TFC Republic Weekly: September 16-22

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... 

Toronto FC gets back on track with important home win

John Herdman challenged his players and they responded on Saturday with one of their best collective efforts of the MLS season.  

Coming off a loss in which Herdman described as complacent and lacking in urgency, Toronto FC bounced back in a major way with a hard fought 2-1 victory over Austin FC at BMO Field.

Captain Jonathan Osorio and fellow Canadian Deandre Kerr scored for Toronto, who had been idle since a disappointing 3-1 home defeat to D.C. United on Aug. 31. With a goal and an assist in the first half, Osorio (48 goals, 52 assists) joined Sebastian Giovinco as the only players in club history to record 100 regular season goal contributions.  

“I think all the lads tonight just dug in. They really dug in and showed that fight that it's going to take to make it through to the playoffs. You're gonna have to fight, and it won't be perfect, as they keep telling us. You're gonna have to just grind the results out all the way through," Herdman said.

Midfielder Alonso Coello offered: "It was huge. This was a game we had to win, 100 per cent. ... This was a must-win game at home against a very good team. We came up very strong, very aggressive."

Reds sit in 8th place in Eastern Conference

Saturday's win allowed Toronto (11-15-3, 36 points) to keep hold of eighth place in the Eastern Conference and move to within two points of seventh-place Charlotte FC. They also moved three points clear of ninth-place D.C. United.  

If the playoffs started today, TFC would host D.C. in the wild card match with the winner to advance to the next round where they'd face Inter Miami in a best of three series. But the Reds still have some work to do over their last five matches in order to lock down a playoff berth and qualify for the post-season for the first time since 2020.

The seven teams directly below them in the table are all within nine points and five of them have at least a game in hand. Three of Toronto's final four home games come against teams that currently sit in the top four in the East: Miami, the Columbus Crew and New York Red Bulls. The Reds have already lost to that trio of clubs by a combined score of 10-1 this season, and Miami also defeated TFC in the round of 32 in the Leagues Cup.

TFC also have to travel to Denver for a date with the Colorado Rapids where they'll not only have to overcome playing at altitude but also one of the best sides in the Western Conference. 

TFC vs. Columbus Crew on Wednesday 

It's a busy week for Toronto FC as they'll play the first of two games in a four-day spell when they host the Columbu Crew on Wednesday (7:30 p.m. ET/Apple TV & TSN).  

Columbus (14-5-8) sits third in the Eastern Conference, five spots and 14 points above Toronto. The Ohio-based club is winless in its last two matches and is coming off a 0-0 draw away to FC Cincinnati.

The Crew boast the second-best attack in the East with 52 goals thanks in large part to Colombian forward Cucho Hernández who is having an MVP-type season with a team-high 13 goals and 10 assists. Uruguayan forward Diego Rossi (10 goals, 11 assists) is also enjoying an impressive campaign. Goalkeeper Patrick Schulte has started 22 of Columbus's 27 games this season, recording nine clean sheets (tied for second in MLS). The Crew's roster also includes Canadian international and former TFC youth academy player Jacen Russell-Rowe.

Toronto and Columbus previously met on July 6 when the Crew earned a decisive 4-0 home win. The loss was TFC's sixth in a row and extended their winless run to nine matches.

Columbus leads the all-time MLS regular season series against Toronto with 19 wins and 13 draws in 42 meetings

This weekend's match is the final meeting of the regular season between the clubs. 

TFC vs. Colorado Rapids on Saturday 

It'll be a quick turnaround for the Reds after the Columbus match as they'll hit the road for another important game against the Colorado Rapids on Saturday (9:30 p.m. ET/Apple TV).

Colorado (14-9-5) sits third in the Western Conference and has won three in a row in MLS, including a 2-1 home decision over the Portland Timbers on the weekend.

With 55 goals, the Rapids have the fifth-best attack in MLS, led by Brazilian forward Rafael Navarro who has 14 goals and five assists. U.S. international Djordje Mihailovic (10 goals, 12 assists) and Cole Bassett (nine goals, seven assists) have also been major contributors during the 2024 campaign. Goalkeeper Zack Steffen has started all 28 games with five clean sheets.

Toronto and Colorado previously met on Sept. 25, 2021 when they played to a 0-0 draw at Dick's Sporting Goods Park. Toronto leads the all-time series against Colorado with nine wins and three draws in 19 meetings.

Former TFC coach Chris Armas is in his first season in charge with the Rapids. Saturday's game marks the first time he'll face his former club since being fired by Toronto on July 4, 2021.

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

Stories to look out for at TFC Republic

With only five games left in the season, Toronto FC is trying to scramble across the finish line and lock down a playoff berth in the Eastern Conference. But the trailing pack of teams is hot on its tail, and the Reds are facing a tough schedule. I'll have a piece looking at the playoff race in the East and TFC's chances of ending their post-season drought. Look for my story later this week. 

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.  
• My feature story on Toronto captain Jonathan Osorio.
• A piece on Chris Armas' time as Toronto FC coach.
• In-depth pre- and post-game coverage of Toronto's home game vs. the Columbus Crew.   
• An audio interview piece with Brianna Mac Kay of the Columbus Dispatch newspaper ahead of Wednesday's game vs. the Crew.
• In-depth pre- and post-game coverage of Toronto's road game vs. Colorado Rapids.   
• A new audio interview piece with Braidon Nourse of the Denver Post newspaper ahead of Saturday's game vs. Colorado. 
• 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 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.