Waking the Red

Trading for veteran MLS forward Lewis Morgan from San Diego FC was “a no-brainer” according to Robin Fraser — a low-risk, high-reward move that, if successful, adds another solid veteran piece to a Reds side that needed one. MLS trophies are won by depth, competition and, often, having players with experience playing in the league. Every Sebastian Giovinco needs their Drew Moor, so to speak.

Toronto FC are riding a six-game unbeaten streak and on the cusp of a playoff spot after their 4-4 draw with the Chicago Fire on Saturday, but face their most difficult test of the season so far when Nashville SC comes to town on Wednesday night. The Supporters Shield frontrunners — 10 points clear of Inter Miami and the Western Conference-leading Vancouver Whitecaps — have only lost twice in 23 MLS matches this season, one to Chicago and one to Orlando.

Djordje Mihailovic can’t catch a break. The Toronto FC midfielder is set for another spell on the sidelines after sustaining a hamstring injury in Toronto FC’s 4-4 draw with the Chicago Fire on Saturday night. Mihailovic limped off the pitch in the 79th minute, after one of his best performances in a TFC kit. He assisted two of Josh Sargent’s three goals on the night and it was his shot that was blocked by a defender before Sargent smashed home his second.

Toronto FC are riding a six-game unbeaten streak and on the cusp of a playoff spot after their 4-4 draw with the Chicago Fire on Saturday, but face their most difficult test of the season so far when Nashville SC comes to town on Wednesday night. The Supporters Shield frontrunners — 10 points clear of Inter Miami and the Western Conference-leading Vancouver Whitecaps — have only lost twice in 23 MLS matches this season, one to Chicago and one to Orlando.

Stop us if you’ve heard this before, but Jermain Defoe is gushing about his time in Toronto again. This time it came with a bold proclamation from the longtime England and Premier League star. Over 10 years after leaving Toronto FC in a transfer to Sunderland that some TFC fans are still upset about, Defoe wants to make a return to the Reds, this time as the head coach. He also wants to set the record straight on why he left.

Osaze De Rosario certainly inherited his father Dwayne’s ability to score incredible goals. That was clear on Sunday when the younger DeRo marked his debut for Danish club Sønderjyske with a remarkable overhead kick. De Rosario joined the Superliga club last week on a one-year loan from the Seattle Sounders, and immediately won over his new supporters with the 12th-minute strike against newly-promoted AC Horsens.

Every Chilean footballer of the past two decades grew up wanting to play like, or play with, Alexis Sanchez. While Toronto FC defender Benjamín Kuscevic didn’t develop into a game-changing winger like the former Arsenal, Barcelona and Manchester United forward, he has become a more-than-reliable centre-back and — at various points over the past eight years — a Chile international.

Here we go again. A week removed from the last time he had to comment on Toronto FC coming back in games, Reds head coach Robin Fraser’s group, once more, dug themselves into a deep, deep hole Saturday evening against the Chicago Fire, only to somehow miraculously claw their way to the surface after Derrick Etienne Jr. scored the game’s final goal, making it 4-4, in the 92nd minute.

Three points ventured, one point gained. Both AFC Toronto and the Calgary Wild had their last lines of defence to thank on Sunday, as the final Canadian National Exhibition crossover at BMO Field this season ended 0-0 — a far cry from the 6-0 shellacking that Toronto handed Calgary on August 1, a little over a month ago. AFC Toronto goalkeeper Sabrina D’Angelo spectacularly denied Calgary forward Jorian Baucom at point-blank range in the 69th minute.

For all the Josh Sargent haters, this one’s for you. After a patchy start to life in red for Toronto FC striker Josh Sargent, with four goals and three assists in 15 games sandwiched by two different injury concerns, the American exploded on Saturday with a hat-trick in his first multi-goal game for TFC in a back-and-forth 4-4 draw against the Chicago Fire at BMO Field.