelley.
Sources have told TFC Republic that MLSE's search for Manning's replacement is ongoing, and that the organization has every intention of hiring a new club president. But in the meantime, Hernandez will continue to report to Pelley.
Neppe seems like a smart guy with a proven track record of success. I'll reserve judgment on him until I see what kind of recommendations he makes.
Pelley is exactly right about TFC lacking an identity and a club ethos. We're one year under John Herdman as coach and I'm still not exactly sure what this team's identity both on and off the pitch is supposed to be. I think having a full-time club president in place will go a long way in addressing that, much in the same way it did when Manning was hired in 2015.
Say what you will about Manning – and there's a lot of criticism you can fire his way after the last four years – he did have a big hand in establishing the club's culture the minute he stepped through the doors at Toronto FC. Pelley has recognized that the team is suffering from a lack of identity and seems determined to address that in a positive manner.
What I would take issue with is Pelley's comments about how "TFC is a complete rebuild." I don't agree with that assessment.
Does this team have serious holes to fill in its roster? Yes. Does it need major upgrades at key positions on the pitch? Again, yes. Is the club still blighted by too many poor player contracts? Unquestionably. Does Hernandez have a lot of big, important roster decisions to make this off-season? Without a doubt.
But in my view, "complete rebuild" means tearing everything down and starting completely over again from scratch. I don't think that's what Toronto FC needs. There are some good player pieces in place, but the squad just needs more quality and depth added to it. TFC is going to be in a much stronger salary cap position this winter to make a lot of moves to strengthen the current roster.
Herdman and Hernandez have only had one full year together under their belts. They deserve the chance to set things right in 2025. Changing the GM or coach ahead of next season would just lead to further instability with the team.
If TFC were to buy out Lorenzo Insigne, what effect would it have on their salary cap position? They are paying him regardless, but if they keep the Italian, I can't see him having a positive influence on the team the next 2 years. They should cut their losses.
– Derek Reynolds
I'm going to write a separate piece about the MLS "buyout option" in greater detail in the near future. I'll also be penning another feature article on Insigne and his future at TFC.
But to answer Derek's question in the meantime, let's go over some stuff very quickly.
MLS rules allow clubs to buy out one player per year (including a DP) from his contract and get the associated salary cap relief. The buyout can happen either in-season or during the off-season. But if the buyout is conducted in-season, it must happen before the end of the MLS secondary transfer window.
If a team has already used its one buyout, it can still mutually decide with a player to terminate his contract, but the team doesn't receive any salary cap relief. If the player is a DP, he will continue to occupy a DP spot on the team’s roster.
Toronto famously bought out Jozy Altidore prior to the 2022 MLS campaign. That same year the Reds got creative and traded Dom Dwyer to FC Dallas (the Reds gave up their first-round pick in the MLS SuperDraft), and Dallas immediately turned around and bought Dwyer out.
Even though Insigne is the second-highest paid player in MLS, only a small fraction of his multi-million-dollar contract counts against TFC's salary cap. As a DP, Insigne incurs the league's maximum salary budget charge, which means only $683,750 US of his wages count against Toronto's salary cap position.
Insigne's contract with Toronto FC runs through to the end of June 2026, so he has a season and a half left on his deal. According to the MLS players union website, the Italian earned $15.4 million US this season. That means, he is set to earn $23.1 if he sees out the remainder of his contract. So, that's what it would take for TFC to buy him out of his contract – $23.1 million.
Do I envision MLSE paying out that large sum of money just so it can cut ties with the underperforming Insigne? No, I don't. That might be pocket change for MLSE, but the reality is that it's a massive amount of money to spend in order to free up only $683,750 of salary cap space.
Now, that being said, TFC have a number of other options should they decide to end their association with Insigne. My two feature articles in the coming weeks will look into those options and further delve into the buyout issue, while also discussing whether the Reds should be considering letting go of Insigne.
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Forge FC look indomitable at the moment, simply cruising to the CPL Shield since the end of July. No one seems to be able to touch them at the moment. Which of the other three top four clubs could you see beating Forge in the semis or the final? Can any of the other clubs beat them?
– Jeff Salisbury
Forge currently tops the standings with one game remaining in the campaign, having previously won the CPL Shield (as regular season champions) and sewn up a playoff spot. As a result, they'll have home-field advantage throughout the post-season, including for the final on Nov. 9, should the advance to the CPL's championship game.
There's no hotter team in the CPL at the moment than Forge. Bobby Smyrniotis' side has won eight of its last 11 league contests with just two losses. Forge has only suffered back-to-back defeats once this year and that was back in May. The Hamilton-based club has been a model of consistency since then and is going into the playoffs with a great deal of momentum. From watching Forge play in recent weeks, you get the sense it hasn't even reached its peak and that there'll be another level for them to hit in the post-season.
Conventional wisdom suggests that Cavalry FC stands the best chance of denying Forge a third consecutive North Star Cup as league champions (and fifth in six years). Tommy Wheeldon Jr.'s team has historically given Forge the hardest time over the years, including in the 2019 and 2023 final when Cavalry pushed the side from Steeltown to the limit. Cavalry is sick of being the bridesmaid and having to repeatedly watch Forge lift the trophy at the end of the season. Even any team in the CPL has that extra bit of motivation to knock Forge off its pedestal, it's Cavalry.
But I think Atlético Ottawa has the best chance of ending Forge's reign as CPL Champions.
Forge has suffered only seven regular season losses in 2024 – three of those were against Ottawa, including a 2-0 setback at Tim Hortons Field on Saturday. Ottawa is the only team that has a winning record against Smyrniotis' outfit this season.
Statistically, Ottawa is the club the matches up the closest with the CPL champions. Forge has the league's best attack (45 goals scored) and second-best defence (30 goal against). Ottawa ranks second with 42 goals for and third with 31 goals against.
Carlos González's team has faltered in recent weeks by going six games in a row without a win prior to beating Forge this weekend. So, it's not exactly hitting its stride going into the playoffs. But I like the balance of Ottawa's squad with Amer Didic, Manny Aparicio, Rubén Del Campo and Ollie Bassett leading the way, and I just think they're the one team that's best equipped to upset Forge.
(Top photo courtesy of Lucas Kschischang/Toronto FC)
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