TFC Republic Weekly: October 21-27
Toronto FC is in what's being called "a full rebuild" this off-season and it'll be up to GM Jason Hernandez to help oversee it.
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...
Keith Pelley: 'TFC now is in what's called a full rebuild'
It's not very often that we hear from the MLSE President & CEO about the state of Toronto FC.
That's what made last Thursday's end-of-year media availability, otherwise known as locker clean out day, particularly interesting.
Keith Pelley spoke for more than 30 minutes as he fielded questions from TFC Republic and other reporters on a variety of subjects pertaining to Toronto FC.
MLSE's head honcho didn't mince words, stating that the MLS club doesn't have a clear identity and that all options are on the table this off-season when it comes to strengthening the side ahead of the 2025 MLS campaign.
"TFC now is in what's called a full rebuild. We will over the next couple of months evaluate all facets of our operation and start the transition into what we believe is something that is absolutely critical to our fans," Pelley stated.
"And that's providing a contender, somebody that contends, somebody that can win, somebody that can get back to the glory years on an annual basis. What that means is we're going to look at everything, and that's what we're doing right now. We're in the midst of it."
TFC finishes 11th in Eastern Conference
Even though Toronto FC closed out its 2024 MLS campaign on Oct. 5, it had to wait until this past weekend for Decision Day, the last day of the regular season, to find out where it finished in the final standings
CF Montreal and Atlanta United both won on Saturday, which meant TFC (11-19-4) dropped one spot to finish 11th in the Eastern Conference. The Reds finished tied on points (37) with the Philadelphia Union, but won the tiebreaker (most wins overall) to finish higher in the table. Overall, Toronto finished 22nd in the MLS table.
Toronto was dead last in the East in 2023, finishing in 15th place with a record of 4-20-10. In 2021 and 2022, the Reds placed 13th out of 14 teams in the East. In 2020, they were second in the East.
TFC's 11 wins and 37 points this season was an improvement on the four wins and 22 points they collected last year. But that wasn't enough to end the club's playoff drought, which now goes back to 2020 when it lost to Nashville SC in the first round.
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 club 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. Thirteen TFC players will be in the option years of their contracts for 2025: Alonso Coello, Kobe Franklin, Kevin Long, Shane O’Neill, Prince Owusu, Greg Ranjitsingh, Brandon Servania, Luka Gavran, Deandre Kerr, Aime Mabika, Tyrese Spicer, Kosi Thompson, and Luke Singh. GM Jason Hernandez revealed on locker clean out day that an announcement about the 13 players is expected sometime this week.
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.
CPL playoffs kick off this week
The Canadian Premier League regular season concluded on Saturday, which means the playoffs begin this week.
York United FC (fourth place) welcomes Pacific FC (fifth) to York Lions Stadium on Wednesday in the first round. The winner advances to the quarter-final where they will play third-place Atlético Ottawa on Oct. 27 at TD Place Stadium in the nation's capital.
On the same day table toppers Forge FC will play second-place finisher Cavalry FC at Tim Hortons Field. The winner of that game will stage the CPL Final on Nov. 9. The loser gets a second chance and will host the winner of the quarter-final matchup on Nov. 2.
The winner of the CPL Final will lift the North Star Cup as 2024 CPL Champions and earn a berth in the 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup.
CanWNT vs. Spain on Friday
The biggest news stemming from Canada Soccer’s announcement last week doesn’t pertain to who is on the Canadian women’s team roster for this month’s international friendly. The biggest news was who will be in charge when Canada faces Spain on Oct. 25 at Estadio Francisco de la Hera in Almendralejo.
Rather than relying on the traditional head coach model, Canada Soccer said in a media release that an interim coaching staff has been formed for the October international window featuring returning coaches Andy Spence, Jen Herst, and Neil Wood. They will be joined by Whitecap FC Girls Elite coach Katelyn Collar and former Canadian international Diana Matheson, who will provide support for the Canadian team during their preparation camp and match vs. Spain.
Twenty-one players make up this latest Canadian team, who’ll be taking to the field against Spain for the first time since bowing out of the Paris Olympics in the quarter-finals.
The most notable names on Canada’s squad are captain Jessie Fleming, goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan, defenders Kadeisha Buchanan, Vanessa Gilles and Ashley Lawrence, midfielder Julia Grosso, and forwards Janine Beckie and Adriana Leon. There are also recalls for midfielders Emma Regan and Olivia Smith, two players who didn’t make the Olympic team.
Spain is No. 3 in the current FIFA world rankings and is the defending World Cup champion, having won its first title in 2023. This will be the Spanish team’s first game since finishing fourth at this summer’s Paris Olympics. Canada is sixth in the FIFA rankings.
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Stories to look out for at TFC Republic
Thirteen TFC players will be entering the option years of their contracts this off-season, which means GM Jason Hernandez has a lot of important decisions to make. Hernandez will have until Nov. 27, per the deadline set by MLS, to decide which contract options the Reds will pick up and which ones they will decline. But he hinted last Thursday that those announcements will likely come this week. We''ll have a feature story later today looking at the 13 players and their chances of having their options picked up.
Other stories that will be published later this week include:
- My feature story on the "big questions" facing TFC this off-season.
- My “Random Thoughts on TFC” column.
- Regular "TFC Tidbits" stories throughout the week.
- Part 1 of our "TFC year in review" series looks back at the month of February.
- A new instalment in our TFC flashback history series.
- Another edition of the reader mailbag.
- In-depth pre- and post-game coverage of the Canadian women's team's friendly vs. Spain.
- Post-game coverage of the CPL playoff game between York United and Pacific FC.
- Post-game coverage of the CPL playoff game between Forge FC and Cavalry 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.
