2023 Toronto FC season explained

Club:	Toronto FC
Season:	2023
Chrtitle:	President
Chairman:	Bill Manning
Mgrtitle:	Head coach
Manager:	Bob Bradley (until June 26) Terry Dunfield (interim, from June 26 to September 30) John Herdman (from October 1)
Owner:	Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment
Stadium:	BMO Field Toronto, Ontario
League:	Major League Soccer
League Result:	Conference 15th Overall: 29th
Cup1:	MLS Cup Playoffs
Cup1 Result:	Did not qualify
Cup2:	Canadian Championship
Cup2 Result:	Quarter-finals
Cup3:	Leagues Cup
Cup3 Result:	Group stage
League Topscorer:	Federico Bernardeschi Deandre Kerr (5 each)
Season Topscorer:	Federico Bernardeschi Lorenzo Insigne Deandre Kerr (5 each)
Largest Win:	TOR 2–0 MIA (March 18) TOR 3–1 PHI (August 30)
Largest Loss:	NYC 5–0 TOR (July 26, LC GS)
Average Attendance:	25,310^[1]
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Prevseason:	2022
Nextseason:	2024

The 2023 Toronto FC season was the 17th season in the history of Toronto FC.

The team finished the regular season in last place with a club-record low of 22 points, and thus failed to qualify for the MLS Cup Playoffs for a third consecutive season.

Squad

As of August 29, 2023^[2]

No.	Player	Nationality	Position(s)	Date of birth (age)	Signed in	Previous club
Goalkeepers
1	Sean Johnson		GK	31 May 1989	2023	New York City FC
18	Greg Ranjitsingh		GK	18 July 1993	2022	MLS Pool
30	Tomás Romero		GK	19 December 2000	2023	Los Angeles FC
90	Luka Gavran		GK	9 May 2000	2023	Toronto FC II
Defenders
3	Cristián Gutiérrez		LB	18 February 1997	2023	Vancouver Whitecaps FC
6	Aimé Mabika		CB	16 October 1998	2023	Inter Miami CF
7	Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty		RB / MF	16 June 2004	2020	Toronto FC II
17	Sigurd Rosted		CB	22 July 1994	2023	Brøndby IF
19	Kobe Franklin		RB	10 May 2003	2023	Toronto FC II
26	Luke Singh (loaned out)		CB	12 September 2000	2021	Toronto FC II
27	Shane O'Neill		CB	2 September 1993	2022	Seattle Sounders FC
28	Raoul Petretta		LB	24 March 1997	2023	Kasımpaşa
Midfielders
4	Michael Bradley		CM / DM	31 July 1987	2014	Roma
5	Franco Ibarra (on loan)		MF	28 April 2001	2023	Atlanta United FC
8	Víctor Vázquez		MF	20 January 1987	2023	LA Galaxy
11	Latif Blessing		MF	30 December 1996	2023	New England Revolution
21	Jonathan Osorio		AM / CM	12 June 1992	2013	SC Toronto
23	Brandon Servania		MF	12 March 1999	2023	FC Dallas
47	Kosi Thompson (loaned out)		MF	27 January 2003	2022	Toronto FC II
52	Alonso Coello		MF	12 October 1999	2023	Toronto FC II
81	Themi Antonoglou		MF	2 June 2001	2022	Toronto FC II
Forwards
9	C. J. Sapong		FW	27 December 1988	2023	Nashville SC
10	Federico Bernardeschi		RW	16 February 1994	2022	Juventus
12	Cassius Mailula		FW	12 June 2001	2023	Mamelodi Sundowns
20	Ayo Akinola (loaned out)		ST	20 January 2000	2018	Toronto FC II
24	Lorenzo Insigne		LW	4 June 1991	2022	Napoli
25	Prince Osei Owusu		FW	7 January 1997	2023	Jahn Regensburg
29	Deandre Kerr		FW	29 November 2002	2022	Syracuse Orange
77	Jordan Perruzza (loaned out)		FW	16 January 2001	2021	Toronto FC II
83	Hugo Mbongue		FW	27 July 2004	2022	Toronto FC II
99	Adama Diomande		FW	14 February 1990	2023	Odd

Players no longer on roster

No.	Player	Nationality	Position(s)	Date of birth (age)	Departure	Next club
71	Markus Cimermancic		MF	1 October 2004	Short-term loan expired	Toronto FC II
5	Lukas MacNaughton		CB	8 March 1995	Traded	Nashville SC
65	Antony Ćurić		DF	16 January 2001	Short-term loan expired	Toronto FC II
72	Jordan Faria		MF	13 June 2000	Short-term loan expired	Toronto FC II
22	Richie Laryea		RB	7 January 1995	Loan expired	Nottingham Forest
90	Luka Gavran		GK	9 May 2000	Short-term loan expired	Toronto FC II
76	Lazar Stefanovic		DF	10 August 2006	Short-term loan expired	Toronto FC II
73	Jesús Batiz		MF	14 June 1999	Short-term loan expired	Toronto FC II
51	Adam Pearlman		DF	5 April 2005	Short-term loan expired	Toronto FC II
14	Mark-Anthony Kaye		MF	2 December 1994	Traded	New England Revolution
2	Matt Hedges		CB	1 April 1990	Traded	Austin FC
82	Julian Altobelli		MF	4 November 2002	Short-term loan expired	Toronto FC II

Roster slots

Toronto had 8+3 international roster slots and three Designated Player slots available for use in the 2022 season. Beginning in 2022, MLS added three non-tradeable international roster spots to the Canadian franchises to compensate for the more complicated residency requirements compared to in the United States; players occupying these additional roster spots were required to have played and been registered with a Canadian MLS club for at least one full year.^[3] In 2022, they traded a 2023 international roster spot along with a 2023 MLS SuperDraft first round pick, Ralph Priso, and an undisclosed amount of General Allocation Money in exchange for Mark-Anthony Kaye.^[4] In 2023, they traded a 2023 international roster spot, along with Jesús Jiménez in exchange for Brandon Servania.^[5] Toronto acquired a 2023 International roster slot in July from the New England Revolution along with Latif Blessing, in exchange for Mark-Anthony Kaye. Toronto acquired a 2023 International roster slot from the San Jose Earthquakes in exchange for loaning Ayo Akinola.

Slot! style="background:#AB1E2D; color:white; text-align:center;"

Player	Nationality
E1	Víctor Vázquez	Spain
E2
E3
R1	Federico Bernardeschi	Italy
R2
R3	Alonso Coello	Spain
R4	Lorenzo Insigne	Italy
R5	Raoul Petretta	Italy
R6	Sigurd Rosted	Norway
NER1	Cassius Mailula
SJE1	Prince Osei Owusu	Germany
R7	Traded to FC Dallas
R8	Traded to Colorado Rapids
INJ	Adama Diomande	Norway

Slot! style="background:#AB1E2D; color:white; text-align:center;"

Player
1	Federico Bernardeschi
2	Lorenzo Insigne
3	Jonathan Osorio^[6]

Slot! style="background:#AB1E2D; color:white; text-align:center;"

Player
1	Franco Ibarra
2	Cassius Mailula
3
LOAN	Ayo Akinola

Transfers

Note: All figures in United States dollars.

In

Transferred in

No.	Pos.	Player	From	Fee/notes	Date	Source
30				Selected in 2022 MLS Re-Entry Draft Stage One		^[7]
8				Selected in 2022 MLS Re-Entry Draft Stage Two, Signed		^[8]
2				Free Agent Signing, Targeted Allocation Money		^[9]
99				Claimed MLS rights off Waivers		^[10]
28				Transfer, Targeted Allocation Money		^[11]
1				Free Agent Signing, Targeted Allocation Money		^[12]
17				Transfer, Targeted Allocation Money		^[13]
23				Traded for Jesús Jiménez
19				Signed as a homegrown player		^[14]
3				Claimed off Waivers		^[15]
52			Toronto FC II	Signed from second team	April 6, 2023	^[16]
9			Nashville SC	Acquired from Nashville SC for Lukas MacNaughton, $125,000 in GAM, and $75,000 in conditional GAM	April 25, 2023	^[17]
6			Inter Miami CF	Acquired from Inter Miami CF for $100,000 in GAM, and $100,000 in conditional GAM	April 25, 2023	^[18]
11			New England Revolution	Acquired along with an International Roster Slot in exchange for Mark-Anthony Kaye	July 13, 2023	^[19]
12			Mamelodi Sundowns	U22 Initiative Signing	July 28, 2023	^[20]
25			Jahn Regensburg	Undisclosed	August 4, 2023	^[21]
90			Toronto FC II	Signed from second team	August 20, 2023	^[22]

Loaned in

No.	Pos.	Player	From	Fee/notes	Date	Source
22			Nottingham Forest	Loan until June 30, 2023	August 5, 2022	^[23]
52			Toronto FC II	Short term loans (March 24, March 31)	March 24, 2023	^[24] ^[25]
71			Toronto FC II	Short term loans (March 24, May 20, July 8)	March 24, 2023	^[26] ^[27]
65			Toronto FC II	Short term loans (May 13, May 17, May 20)	May 13, 2023	^[28] ^[29]
72			Toronto FC II	Short term loan	May 20, 2023
90			Toronto FC II	Short term loans (June 21, June 24, July 1)	June 21, 2023	^[30] ^[31] ^[32]
76			Toronto FC II	Short term loans (July 1, July 30)	July 1, 2023	^[33]
73			Toronto FC II	Short term loans (July 4, July 8, July 30)	July 4, 2023	^[34]
51			Toronto FC II	Short term loans (July 4, July 8, August 30, October 7)	July 4, 2023	^[35] ^[36]
5			Atlanta United FC	Six month loan, sent $50,000 GAM to Atlanta	July 10, 2023	^[37]
82			Toronto FC II	Short term loan	October 4, 2023	^[38]

MLS SuperDraft picks

See main article: 2023 MLS SuperDraft.

Round	Selection	Player	Position	College	Status
2	32	Jalen Watson	Defender	Penn State Nittany Lions
3	61	Charlie Sharp	Forward	Western Michigan Broncos

Out

Transferred out

No.	Pos.	Player	To	Fee/notes	Date	Source
38				Traded for $300,000 GAM and $100,000 conditional GAM		^[39]
16				Contract expired		^[40]
25				Contract expired
15				Contract expired
14				Contract expired
23				Option declined
96			FC Ordabasy	Option declined		^[41]
99			Houston Dynamo FC	Option declined
22				Purchase option exercised		^[42]
44			Genoa	Announced retirement		^[43]
11			Rosenborg	Transfer		^[44]
9			FC Dallas	Traded for Brandon Servania
12			Vancouver FC	Mutual Termination		^[45]
5			Nashville SC	Traded to Nashville for C. J. Sapong
14			New England Revolution	Traded to New England for Latif Blessing and an international roster slot
2			Austin FC	Traded in exchange for $375,000 in 2024 GAM and up to an additional conditional $100,000 in 2025 GAM		^[46]

Loaned out

No.	Pos.	Player	To	Fee/notes	Date	Source
26			Atlético Ottawa	One-year loan		^[47]
20			San Jose Earthquakes	Loan until December 2023 with Purchase Option; TFC receives International roster slot		^[48]
77			HFX Wanderers FC	Loan until December 2023		^[49]
47			Lillestrøm SK	Loan until December 2023 with purchase option		^[50]

Pre-season

Matches

Competitions

Major League Soccer

See main article: 2023 Major League Soccer season.

League tables

Eastern Conference

Overall

Matches

Canadian Championship

See main article: 2023 Canadian Championship.

Leagues Cup

See main article: 2023 Leagues Cup.

Group stage

East 3

Competitions summary

Competition	Record								First Match	Last Match	Final Position
MLS Regular Season	February 25	October 21	15th in Eastern Conference, 29th Overall
Canadian Championship	May 9		Quarter-finals
Leagues Cup	July 26	July 30	Group stage
Total	Statistics Goals Rank!width=15 Nation width=130 Player width=50 Major League Soccer width=50 Canadian Championship width=50 Leagues Cup width=50 Total 1 Federico Bernardeschi 5 0 0 5 Lorenzo Insigne 4 1 0 5 Deandre Kerr 5 0 0 5 4 Jonathan Osorio 4 0 0 4 5 Mark-Anthony Kaye 2 0 — 2 Richie Laryea 2 0 — 2 7 Michael Bradley 1 0 0 1 C.J. Sapong 1 0 0 1 Brandon Servania 1 0 0 1 Kosi Thompson 1 0 0 1 Own goals 0 0 0 0 Totals 26 1 0 27 Shutouts width=15 Rank width=15 Nation width=130 Player width=15 Pos. width=50 Major League Soccer width=50 Canadian Championship width=50 Leagues Cup width=50 Total 1 Sean Johnson GK 6 0 0 6 Totals 6 0 0 6 Honours MLS Team of the Matchday Matchday Starters Bench Coach Ref. 2 — Sean Johnson — ^[51] 4 Richie Laryea Federico Bernardeschi — ^[52] 5 Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty — — ^[53] 6 — Federico Bernardeschi — ^[54] 7 — Mark-Anthony Kaye — ^[55] 8 Richie Laryea — — ^[56] 9 — Jonathan Osorio — ^[57] 10 Richie Laryea C.J. Sapong — ^[58] 13 — Richie Laryea — ^[59] 15 Lorenzo Insigne — — ^[60] 17 Richie Laryea — — ^[61] 27 Federico Bernardeschi — — ^[62] 29 Deandre Kerr Alonso Coello Lorenzo Insigne — ^[63] 35 — Jonathan Osorio — ^[64] MLS Goal of the Matchday External links

Notes and References

1. News: Kennedy . Paul . October 22, 2023 . MLS breaks attendance record . . subscription . October 25, 2023.
2. Web site: Roster . Toronto FC .
3. News: MLS tweaks roster rules regarding international slots for Canadian teams. February 25, 2022. Sportsnet.
4. News: Toronto FC acquire Canadian international Mark-Anthony Kaye . July 8, 2022. Toronto FC.
5. News: Toronto FC Acquire Brandon Servania from FC Dallas in Exchange for Jesús Jiménez. February 20, 2023. Toronto FC.
6. Jonathan Osorio's salary was at the maximum Targeted Allocation Money amount and was eligible to be bought down below a DP level. However, for the team's salary cap purposes, he utilized a Designated Player slot.
7. Web site: Toronto FC acquire goalkeeper Tomás Romero in MLS Re-Entry Draft. November 17, 2022. Toronto FC.
8. Web site: Toronto FC sign Víctor Vázquez. December 16, 2022. Toronto FC.
9. Web site: Toronto FC sign defender Matt Hedges. December 19, 2022. Toronto FC.
10. Web site: Toronto FC acquire forward Adama Diomande. January 12, 2023. Toronto FC.
11. Web site: Toronto FC sign defender Raoul Petretta. January 24, 2023. Toronto FC.
12. Web site: Toronto FC sign U.S. international goalkeeper Sean Johnson. January 27, 2023. Toronto FC.
13. Web site: Toronto FC sign Norwegian defender Sigurd Rosted. February 7, 2023. Toronto FC.
14. Web site: Toronto FC Sign Homegrown Defender Kobe Franklin. February 24, 2023. Toronto FC.
15. Web site: Toronto FC Acquire Defender Cristián Gutiérrez. March 14, 2023. Toronto FC.
16. Web site: Toronto FC sign midfielder Alonso Coello Camarero. April 6, 2023. Toronto FC.
17. Web site: Toronto FC acquire forward CJ Sapong in exchange for Lukas MacNaughton and GAM. April 25, 2023. Toronto FC.
18. Web site: Toronto FC acquire defender Aimé Mabika in exchange for GAM. April 25, 2023. Toronto FC.
19. Web site: Toronto FC acquire Latif Blessing and an international slot in exchange for Mark-Anthony Kaye. July 13, 2023. Toronto FC.
20. Web site: Toronto FC sign South African forward Cassius Mailula. July 28, 2023. Toronto FC.
21. Web site: Toronto FC sign German forward Prince Owusu. 4 August 2023. Toronto FC.
22. Web site: Toronto FC sign goalkeeper Luka Gavran. August 20, 2023. Toronto FC.
23. Web site: Toronto FC completes two side deals to seal Richie Laryea's return on loan. August 5, 2022. Sportsnet.
24. Web site: Toronto FC sign Markus Cimermancic and Alonso Coello Camarero to short-term agreements. Toronto FC. March 24, 2023.
25. Web site: Toronto FC sign Alonso Coello Camarero to a short-term agreement. March 31, 2023. Toronto FC.
26. Web site: Toronto FC sign three Young Reds to short-term loan agreements. May 20, 2023. Toronto FC.
27. Web site: Toronto FC sign three Young Reds to short-term agreements. July 8, 2023. Toronto FC.
28. Web site: Toronto FC sign defender Antony Curic to short-term agreement. May 13, 2023. Toronto FC.
29. Web site: Toronto FC Sign Defender Antony Curic to Short-Term Agreement. May 17, 2023. Our Sports Central.
30. Web site: Toronto FC sign goalkeeper Luka Gavran to short-term agreement. June 21, 2023. Toronto FC.
31. Web site: Toronto FC sign goalkeeper Luka Gavran to short-term agreement. June 24, 2023. Toronto FC.
32. Web site: Toronto FC sign Gavran and Stefanovic to short-term agreements. 1 July 2023. Toronto FC.
33. Web site: Toronto FC sign Stefanovic and Batiz to short-term agreements ahead of Leagues Cup match. July 30, 2023. Toronto FC.
34. Web site: Toronto FC sign Pearlman and Batiz to short-term agreements. July 4, 2023. Toronto FC.
35. Web site: Toronto FC sign defender Adam Pearlman to short-term loan agreement. August 30, 2023. Toronto FC.
36. Web site: Toronto FC sign defender Adam Pearlman to short-term agreement. October 7, 2023. Toronto FC.
37. Web site: Toronto FC acquire midfielder Franco Ibarra on loan from Atlanta United. July 10, 2023. Toronto FC.
38. Web site: Toronto FC sign Midfielder Julian Altobelli to short-term agreement. October 4, 2023. Toronto FC.
39. Web site: Toronto FC send Luca Petrasso to Orlando City SC in Exchange for GAM. November 9, 2022. Toronto FC.
40. Web site: Toronto FC Announce Year-End Roster Moves. October 14, 2022. Toronto FC.
41. Web site: 2022 MLS Free Agency Eligible Player List. November 16, 2022. MLSsoccer.com.
42. Web site: Toronto FC receive GAM in exchange for Jacob Shaffelburg. November 16, 2022. Toronto FC.
43. Web site: Domenico Criscito announces retirement. November 15, 2022. Toronto FC.
44. Web site: Toronto FC transfer Jayden Nelson to Rosenborg BK. February 8, 2023. Toronto FC.
45. Web site: Toronto FC, Kadin Chung Mutually Agree to Terminate Contract. February 28, 2023. Toronto FC.
46. Web site: Toronto FC send Matt Hedges to Austin FC in exchange for GAM. July 26, 2023. Toronto FC.
47. Web site: Toronto FC loan defender Luke Singh to Atlético Ottawa. March 2, 2023. Toronto FC.
48. Web site: Toronto FC loan forward Ayo Akinola to San Jose Earthquakes. July 25, 2023. Toronto FC.
49. Web site: Toronto FC loan forward Jordan Perruzza to Halifax Wanderers FC. August 7, 2023. Toronto FC.
50. Web site: Toronto FC loan Kosi Thompson to Lillestøm SK. August 29, 2023. Toronto FC.
51. Web site: Team of the Matchday: Giorgio Chiellini, Jesús Ferreira & more step up. March 6, 2023. MLSsoccer.com. Jonathan. Sigal.
52. Web site: Team of the Matchday: Argentine wonderkid, Concacaf stars lead the way. March 20, 2023. MLSsoccer.com. Jonathan. Sigal.
53. Web site: Team of the Matchday: Columbus, Seattle & St. Louis dominate. March 27, 2023. MLSsoccer.com. Jonathan. Sigal.
54. Web site: Team of the Matchday: MVP attackers & star defenders seize the spotlight. April 3, 2023. MLSsoccer.com. Jonathan. Sigal.
55. Web site: Team of the Matchday: Aside from Dénis Bouanga, who shined in Matchday 7?. April 10, 2023. MLSsoccer.com. Jonathan. Sigal.
56. Web site: Team of the Matchday: Portland Timbers, St. Louis CITY take flight in Matchday 8. April 17, 2023. MLSsoccer.com. Jonathan. Sigal.
57. Web site: Team of the Matchday: Roman Bürki, Riqui Puig among Matchday 9's best. April 24, 2023. MLSsoccer.com. Jonathan. Sigal.
58. Web site: Team of the Matchday: Evander, Facundo Torres step up in Matchday 10. May 1, 2023. MLSsoccer.com. Jonathan. Sigal.
59. Web site: Team of the Matchday: Atlanta United, Austin FC respond in Matchday 13. May 18, 2023. Major League Soccer. Jonathan. Sigal.
60. Web site: Team of the Matchday: Insigne, Mukhtar rise above in Matchday 15. May 29, 2023. Jonathan. Sigal. Major League Soccer.
61. Web site: Team of the Matchday: Petrović, Torres reinforce potential in Matchday 17. June 5, 2023. Jonathan. Sigal. Major League Soccer.
62. Web site: Team of the Matchday: Who stood out post-Leagues Cup?. August 21, 2023. Jonathan. Sigal. Major League Soccer.
63. Web site: Team of the Matchday: FC Cincinnati's Luciano Acosta shows MVP credentials. August 31, 2023. Jonathan. Sigal. Major League Soccer.
64. Web site: Team of the Matchday: FC Cincinnati & St. Louis CITY SC make history. October 2, 2023. Jonathan. Sigal. Major League Soccer.
65. Web site: Toronto FC's Federico Bernardeschi wins Goal of the Matchday. April 5, 2022. MLSsoccer.com.