TFC, Canadian stars in action in an MLS doubleheader on TSN4

It’s a Major League Soccer doubleheader on TSN Saturday night with some major implications for Canada’s 2026 FIFA World Cup preparations. Nashville SC hosts Toronto FC before the two men battling it out for Canada’s No. 1 shirt at next summer’s tournament potentially go head-to-head as Maxime Crepeau and the Portland Timbers take on Dayne St. Clair and Minnesota United.

You can catch an MLS doubleheader with Nashville SC vs. Toronto FC followed by Portland Timbers vs. Minnesota United LIVE on Saturday night at beginning at 8:30 p.m. ET/ 5:30 p.m. PT on TSN4, the TSN App, and TSN.ca.

Affectionately nicknamed “The Maritime Messi,” Jacob Shaffelburg’s Gold Cup last month was not a good one. In fairness, it wasn’t a really good tournament for most Canada players, but the team’s quarter-finals tie with Guatemala was a particularly poor one for the 25-year-old Nashville winger. With Canada seemingly in control, a lapse in judgment from the Kentville, NS native led to disaster for the CanMNT.

With Canada leading the match 1-0 on a goal from Jonathan David, Shaffelburg picked up a yellow card for a hard tackle in the 40^th. As the final minutes of the half ticked down, Guatemala moved forward. Canada broke up the move with David sending out a long pass to spring Shaffelburg into the attacking half. The ball was just out of Shaffelburg’s reach and collected by Stheven Robles, who immediately played it back down the field. But Shaffelburg’s momentum carried him forward and through Robles, sending the left-back to the ground. While Robles’s fall was on the theatrical side, it was a foul and certainly not something advisable to do for a player already sitting on a booking. The ref showed Shaffelburg a second yellow and Canada was forced to play the entirety of the second half on 10 men.

Canada was able to weather the storm for much of the second 45, but a defensive miscue led to a Guatemala equalizer in the 69^th when Rubio Rubin headed home a cross from Oscar Santis. The rest of the 90 minutes played out even at 1-1 and the match went to spot kicks. In penalties, Cyle Larin was stopped by Kenderson Navarro before Luc de Fougerolles rang his effort off of the bar as Guatemala pulled off the massive upset to send Canada, perhaps the pre-tournament favourites, home early.

Obviously, Shaffelburg was not solely responsible for Canada crashing out, but he undoubtedly made things needlessly difficult for the team to advance. As a player who is very likely going to be on Jesse Marsch’s squad, but not a lock, it’s hard not to believe his poor decision would have at least somewhat negatively affected his standing. Still, there’s plenty of time for Shaffelburg to force his way into Marsch’s plans next summer and that starts in MLS where there’s also work to be done by the winger who’s been capped 27 times by Canada.

Shaffelburg has made 13 appearances for the Coyotes this season but has only started six matches. All of his starts have come over the team’s last nine games. He started Saturday’s 2-1 loss to Inter Miami and played 53 minutes before exiting with an apparent ankle injury. He did not dress in the team's 3-0 win over the Columbus Crew on Wednesday night.

The injury couldn't really come at a worse time for Shaffelburg, whose participation against TFC, the club with whom he made his MLS debut and spent four seasons with from 2019 to 2022, remains up in the air. While Shaffelburg appears to be more central to manager B.J. Hyde’s plans at this point in the season than he was earlier, he still needs to force the issue. His lone goal this season came in a 2-1 win over Charlotte on May 10.

Nashville is flying high and currently sits third in the East, two points behind leaders Philadelphia Union. A first-ever Supporters’ Shield is a realistic goal for the Coyotes as they head into the stretch drive. Nashville is led by former Bournemouth, Stoke City and Nottingham Forest forward Sam Surridge, who currently holds the MLS goals lead at 17.

As for the Reds, a return to the playoffs for the first time since 2020 seems to be a long shot at best. The team trails Charlotte by 11 points, having a game in hand, for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference with 12 matches remaining. A trip to the postseason is certainly not impossible, but a more realistic goal at this point is to begin building for next season and a truly fresh slate. The team bought out high-priced Designated Players Lorenzo Insigne and Federico Bernardeschi at the beginning of the month after it had been clear for some time that the pair weren’t congruous with the direction being taken by the club right now.

Still, a 1-0 win over Western Conference-leading San Diego FC on Wednesday night on a penalty from winger Theo Corbeanu, another player looking to shift his way into Marsch’s thinking ahead of the World Cup, will put some wind into the team’s sails after dropping points last weekend in a 1-1 draw at home to Atlanta United where the Reds conceded in the eighth minute of stoppage.

“We felt like we had a point to prove today,” said 23-year-old Hamilton, Ont., native Corbeanu, who is on loan from Granada, after the match.

With every remaining available point crucial, the Reds will head into Music City knowing that anything less than a victory gets them one step closer to a nail in the coffin of their playoff hopes.

Like Nashville, the Loons are also in the Supporters’ Shield conversation as they host the Timbers. They sit third in the West on 40 points. While unlikely to challenge for first, the Timbers are firmly ensconced in the playoff picture in sixth on 33 points, five points clear of Real Salt Lake in 10^th and out of the postseason places. But the focus for Canadian football fans will be the battle between the two potential first-choice keepers in St. Clair and Crepeau, as well as the continued strong play of Tani Oluwaseyi who’s become the biggest threat in the Loons attack as he makes a push for a starting spot in Marsch’s XI.

A 28-year-old native of Pickering, Ont., St. Clair was Canada’s No. 1 at the Gold Cup, favoured ahead of Crepeau, and starting all but one match. While the 2025 MLS All-Star wasn’t poor by any means, questions could be asked on St. Clair in the penalties loss to Guatemala. Though he guessed right on multiple attempts, the Maryland product was unable to make a stop. And this came after St. Clair talked to TSN’s Matt Scianitti about loving the pressure.

“It’s definitely something I don’t shy away from,” St. Clair said of high-pressure scenarios. “I think the position I play is obviously [under] pressure all the time, but in a moment like that, you want the guys to be able to look back [at their keeper] and feel confident, so you kind of have to have that bravado about you.”

But St. Clair’s performance in the league this year is unimpeachable. He is second in the league in clean sheets with eight and is tied with the Union’s Andrew Rick for the highest clean-sheet percentage at .444. St. Clair’s 0.89 goals against per 90 is the lowest in the league and his .746 save percentage is fifth best among MLS keepers.

Between the other wickets, Crepeau is not only waging a battle for Canada’s No. 1 shirt, but he’s also fighting to remain No. 1 in the Rose City. Crepeau and fellow Canada goalkeeper James Pantemis have split goaltending duties for the Timbers this season. It’s an odd scenario where the more frequently one plays, the less likely it is for the other to find themselves on the plane to the World Cup next summer.

Crepeau started the season as Phil Neville’s first choice and incurred a lopsided loss to his former team, the Vancouver Whitecaps, 4-1. Neville then turned to Pantemis for the team’s next nine matches where Pantemis posted three clean sheets and only a single loss with the team going 6-2-1. Crepeau then went on a run of eight straight starts with six coming in the league and two in the U.S. Open Cup. The Timbers went 3-2-3, including crashing out of the U.S. Open Cup in the Round of 16. Crepeau managed a pair of clean sheets in that stretch.

Neville went back to Pantemis at the beginning of June for a three-match run. After a victory over St. Louis and a draw with San Jose Earthquakes at home, the Timbers went to BMO Field where they were beaten 3-0 by TFC on June 28. Pantemis made five saves in the defeat, but his post-shot expected goals was only 1.6.

With Crepeau back from international duty, he once again took the reins as first-choice and returned with a 2-1 win at home over the New England Revolution. But the Timbers followed that up with a pair of losses – 2-1 away to St. Louis and then 1-0 at home to RSL.

Where that leaves the Timbers for the Minnesota match remains to be seen. While the focus is on the battle between St. Clair and Crepeau, Pantemis is intent on forcing himself into the conversation here, as well. His participation in the World Cup is far from a sure bet. The 28-year-old Montreal native has been called up to the senior squad on a number of occasions and he was a member of the Canada squad at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, but he has yet to be capped. With the emergence of Brighton’s Tom McGill, who will likely spend his season out on loan, and Jonathan Sirois firmly established as the No. 1 at CF Montreal with regular playing time, the competition for the final goalkeeping spot is fierce. Any opening for Pantemis must be seized upon by the player.