The 2026 MLS regular season is now officially in the books, as decision day was rather uneventful for Canada's three MLS sides, with their fates already sealed regardless of the final matchday's scorelines.
Montréal was the only team with anything to really look at, as their loss combined with Sporting KC's win means the Impact pick up the wooden spoon for finishing dead last in the league. While this is an honour nobody would like to receive, it materially changes nothing in the grand scheme of things.
So, instead of the usual lookback at each team's weekend performance, let's do an exercise where we grade the regular season of each Canadian team, and take a little look forward into the future.
Vancouver Whitecaps
Grade: INCOMPLETE
Table Position: 1st in Western Conference
Ok, not a great start to life as a report card grader, but it's unfair to give any mark to a Whitecaps side whose eyes are still on the big trophy.
If we were to give them a grade for the season to date, it would likely be a B+, with an excellent regular season, but with a few hiccups in cup competitions and some struggles down the stretch.
That being said, this has still been a consistent group that's survived numerous injuries as well as the sale of Sebastian Berhalter mid-season.
Vancouver has done well to build out their depth with the integration of wingers like Bruno Caicedo and Yadaly Diaby, keep humming without Berhalter with Oliver Larraz's elevation and some solid performances out of Aleksa Cvetković, and generally just continuing to play well week after week under Jesper Sørensen.
Ryan Gauld is finally fit and playing well again, while of course Brian White is scoring plenty of goals, and actually having his best league season to date. The back line is consistent and deep, with basically two guys at every position who can do a job.
It's all a credit to how well this team is run, from the front office to the coaching staff to the players themselves. It's not easy to be a consistent contender in MLS, especially without a top-tier budget, but Vancouver is threatening to be in that conversation.
That's why while the other two teams are thinking about the upcoming sprint season, the Whitecaps are thinking about the playoffs. With a pretty wide-open Western Conference in the playoffs, the 'Caps hold home-field advantage all the way up until MLS Cup.
They won't want this season to end on a sour, trophyless note. We'll know by December 18 if this season is a success or not.
Toronto FC
Grade: D+
Table Position: 12th in Eastern Conference
The Reds have not made the playoffs since 2020, the COVID-shortened season. They have not hosted a playoff game at BMO Field since the wild card round of the 2019 post-season. They have not hoisted a trophy since 2022, when the delayed 2020 Canadian Championship was handed out.
The fall from their great era of the mid-late 2010s has been long talked about through multiple eras now. The 2026 campaign sparked a smidge of optimism; with the failed Italian experiment and a brutal cap situation in the rearview mirror, this edition of the front office led by Jason Hernandez was finally free to build their version of a team.
What did that lead to? Going from 12th in the East on 32 points to 12th in the East on 39 points. Simply not good enough for a team with the cash to spend over $20 million on a striker, poach another team in the league's chief creator last year, and add numerous other pieces this season.
The blame can go a number of different ways. The front office failed to really acquire enough good players, and it's fair to say while some signings such as Dániel Sallói were hits, there were plenty more overpaid misses that failed to capitalize on the cap situation they created.
Head coach Robin Fraser's tactics were consistently far too negative and failed to platform the team's attacking talent. Now, he's lost his job, and Toronto is once again looking for a new manager, a fifth full-time boss and seventh including interims since Greg Vanney left at the end of 2020.
In a league where possession and expansive offensive play are consistent with winning games and titles, Toronto instead were comfortable with holding just 46% of the ball (27th in MLS) and generated just 42.9 expected goals (also 27th). TFC's 42 big chances created put them 26th, while their 775 touches in the opposition box ranked 24th.
While their 52 actual goals sat in a tie for 18th, that's still a below-average mark, and suggests they actually over-performed in yet another losing season.
It's not like this defensive setup really stopped the team from conceding either. The Reds sat 23rd in MLS in expected goals against, and 26th in actual goals against with 67. They failed to turn opposition teams over very well, sitting 21st in possessions won in the final third.
Toronto was one of the worst first-half teams in the league, and while rescuing points late in games became a theme, it's telling that the team typically played better in the stages of the game where it becomes about the individual more than the collective in terms of tactics and game state.
There are plenty more numbers you can look at that all suggest the same thing. Toronto FC once again were a bad team, and things need to change. The team needs to have more ideas in possession and in the attack. There needs to be more pace injected into the back line to help defend in transition. Some tough conversations need to be had about who really starts in midfield.
A majority of this core is locked up on longer-term contracts, and they'll now be overseen by a new manager come February. We'll see if, for once, the results on the pitch change in 2027.
CF Montréal
Grade: F
Table Position: 15th in Eastern Conference
This is about as rock-bottom as it gets.
A 26-point, spoon-winning campaign. A loss to a CPL side in a Canadian Championship final that could've saved the season. Another season where the coach doesn't last the full 34 games. Rumours of players who don't want to play for the club. Ineptitude from ownership once again.
It's a miracle anyone still shows up to watch this club play anymore, with every season seemingly more of a clown show than the last. It shows, at a minimum, the passion from the fanbase and their willingness to stick by a club that gives them nothing.
There's no real reason to go over the stats that show how bad this team is, because that part is obvious. They're on a shoestring budget compared to the rest of the league, and most weeks just simply look outclassed in terms of player talent.
At least in past years, there have been positive developments to come out of the academy. Ismaël Koné's breakthrough, Nathan Saliba following him, even Aleksandr Guboglo winning 27 appearances in 2025. It at least gave the club a bit of life, and something to cheer for.
This year? Nothing, until everything was wrapped up. Samsy Keita, a 17-year-old goalkeeper, was thrown in at the deep end behind a team with nothing to play for. It doesn't seem like a great developmental strategy to let the poor kid get bombarded with chances behind an error-prone back line, but that was about it.
The only silver lining to this season is that it's over. The Alexis Sánchez signing was great for photographs, but with the Chilean's zero goals and assists in 17 games in all competitions, it's more than fair to say it was a flop on the pitch.
Prince Owusu had a good year in terms of goals, but saved his worst performance for the biggest game. Some young signings, Hennadiy Synchuk and Noah Streit, occasionally played well, but failed to find any consistency. Who could blame them in this environment?
What must sting even more is looking at the success of past players and executives alike after they get out of this situation. Former sporting director Corey Wray has taken St. Louis from the bottom to the top, winning a U.S. Open Cup in the process with former academy coach Yoann Damet at the helm.
Laurent Courtois has had a great run with Columbus, losing in that Open Cup final. Numerous players across the league have improved after getting out of this club.
The memories of that great 2022 team under Wilfried Nancy feel like a distant memory, no less the mid-2010s sides with Nacho Piatti and Didier Drogba.
The path forward is treacherous and muddied. There has to be more investment in all areas of the club, from the on-field product to the front office to whatever else needs to be done. If not, the bottom will continue to be the norm.
