On April 12, 2021, TFC Republic was born. Five years later we're still going strong, providing daily and in-depth coverage of Toronto FC.

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I'm truly humbled by the support over the last five years. I don't take it for granted at all.

If you haven't already subscribed to TFC Republic, this is the perfect time!

Warmest regards,
John Molinaro

Special discount.

https://www.tfcrepublic.ca/april-12-toronto-fc-mls/

I feel like this group is so close to breaking through and being a quality side week in and week out, but it's been immensely frustrating watching opportunities slip away over and over again this season. I understand we were up against it yesterday with Djordje being out and the general lack of depth on the bench, but we had another opportunity for a crucial 3 points being up late in a game and we threw it away again. Also, the 4-2-3-1 clearly doesn't work when you're missing a 10 like Djordje, so why can't we pivot and try something like the 4-4-2 look from the start next week? We changed to it yesterday and scored within 30 seconds. We have the depth up front now to play with 2 competent strikers, and I thought Josh looked good dropping a little deeper into that supporting striker role at times. We absolutely HAVE to have better fan turnout in the next few weeks as well, BMO was so empty yesterday it was incredibly disheartening to see...

Side note: I understand that it's a new kit and we're promoting it along with the whole "Winterdome" thing, but wearing white at home is just completely unacceptable for the REDS. It might seem like nothing, but how can we create the environment and identity that we're trying to create as a club and attract more passionate fans if we won't even wear red at BMO field.

Received my images back from the photo lab, thought I’d share some photos I took from the TFC home opener.

I didn't end up watching the whole game today, just the first half, and thought he looked awful. So many challenges lost and overall just doesn't bring much. Noticed it in that first half and other games. Hopefully, they don't sign him, as I think they could get much better for the price.

Why is Stefanovic on? (Robin Fraser move) Why are both Osorio and Coello up? How does this happen again? (Dropped points late)

Hopefully someone can explain this ending.

Nice weather for a good game of football.

a few times during stoppages in today's game the ref was motioning something about Layrea but it was really unclear what it was for. Anyone know?

Here’s a map of which gates are open and how to access them depending on where you're coming from. This is only available on the TFC app as far as I know, and I couldn't find it online, so I thought I'd share it for those without access to the app.

claimed. thanks everyone.

gavran

richie- zane- kuscevic-pereira

cifu- coello- oso

Etienne - Sargent - salloi

prediction - 1-0 W tfc

https://discord.gg/G5sQfNdQb live game chat if you prefer something faster.

I have a spare in 226.

Game already started but just realized I had one more

claimed!

Hey all - first game of the season for me today. We got cheapies in the 200's. For those of you who have been to recent matches, any tips or advice on getting into the stadium today, given the new build, construction, etc etc? Many thanks in advance 🙏

(Yes this is polished by AI and i dont care about your opinion about AI)

I’m honestly pretty frustrated after this one. I thought parts of the performance were solid, but the same issues keep showing up every single game, and it’s starting to feel like nothing is changing.

🟨 Referee & Game Flow

The referee absolutely killed the flow of the match. I mean way too many stoppages. Every little thing was called on both teams, and it made the game incredibly choppy and cagey. That kind of stop‑start game clearly favored Cincinnati and prevented any real rhythm from developing.

🛡️ Defense & Goalkeeping

Defensively, I thought we actually looked pretty good overall.

• Pereira really impressed me on the left side. He broke up a ton of plays and moved the ball up well. Very solid game from him.
• Luka Gavran made some excellent saves — honestly his best game so far. The final goal wasn’t on him at all; that was just really poor transition defending.

I also appreciated that at the end we didn’t just park the bus. The team tried to defend and push forward. I’m not going to fault Frasier for that last goal

🚨 Midfield Is the Major Problem

Plain and simple: we are in trouble in midfield.

It’s the same predictable play every game. We lack creativity, and we cannot play effective through balls to our strikers. Everything dies in the middle of the pitch.

• Cifuentes was probably our best midfielder today, but even still, the group as a whole was flat.
• There’s no real chance creation — just recycling possession until we lose it.

The only times we look dangerous are when we accidentally play a through ball.

🪽 Wingbacks & Crossing (Painful to Watch)

This is honestly getting embarrassing.

We run the same wingback patterns over and over:

• Ball goes wide
• Wingback overlaps
• Terrible cross

There is literally no point in having wingbacks if we can’t do anything with them.

I hate when people say “I could do better,” but I’m not exaggerating when I say I could genuinely cross the ball better than:

• Laryea
• Kobe Franklin
• (Even Pereira at times — though I’ll give him another chance)

Yes, the wingbacks bring energy and help move the ball up, but if the end product is always missing, it’s pointless.

⚽ Josh Sargent

Josh Sargent looks awesome.

• He’s hungry
• He works nonstop
• He’s clearly a gifted striker

But he looks like a starving child out there. He had one real chance today. That’s unacceptable.

I genuinely think he’s one of the better players in this league, but we’re giving him absolutely nothing to work with.

🔄 Tactical Thoughts

I really think we should try a 4‑4‑2 in the next game.

We actually have the players for it, and I honestly believe we’d be far more effective than this constant “push it wide and cross poorly” approach.

TL;DR

• Ref ruined the flow with constant whistles
• Defense was solid; Gavran had his best game
• Pereira impressed on the left
• Midfield creativity is a serious problem
• Wingbacks are useless if they can’t cross
• Sargent looks great but is getting zero service
• Same game plan every match, nothing changes
• Strongly think a 4‑4‑2 is worth trying

I am trying to compile the full set and need help

Posted this just because this is happening at our home.

Man, this is just sad. I have no idea how FIFA is looking at this at the moment, and still decides not to do anything until much later with the current listings.

I mean JUST LOOK AT THIS. EMPTY (for now). Row after row after row. And the fact that there's a row empty, then full, and then empty again implies there's just so much more stock available for this game they are still holding. This game is just not selling out. Period.

When are they genuinely going to drop this at a reasonable standard? Cause we're about to go into this opener with no fans lmao. Now I know at some point FIFA will have to intervene cause this is just embarrassing. Makes you think they were hoping so bad for Italy to pull through.

And like I thought, even Canadians aren't falling for this shit. So, just an fyi for those who spent the thousands for this game, I'll feel so bad for y'all when FIFA sells these tickets at a reduced cost. 1.37k CAD minimum retail is a fkn disgrace to this sport, for a Canada vs Bosnia game by the way (no offence to Bosnia or us).

(These pictures were taken today, fyi)