After a midweek US Open Cup win over Orlando City, Nashville SC travel north to take on Toronto FC. We caught up with John Molinaro, founder of TFC Republic, for the latest on the Reds.
Ben Wright (SixOneFive Soccer): Toronto had another managerial change this winter. How has life been under Robin Fraser? What's been his approach with this team?
John Molinaro (TFC Republic): The results haven’t quite been there for TFC, but I don’t think they’re as bad as their record indicates. They’ve been in most games and have yet to be blown out. It’s just come down to individual moments in match that have resulted in them dropping valuable points.
Robin Fraser has given the team a clear tactical indemnity, focusing on being defensively solid. Even the forwards are required to help out on the defensive side of the things. He really stresses being responsible in defending.
BW: It seemed at the start of Fraser's tenure that the roster was due for a multi-window rebuild. Does that still feel accurate?
JM: That’s entirely accurate. The club only made a few moves during the off-season and only added one player (Swiss midfielder Maxime Dominguez) in April prior to the closure of the primary transfer window.
The team has used up its full allotment of GAM for the 2025 season and salary cap space is rather limited. TFC desperately needs to add another forward or two to bolster its anemic attack (last week’s 6-1 win in Montreal, notwithstanding). So, yeah, this is a multi-window rebuild that the Reds are facing.
BW: Obviously you can't talk about Toronto without talking about Federico Bernardeschi and Lorenzo Insigne. How have their performances been? From the outside it seems like Insigne has been much better recently.
JM: The Italians have been pretty decent this season, although you’d like to see more offensive production out of them considering their hefty contracts. You can’t fault their work ethic and professionalism. But more goal contributions is something the team could use more out of them.
Lorenzo Insigne is much improved from previous seasons. He’s fit and healthy and has proven to be pretty durable, unlike in past campaigns. He’s also committed to helping the club out of the defensive end of things, which hasn’t always been the case during his tenure in MLS.
BW: What are some areas you think Toronto will try to attack Nashville? And how do you think Nashville can hurt Toronto?
JM: Norwegian forward Ola Brynhildsen isn’t very big in size, but he has a real talent for holding up the ball and getting physical with defenders, thus opening up space for his teammates to exploit. So, I think Toronto will try to attack Nashville through him, while also using its speed on the wings through Federico Bernardeschi, Theo Corbeanu and Tyrese Spicer.
Kevin Long and Sigurd Rosted are solid centre backs who can win a lot of aerial duals. But they’re not the quickest players, so one would have to think that Nashville will try to run right at them and use its speed to get in behind.
BW: Do you have a lineup and score prediction?
JM: 2-0 win for Nashville.
Thanks to John for his time and expertise! Check out TFC Republic for more on Toronto FC.
