The 2026 MLS season marked the fifth straight season that Toronto FC failed to make the playoffs, and when you crunch the numbers, it’s not hard to understand why.
TFC had the third-worst offense in the league a year ago, scoring just 37 goals in 34 games. None of the team’s forwards scored more than four goals. Winger Theo Corbeanu was the club’s top scorer with just six goals.
Since the 2019 campaign, the Reds haven’t had a player score in double figures in MLS. Alejandro Pozuelo scored 12 goals on the year and Jozy Altidore had 11. Not coincidentally, that was the last time Toronto advanced to the MLS Cup.
From 2015-19, Toronto appeared in three MLS Cup finals (winning the title in 2017), advanced to the playoffs four times, won the Supporters’ Shield and won three Canadian Championships. The Reds’ period of glory ended seven years ago, but the way they have stumbled through the darkness during this playoff drought makes it seem much longer than that.
There has never been a time when a bigger tent has been needed to help TFC turn its slump around. The good news is that help has arrived. Toronto announced late last week that it had secured Josh Sargent in a transfer from Norwich City in England and signed a contract with the United States for the 2030-31 MLS season.
Sargent was officially unveiled as the club’s new Designated Player during a media event held at the Scotiabank Arena on Wednesday, and MLSE CEO Keith Pelley could hardly contain himself as he praised the virtues of Toronto’s new star striker.
“He’s a special person. He’s a special player. He’s got special skills. But he’s someone who will really fit into the culture. He’ll make us better overnight. He’ll be a star for the city. He’ll be a star for TFC,” Pelly told media and fans in attendance.
Being a DP forward in MLS comes with a lot of expectations. Especially if you sign with a team that has lurched from one setback to another, gone through multiple coaches and general managers, and undergone major roster turnover over the past five years.
But Sargent insists he feels no added pressure from being the focus of TFC’s ongoing rebuilding process.
“I think it’s an even greater privilege. I’ve seen how committed this club has been to bring me here, and it’s made me want to work harder and produce good things for the club. So I’m excited to get started and hopefully I can bring success to the club,” Sargent explained.
GM Jason Hernández said late last year that securing a DP forward would be a top priority ahead of the 2026 MLS season. Sargent fits the bill as he has a proven track record as a consistent goalscorer at club level.
He was a teenage prodigy in his native Missouri and was on an American residency program in Florida before joining the youth academy of German club Werder Bremen. Sargent made his Werder Bremen first-team debut in December 2018, coming on as a 76th-minute substitute. Just two minutes later, he scored his first goal for the Bundesliga club.
The American scored 15 goals and nine assists in 83 games in all competitions for the German side before leaving to join Premier League side Norwich City in a summer move in 2021. Sargent scored four goals and three assists in all competitions in his debut season in 2021-22 for Norwich, who were relegated at the end of the season.
Following the Canaries’ relegation, Sargent was one of the top scorers in England’s second tier. He had 13 goals and two assists in 2022-23, and his best season came in 2023-24 when he scored 16 goals. In the 2024-25 season, he scored 15 goals and was selected to the Championship Team of the Season. He scored eight goals in 24 games until 2025-26 before being benched by the club after requesting a transfer. His last appearance for Norwich was on 4 January.
Meanwhile, the financial terms of the transfer have not been shared with TFC, but reports suggest the sum is estimated at $22 million, which could increase to $27 million if Sargent achieves certain performance metrics at his new club. And that doesn’t even include his salary, so the total cost would be much higher. That’s a lot of money, and conventional wisdom says the Reds paid too much for Sargent.
It’s just the price of doing business, both Pelley and Hernandez countered.
“I think he’s a great value in every way possible. We want to compete, we want to win championships, and we knew Josh was the answer,” Pelley said.
Of course, TFC have been down this road before, splashing huge sums of money on players from overseas clubs who don’t play sports. Lorenzo Insigne and Federico Bernardeschi (to a lesser extent) were out of MLS, and Toronto bought them both in deals last summer.
However, the Sargent signature may be different. First of all, he will be eager to perform well during his first spell in MLS and join the United States national team for this summer’s FIFA World Cup. Sargent has scored five goals in 29 appearances for his country, with his most recent appearance coming in September 2025. However, his last goal for the United States came in 2019, and he was not confirmed for the World Cup roster as several other forwards were ahead of him on the team’s depth chart.
Second, Sargent celebrated his 26th birthday last month. That means there’s plenty of gas left in the tank, and Toronto is signing a player who probably isn’t even in his prime.
You may remember that Sebastian Giovinco was 27 years old, Michael Bradley was 26 years old, and Jozy Altidore was 25 years old when he signed with TFC. All three players have become monumental figures for Toronto, helping transform the club from a laughing stock in the league to a superpower in MLS.
Will Sargent be the second coming of Giovinco, one of the best players in MLS history with 83 goals and 51 assists in 142 games for Toronto FC?
However, given Sargent’s age, skill set and profile, he will likely take MLS by storm. He has the potential to have a transformative impact on TFC, much like Giovinco did when he played alongside Bradley and Altidore.
“What’s interesting is that all three of them are very different in their own way. From a cultural perspective, a leadership perspective, and a standards perspective, Michael has done a truly remarkable job,” said Hernandez.
Toronto’s GM went on to describe Giovinco as unrivaled when it comes to goal production and described Altidore as a winner.
“It would be fantastic if we could get all of these elements from Josh in some way, shape or form,” said Hernandez. “As a culture driver, he can be prolific and deliver for us and also help us win. My hope is that in all of those ways he can have a positive impact in his time with us and for TFC.”
Editor’s note
John Molinaro is one of Canada’s leading soccer journalists, having covered the game for over 20 years for multiple media outlets including Sportsnet, CBC Sports and Sun Media. He is currently the editor-in-chief. TFC RepublicA website dedicated to in-depth coverage of Toronto FC and Canadian soccer.
