Toronto FC expecting a bit of 'everything' from Josh Sargent ahead of debut

With any luck, a new goal-scoring hero could emerge for Toronto FC during its MLS home opener this weekend.  

Following a protracted transfer saga, American forward Josh Sargent is finally expected to make his debut for TFC on Saturday after signing on as the club’s new designated player. Coach Robin Fraser confirmed that Sargent, who has been fully integrated into training with the Canadian club for close to two weeks, is fit and available for selection when TFC hosts the New York Red Bulls at BMO Field.  

"Josh is eligible and I probably think we'll see him for some minutes tomorrow," Fraser revealed after Friday’s practice.  

Sargent, a 26-year-old from Missouri, scored seven goals in 23 games this season in the English Championship (second division) before being benched by Norwich City after he tabled a transfer request. His previous appearance for the Canaries came on Jan. 4, and he had been working out with Norwich's youth team before TFC completed a transfer deal for him late last month for a reported USD$27 million.  

The U.S. international had previously spent his entire club career in Europe, first in Germany with Werder Bremen before moving to Norwich City in 2021. Along the way, he scored 71 goals in 240 combined appearances for both clubs and netted another five goals in 29 games for the U.S. men's national team.  

Given his resume, Fraser expects big things from Sargent, a player who he feels can offer TFC a lot of versatility at the striker position.  

"The thing about Josh that is really exciting for us is that he's good at everything. I think he can do everything a forward can do. He can play with his back to goal, he can run in behind, he can finish off crosses, he can create his own shot, he's a very good finisher. We're just excited to bring him into the fold and try to support him as much as we can and give him the sort of service that he needs to be successful," Fraser explained.  

Sargent’s arrival in MLS couldn’t have come at a better time for a Toronto side that suffered through major offensive struggles in 2025. TFC was tied for the third–worst attacking record in MLS last season with just 37 goals in 34 games. None of their strikers scored more than four goals — winger Theo Corbeanu was the team’s top scorer with just six goals.  

Toronto hasn’t had a player who scored more than 10 goals in a single MLS campaign since 2019, when Alejandro Pozuelo and Jozy Altidore combined for 23. Current TFC captain Jonathan Osorio was teammates with Pozuelo and Altidore that year, which was also the last time the Reds reached the MLS Cup final. Osorio believes Sargent can have a similar impact for TFC beyond just providing a spark to the offence.  

“He’s actually a very hard-working player. He’s very dynamic. He does a lot of unselfish things for the betterment of the team. Of course, we know he’s going to [score goals] ... But he’s going to bring a lot more than that,” Osorio said.

A deluge of snow fell in Toronto on Friday morning and more snow is expected to fall before the 1:00 p.m. kickoff for Saturday’s match. MLS will shift to a summer-to-spring schedule starting with the 2027-28 season to align with international leagues, which means a lot more cold-weather games in TFC’s future.  

“This is where we are and this is the weather we live in. We have to embrace it. You’re always looking for every little edge you can get. If these are the type of conditions that we are accustomed to being in, then we would like to think it can also bring us an advantage,” Fraser offered.  

Elsewhere in MLS this weekend…

• CF Montreal continues its six-game road swing to open the 2026 MLS season when it faces Orlando City at Inter&Co Stadium on Saturday. Montreal lost its first two matches by a combined 8-0 before posting an impressive 3-0 win over the New York Red Bulls last weekend. Wiki Carmona bagged a brace against New York to become the first member of Montreal’s squad to win the MLS player of the matchday award since 2022. Under normal circumstances, Montreal would be facing Canadian national team goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau in Florida. But Crépeau was red-carded in Orlando’s 5-0 road loss at Yankee Stadium last weekend, which means he’s suspended for Saturday’s contest.  

• The Vancouver Whitecaps will be looking for a fourth consecutive victory to start their MLS campaign when they host Minnesota United on Sunday. Vancouver posted an impressive 4-1 road win over the Portland Timbers last weekend but then followed that up with a disappointing 3-0 home loss to the Seattle Sounders on Wednesday in the first leg of their round of 16 series in the Concacaf Champions Cup. The Whitecaps looked uncharacteristically out of sync against the Sounders, despite controlling 64.5 per cent of possession, and will be eager to put that humbling defeat behind them against Minnesota. The game could also mark a reunion of sorts for Vancouver’s Thomas Müller and Minnesota’s James Rodríguez, former teammates at Bayern Munich. Rodríguez has yet to make his MLS debut.