With Mihailovic, TFC identified a proven player who they can rely on for leadership while also elevating their attack
Toronto FC began a new era on Saturday with the introduction of U.S. men's national team midfielder Djordje Mihalovic.
They paid a reported $8 million fee for the 26-year-old, but in return, they gained a proven and talented player who knows how to operate within the unique structure of Major League Soccer. The deal was the the second-largest under the new Cash for Players mechanism, only trailing that of Evander's early-season move to FC Cincinnati from the Portland Timbers.
With Mihailovic, TFC gained a player with both European and international experience, but more importantly, somebody with a proven track record who to be at the club. Earlier this season, the Canadian franchise parted ways with Italian Designated Player duo Federico Bernardeschi and Lorenzo Insigne, buying out the contracts of both forwards.
With manager Robin Fraser, an experienced MLS veteran, on the touchline, Toronto are looking to return to the top of the Eastern Conference. It's been a decade since they could say that.
GOAL takes a look at the move, the fit and a club searching for a long-lost identity.
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Mihailovic is a known commodity in MLS, and for good reason. He's been one of the league's most consistent performers.
As a teenager, he broke through the Chicago Fire academy, where he scored 41 goals in 66 matches before signing a Homegrown deal with the senior team ahead of the 2017 MLS season. Across four seasons, he featured in 75 matches, scoring seven goals and recording 15 assists in all competitions.
His performances caught the eyes of multiple parties, both home and abroad, and resulted in his first senior national team call up in 2019 at the CONCACAF Gold Cup. In 2020, Montreal acquired Mihailovic for $800,000 in a mix of allocation money. In 68 matches for the Canadian side, he scored 16 goals and recorded 24 assists, including a record-setting season in 2021 in which he notched 16 assists.
His play earned him a move to the Netherlands with AZ Alkmaar after the 2021 season, where he played in the Dutch Eredivisie, making 36 appearances across all competitions. However, his time abroad was short-lived. At MLS Media Day in 2025, Mihailovic told GOAL that his return to the U.S. was spearheaded by the deep connection he shared with his family.
Colorado Rapids paid AZ a reported $3M fee, and signed him as a Designated Player. With the Rapids, Mihailovic became the focal point of Chris Armas' squad, and they built their roster around getting the most out of him. They maximized his skillset – in 63 matches across all competitions, he responded with 23 goals and 22 assists, with a goal or an assist in 71 percent of his appearances for the Western Conference side.
He was named Colorado's MVP and set the club's single-season record for most goal contributions, while becoming a leader and captain. Perhaps Mihailovic is a late bloomer, but throughout the first eight years of his professional career, he showed glimpses for club and country. Now, Toronto are taking a gamble on him.
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The last time TFC signed a 26-year-old U.S. international was in 2014, and that turned out pretty well – an MLS Cup, two runners-up awards, three Eastern Conference playoff titles, one Supporters' Shield, four Canadian Championships and one CONCACAF Champions Cup runner-up.
His name? Michael Bradley.
In Mihalovic's time as a teenager with CF MTL (formerly Montreal Impact), he learned a lot about the Canadian game, and had the opportunity to explore the city of Toronto. That proved pivotal in him joining their ranks.
"Toronto is a massive organization," Mihailovic said in his introductory news conference. "They were at the top of the league at one point when I just came into MLS, and when I think of Toronto, I think of trophies. The conversation about winning trophies, getting back to the top, is ultimately what persuaded me here.”
With Insigne and Bernardeschi out the door, TFC needed a new centerpiece. After two reportedly unsuccessful approaches, Mihailovic told Colorado he wanted the move, and the Rapids accepted their third bid.
“When I hear Toronto FC, all I think about is the treble, trophies, the MVP players before me, and you think of just a massive club," explained Mihailovic. "That was how it was when I first came into the league, and that thought alone drew me immediately. When I heard this idea… I quickly tried to grab it. The thought of playing here, helping the team for how many years I'm here for, and to be a part of that history and to help get Toronto back to the top of the league.”
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Mihailovic has long shown he's had the talent, but it's come and gone over the years. On his USMNT debut in 2019, Mihailovic, then just 20 years old, scored. It was a historic moment, as he found the back of the net on his first showing in a USMNT kit, which coincidentally, was also the first match of former manager Gregg Berhalter.
It led to his 2019 Gold Cup selection, and although he never broke through in the way many expected, he remained an option in the player pool. Selected again for the 2023 Gold Cup, he's one of a handful of players who have competed in the competition twice, and by doing so, his international experience proved to be invaluable to the program.
Selected as one of three overage players to represent team USA at the 2024 Olympics, Mihailovic led the U.S. to their best finish at the competition in more than 20 years while scoring twice and recording one assist. It was a rise that was coming, and spearheaded by his return to form in MLS with the Rapids.
Instant impact
With Mihailovic, TFC identified a proven player who they could rely on to be a leader on and off the pitch, while elevating their attack.
“We wanted to identify the No. 10, the creative midfielder, as a priority for us and our team," said general manager Jason Hernandez. "With that, we very quickly had our long list and our short list, at a point where we felt really strongly about it, and Djordje was at the top of the short list."
On Saturday, he was immediately inserted into the club's XI for their match against Eastern Conference heavyweights Philadelphia Union. Mihailovic controlled the tempo, made effective passes, and looked like the missing link for a club in desperate need of guidance in the final-third.
“He was really good. I thought early on, he provided some through-passes that really could have turned into things and he is very quick to recognize where there’s a window to play something in,” Fraser said after the game. “He’s very capable of finding windows very quickly and executing balls at the right passes at the right weight, and that sort of thing. And I thought it was really good for us.”
Mihailovic logged 89 minutes, completing 73 percent of his passes while creating four chances and completing 100 percent of his long ball attempts.
“We had to dig in and fight today, and we see that Djordje is also a fighter, and he ran and defended and really worked hard,” added Fraser.
