Toronto FC plays for pride and contracts in season finale
The Reds are eliminated from playoff contention and have 16 players with uncertain contract statuses.
Toronto FC will end its 2026 Major League Soccer season on Saturday against the Philadelphia Union, playing for pride after being eliminated from playoff contention last weekend. The match is a dead rubber for the Reds, who have missed the playoffs for six consecutive years, but it holds significant weight for many players on the roster. No less than 16 members of the current squad will be out of contract, entering an option year or at the end of their loan spells once the season concludes. General manager Jason Hernandez faces tough off-season decisions about who to keep as he rebuilds for the 2027 MLS Sprint Season.
Coach Robin Fraser said the pride factor remains important and that players have individual motivations. "Obviously, people are let down, but I do think that from what we've seen, that this pride factor is an important thing. And there are guys who have different things to play for, whether it's contracts or longevity or starting positions; there's always something to play for," Fraser said this week. The game also allows Fraser to juggle his lineup and give opportunities to players who have struggled for minutes this year.
One such player is 18-year-old defender Richard Chukwu, who has made just three MLS appearances since signing a first team contract in July. Despite his limited club action, Chukwu has earned two caps for the Canadian national team and is part of Jesse Marsch's latest squad for Concacaf Nations League qualifiers. A strong showing against Philadelphia and for Canada could bolster his chances for more playing time with TFC next season. "There is no greater source of pride than playing for your country," Fraser said. "So, for him, it's a great situation. He's put himself in a really good position to where he's being called in."
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Saturday's match could also be the final one for captain Jonathan Osorio with Toronto FC. The 34-year-old midfielder, the club's all-time appearances leader, is out of contract after this season. Last week he became the first MLS player to score in 14 consecutive seasons with the same club. When asked about his future after the loss in Atlanta, Osorio said, "We’ll see. We’re just at the end of the season right now. I’m just disappointed right now that we couldn’t get to the playoffs this year."
The game also marks Toronto's last chance to avoid a seventh straight MLS season without a double-digit goal scorer. The last time TFC had a player score 10 or more goals was in 2019. Since then, five players have scored nine goals in a season. This year, both Josh Sargent and Dániel Sallói are tied for the team lead with nine goals and have one game left to hit the 10-goal mark.
With files from Sportsnet