Grading Canada’s MLS Clubs in 2025 (Part 2)
By: AT
Image Credit: Chan Hout
With the 2025 Major League Soccer (MLS) season having begun exactly one month ago, the majority of MLS clubs have played ten league matches this season, which means over 2/7 of the 2025 regular season is complete. Although the last ten matches played does not provide a firm indication of contending versus pretending clubs, we can still assess each club’s start to the season and predict what may happen in 20, 25 or 30 matches from now, when the regular season will officially conclude after 34 matchdays.
This article is the second part of a seven-part series that includes brief analyses on Canada’s three MLS clubs — CF Montréal, Toronto FC and Vancouver Whitecaps — and brief remarks on ongoing trends across the league to keep readers, our followers on social media and our subscribers to our weekly newsletter in the loop. Although our grades factor the clubs’ performances preceding the previous five matches, our analysis of Canadian clubs will discuss their results from the preceding five matchdays, the player performances that stood out, squad changes during that period and predictions for the next five matches.
Future articles in this series will be released after the following matchdays:
Matchday 15;
Matchday 20;
Matchday 25;
Matchday 30; and
Matchday 35.
Like our previous article, the first analysis will address the performances, offseason activity and predictions of Montréal, which will then be followed by that of Toronto and then of Vancouver. The three brief remarks are listed at the end of the article.
CF Montréal
Grade: D-
MLS Record in the Last Five Matches (Wins, Draws, Losses): 0-2-3
Overall MLS Record: 0-3-7
Although CF Montréal accumulated a couple of points since the fifth matchday under newly hired interim head coach and former club player Marco Donadel, they have not improved in their overall performance. Montréal remain winless throughout their first 10 matches, accumulating three points, two of which came from scoreless draws against D.C. United (away, matchday 4) and Orlando City SC (home, matchday 9). To add insult to injury, the Quebec-based club were shut out in their home opener against Charlotte FC, which won their first match away match against Montréal in club history (matchday 8). In their most recent match, on April 26, Montréal lost once again 1-0 against Eastern Conference rivals New York Red Bulls.
As one may imagine, this season, Montréal currently sit at the bottom of the MLS Eastern Conference (15th) and in 29th (out of 30 clubs) across the entire league. Only defending MLS Cup winners LA Galaxy rank below them due to a -12 goal differential versus CF Montréal’s -10. Overall, Le Bleu-Blanc-Noir’s meagre three points and winless start constitutes their worst start to a season in club history, eclipsing their poor start in their first 10 matches of the 2014 season: one win, four draws and five losses. That season, Montréal finished in last place among a smaller cohort of 19 clubs.
While the defence and goalkeeping are not utterly dreadful — yet, not great by any means — their midfield and attack are borderline lifeless. Since the start of the season, which also persisted throughout the last five matches, the midfielders have had significant difficulty carrying the ball and completing crucial passes while in transition from defence to offence, and the forwards have squandered the mere handful of chances provided by their lacklustre teammates. Throughout the last five matches, Montréal scored two goals, which equalizes their tally from the first five matches of 2025. Worse, Le Bleu-Blanc-Noir have yet to hold a lead, with their goals either having levelled the score, or in the case of the 2-1 loss against Columbus Crew (away, matchday 6), reducing the deficit to one goal.
Players that particularly stood out — so far — include goalkeeper Jonathan Sirois, who made a number of crucial saves to keep the opposition scoreless, or in most cases, deny them an abundance of goals. Another worthy mention is defender George Campbell, who seems to be one of the only players to exhibit signs of life when the squad transitions from defence to offence. Moreover, such depth players as defender Luca Petrasso and forward/midfielder Dante Sealy — with the former assisting the latter’s goal in their 1-1 draw against Chicago Fire (away, matchday 6) — have exceeded expectations, though the ceiling is not incredibly high. In addition, although forward Prince Owusu is the club’s top scorer (two goals throughout all 10 matches), he rightly has come under heavy scrutiny by supporters and the media because of his lack of positional awareness and decisiveness with the ball in the final third.
Moreover, the club’s squad changes during the early-season MLS transfer/trade window will likely not produce significant outcomes. As of writing, Montréal’s sole acquisition was that of midfielder Olger (pronounced Ol-jher) Escobar from New England Revolution for US$125,000 in general allocation money (GAM) and another US$50,000 in conditional GAM, should Escobar meet certain criteria. Regarding departures, the Quebec-based club loaned midfielder Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty to Charlotte FC for the remainder of the 2025 season; in exchange, Montréal received US$100,00 from the North Carolina-based club. Despite being a regular fixture in the starting lineup since his acquisition in summer 2024, JMR had seemingly fallen out of favour with head coach Donadel after a series of lacklustre performances.
Looking forward, CF Montréal should improve their transitional play by building on their passes, which has been oddly efficient in terms of accuracy. Throughout the last five matches, they boast an average per match pass accuracy of 83.0%, which is laudable by MLS standards. However, the attacking players need to make themselves more available to receive those passes, so that they can equally contribute to the build-up of the plays — as former club forward Josef Martínez eloquently did during his one-season tenure in 2024. As well, their collective ball possession generally outweighs that of their opponents. However, they will need to carry forward that possession regularly into the attacking half of the pitch, rather than just retain the ball in their own half or in the middle of the pitch, where there is little pressure from opponents.
That said, in addition to their superior passing accuracy and ball possession, the club should draw positives and stand-out elements from their performance against Chicago, which was undoubtedly their best in 2025. They will need to use all the grit and determination they have in the tank to mount a comeback in the MLS standings and begin their quest to win the 2025 Canadian Championship, for which their campaign kicks off on April 30 against archrivals Toronto FC. In addition to their Canadian Championship clash, both clubs will duel again on May 17 at Stade Saputo, which will be one of four home matches during their next five-match stretch.
Toronto FC
Grade: C
MLS Record in the Last Five Matches: 1-3-1
Overall MLS Record: 1-4-5
In somewhat of a reversal of fortunes, Toronto FC slightly improved in terms of performances and results. While they still remain shaky and inconsistent, Toronto improved from one draw and four losses throughout the first five matches to one win, three draws and only one loss from matches six to 10. Their sole loss within these last five matches was a 1-0 home loss against New York City FC (NYCFC) on April 26, their most recent match. Within this period, Toronto earned their first win — a 1-0 score against Real Salt Lake (away, matchday 9) — under recently hired head coach Robin Fraser. As well, The Reds salvaged three draws against three of MLS’s best clubs: 0-0 against Vancouver Whitecaps (home, matchday 6); 1-1 against Inter Miami (away, matchday 7); and 0-0 against Minnesota United (home, matchday 8). This improvement results in their overall cumulative grade deservingly increasing from a D to a C.
Despite their enhanced performances and record, Toronto nevertheless dwell near the bottom of the 2025 MLS standings. As of writing, Toronto sit in 14th place (out of 15 clubs) in the Eastern Conference and 28th overall (out of 30). With seven points accumulated throughout their 10 matches, The Reds trail Sporting KC — which rank 14th in the Western Conference (also out of 15) — only because Sporting won one more match than Toronto; the Sporting boast a record of two wins, one draw and a joint-league-worst seven losses.
Toronto’s major improvement throughout the last five matches has undoubtedly been their defence — all defenders and goalkeeper Sean Johnson deserve almost all credit for this stark improvement. After conceding a whopping 12 goals in their first five matches, The Reds have conceded only two goals, one of which was scored by Inter Miami superstar forward Lionel Messi and the other via a penalty shot converted by NYCFC forward Alonso Martínez.
However, their attack, which regressed during the last five matches, requires significant improvement to regain their place among playoffs contending teams. Throughout this five-match stretch, they scored only two goals — fortunately one of them provided Toronto all three points against Real Salt Lake — and were shut out three times. Star attacking midfielder Federico Bernardeschi continues to be the focal point in their attack. However, their other star player, forward Lorenzo Insigne, has continued to disappoint supporters, pundits and the club, and has failed to crack the starting lineup on a consistent basis. Alternatively, the acquisition of Swiss forward Maxine Dominguez via loan from Brazilian Série A club Vancouver de Gama and the surge in form of newcomer forward Theo Corbeanu — also via loan from Segunda División club Granada CF — may become a boon for this squad desperate for goals.
Moreover, the midfield needs to take further initiative and retain ball possession for extended periods of time, and become more active in the attacking buildup towards the final third. In almost every match in 2025, Toronto have been outshot by their opponents and have held far less ball possession per match. Moving forward, The Reds must fix these issues in order to have a shot at returning to the MLS Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2020.
That said, Toronto must continue to capitalize on their series of incoming home matches. Across the MLS regular season and the Canadian Championship, Toronto will host four consecutive matches, beginning with their April 30 Canadian Championship showdown against archrivals CF Montréal. From now until the end of June, the Ontario-based club will host nine out their next eleven matches, with their only away matches taking place against Montréal and Los Angeles FC (LAFC). A potential cup win against a hapless Montréal squad may ultimately spark confidence and turbocharge the squad, which can perform considerably better than they have over the last few weeks.
Vancouver Whitecaps
Grade: A
MLS Record in the Last Five Matches: 3-2-0
Overall MLS Record: 7-2-1
To be published later this week, given that Vancouver Whitecaps’s 10th match took place on Sunday night. Stay tuned!
Three Remarks Elsewhere Across MLS
Trades and Signings Across the League: With the transfer/trade window open for all MLS clubs until April 30, multiple clubs are finalizing trades to enhance their squads. For example, in what may be a slight shock, defending MLS Supporters’ Shield winners Inter Miami traded Finnish international Robert Taylor to Austin FC, and are on the verge of trading veteran defender and MLS Cup winner Julian Gressel to Minnesota.
In addition to the aforementioned acquisitions completed by MLS’s Canadian clubs, other MLS trades include: Columbus acquiring star midfielder Daniel Gazdag from Philadelphia Union; San Jose Earthquakes acquiring veteran defender DeJuan Jones from Columbus; and St. Louis City SC acquiring midfielder Xande Silva from Atlanta United.
With respect to signings of players from abroad, such moves include: Houston Dynamo signing goalkeeper Jonathan Bond from EFL Championship club Watford FC; LAFC acquiring midfielder Frankie Amaya on loan from Liga MX club CD Toluca for the 2025 season; Seattle Sounders signing forward Ryan Kent from Turkish Süper Lig club Fenerbahce; and Sporting Kansas City acquiring forward Santiago Muñoz on loan from Liga MX club Santos Laguna for the 2025 season.
Three Tales from the Texas Triangle: After the April 26 Texas Derby match between Houston Dynamo and Austin ending in a 2-0 Houston win, we can safely assess that each Texas-based club has experienced a different style of season. For instance, despite the loss, Austin have conjured 16 points, and still remain tied for second place in the 2025 MLS Western Conference standings with Minnesota United and Colorado Rapids. Concerning Houston, their victory provided relief and much-needed three points to ascend in the standings, in which they were tied previously for 13th out of 15 positions. Now, they are tied jointly in 11th place with San Jose Earthquakes and St. Louis, and are only two points behind a playoff position. Lastly, FC Dallas, which played their 10th match of the season on April 27 against Miami — a 4-3 away victory — are neck-deep in the mix for playoff contention, raking in 15 points during that period. Despite major offseason squad changes for all three clubs, pundits and MLS club executives would be wise to view each of the three clubs as legitimate MLS Cup Playoffs contenders.
The Queen City Reigns Supreme: After 10 MLS regular season matches, Charlotte FC have taken the league by storm, ranking among the best-performing clubs in the Eastern Conference with 22 points while garnering a record of six wins, one draw and three losses. The North Carolina-based club effectively built off their stellar performances from last season, in which they qualified for the MLS Cup Playoffs for the first time in club history. During the offseason, among their squad changes, Charlotte wisely brought back midfielder Pep Biel on loan from Greek Super League club Olympiacos FC, acquired midfielder Eryk Williamson from Portland Timbers and signed defender Souleyman Doumbia and star forward Wilfried Zaha via loans from Belgian Pro League and Süper Lig clubs Standard Liège and Galatasaray, respectively. Given their historic 2024 season and offseason moves that are complimenting effectively their established players so far this season, Charlotte are a club to watch and may become a legitimate contender for the 2025 MLS Supporters’ Shield — awarded to the best-performing regular season club — and the 2025 MLS Cup.
Comment below your thoughts and predictions regarding the three Canadian MLS clubs’ upcoming matches!
