Looking to bolster its midfield, Toronto FC has turned to Germany for help and inspiration.
TFC announced this week it reached a transfer agreement for midfielder Niklas Dorsch from FC Heidenheim 1846 of Germany’s second division. Dorsh is signed to a contract that ties him to the MLS club through the 2030-31 season.
Dorsch has trained with his new teammates in Toronto for several days and is expected to make his MLS debut on Friday night, when TFC faces New York City FC at Yankee Stadium in an important Eastern Conference clash.
The addition of the German midfielder should help the Reds significantly strengthen things in the middle of the park, an area of the pitch that has been a problem for them this season.
Dorsch, 28, is much more than just a defensive midfielder who can win balls and break up attacks. He’s also a skilled footballer who can drive his team forward with his possession skills and ability to deliver line-breaking passes.
With Dorsch’s age, experience at European club level and profile, this transfer is somewhat reminiscent of Michael Bradley’s move to TFC in 2025 from Italian outfit AS Roma. If the German can have even a fraction of the impact that Bradley did with the Reds, this will turn out to be money well spent by GM Jason Hernandez. (Toronto paid a reported US$4.3 million transfer fee.)
“Niklas is a player who’s an experienced player in the Bundesliga, starting with his experience at Bayern Munich, and then he’s left Bayern Munich and gone on and played in a number of places,” Toronto coach Robin Fraser said.
Indeed, Dorsch arrives in MLS with an impressive resume, having come up through Bayern Munich’s youth system before making a single appearance for the senior side and then spending time with fellow German clubs FC Heidenheim and FC Augsburg, as well as Gent in Belgium.
He was a key figure for Heidenheim in the 2025-26 season, appearing in 32 of 34 Bundesliga matches (27 starts) while earning an assist. Despite his efforts, Heidenheim was relegated to Germany’s second division. He also had a goal and an assist in the DFB-Pokal (German club).
In total, Dorsch had four goals and three assists in 118 career Bundesliga games with Heidenheim, Augsburg and Bayern Munich since debuting in the 2017-18 season.
Fraser believes Dorsch can be an asset to TFC at both ends of the pitch.
“He’s physical. His closing speed is very good. His first touch is excellent. He’s a good passer. He has good vision. I know that sounds like an all-encompassing thing, but certainly when you find a player who has all those characteristics, it’s a good thing. So, we’re really excited to have him in the mix,” Fraser said.
He later added: “We’ve been quite light in the midfield, so it’s an opportunity to bring in an experienced midfielder, and we’re very excited to have him.”
Looking at Toronto’s roster, you have to think that Dorsch will serve as the anchor in central midfield alongside newly acquired Colombian international Nelson Palacio, with captain Jonathan Osorio pushing forward while flanked by DP Djordje Mihailovic on the left and Dániel Sallói on the right. This should free up Osorio to pursue his attacking instincts — the Canadian international has three assists in 16 league appearances but has yet to score.
The duo of Dorsch and Palacio will be called upon to protect a back line that has given up 31 goals through 17 MLS games this year — that’s 70 per cent of the 44 goals they conceded all last season.
“I think he can help us in all facets of our game,” TFC fullback Kobe Franklin offered. “Attacking-wise, he’s such a technical player, and he’s able to spray balls and move our attack forward, as well as defensively he is (solid) in the back and has shown signs of that already. I think he’ll contribute a lot.”
Elsewhere in MLS this weekend:
• First place in the Western Conference is on the line when the Vancouver Whitecaps visit Los Angeles FC on Saturday. Both teams sit atop the standings with 33 points each, so the Whitecaps will attempt to put some distance between themselves and their West Coast rivals. This match marks Vancouver’s first since the recent transfer of influential midfielder and U.S. international Sebastian Berhalter for a reported US$2 million to English club Middlesbrough.
• CF Montreal is in desperate need of a win in Saturday’s home game vs. the New England Revolution. Montreal sits third from bottom in the Eastern Conference table and is winless in its last six outings (three losses), dating back to its previous victory on May 9.
• Two of the league’s top attacking players will go head-to-head on Saturday when FC Cincinnati hosts the San Jose Earthquakes. Togo forward Kévin Denkey ranks among the top scorers in MLS this season with 11 goals and four assists. Germany’s Tim Werner has impressed in his first MLS season with four goals and six assists.
• Robert Lewandowski’s quest for his first MLS goal continues Saturday, when the Chicago Fire host Charlotte FC. The veteran Polish striker scored close to 600 goals during his combined time at Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund and FC Barcelona. But he’s been kept off the scoresheet in a pair of MLS appearances since signing last month with Chicago as a free agent.
• The Portland Timbers registered a historic 5-1 road victory over the Seattle Sounders FC two weeks ago. Their Cascadia Cup rivalry resumes on Saturday at Providence Park with the Sounders looking to turn the tables on the Timbers with a road win of their own. Seattle badly needs a positive result, having lost five in a row and having been outscored 12-2 in that stretch.
John Molinaro is one of the leading soccer journalists in Canada, having covered the game for over 27 years for several media outlets, including Sportsnet, CBC Sports and Sun Media. He is currently the editor-in-chief of TFC Republic, a website dedicated to in-depth coverage of Toronto FC and Canadian soccer.
