When Josh Sargent takes to the pitch for his Toronto FC debut, he will do so wearing the number nine on the back of his kit.
The number nine has a mixed history in Toronto. Fans of other sports in the city are more likely to associate it with Blue Jays great John Olerud, Raptors stars Serge Ibaka and RJ Barrett, or Maple Leafs legend Charlie Conacher — but 11 Toronto FC players have worn it as well, with Sargent set to be the 12th.
Here’s a look back at all of the players who have worn it before the American striker.
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Danny Dichio, 2007-2009
The first player on this list is also maybe the most loved by TFC fans — Danny Dichio, scorer of Toronto FC’s first-ever goal and someone who later spent another decade with the club as a coach.
Dichio signed ahead of the club’s inaugural season in 2007 and took the number nine kit he also wore at Queens Park Rangers, West Bromwich Albion and Derby County. It took over a month into the campaign for the Reds to score their first goal, but it finally came in the 24th minute of a May 12 game at home against the Chicago Fire that they would ultimately win 3-1 — poked home from close range by Dichio.
Seat cushions fell from the sky like rain in his native England… and 20 minutes later he was sent off with the first red card in club history. Never change, Diche.
In total, Dichio scored 14 goals across three seasons before retiring in 2009, and to this day his name is still sung in the 24th minute of every home game.
Ryan Johnson, 2011-2012
Nobody wore the number nine for Toronto FC in 2010 or to begin 2011, but Ryan Johnson took it after being traded from the San Jose Earthquakes in July of the latter season. In 18th months with TFC, Johnson scored 18 goals in all competitions, the most he ever scored for one club in his career.
Johnson’s 2012 season was particularly important for TFC, with his goals in both legs helping them beat the LA Galaxy in the quarterfinals of the Concacaf Champions League and also scoring in both the semifinal and final of the 2012 Canadian Championship, winning tournament MVP honours. That December he was traded to the Portland Timbers.
Johnson also wore the number nine for Jamaica, and at his next stops with the Portland Timbers and clubs in China and South Korea.
Emery Welshman, 2013
After being drafted by his local MLS club, Emery Welshman was the first of two Canadians to wear the number nine for TFC, though his time with the club in 2013 was unspectacular. Welshman played just two games for the first team during his year in Toronto, one in MLS and one in the Canadian Championship, before being let go ahead of the 2014 season.
Welshman never played another MLS game despite being on the books at Real Salt Lake and FC Cincinnati. His greatest successes came an hour west with Forge FC, where he scored six goals in 55 appearances across two stints, winning the 2022 CPL Final.
Gilberto, 2014
Another single-season player for Toronto FC was Gilberto, who scored seven goals in 32 matches for the Reds in 2014.
His most famous moment in Toronto FC colours was arguing with Jermain Defoe about who was going to take a free kick against Red Bull New York, before blasting it into the net for his first goal with the club — even earning a smile from Defoe.
With Sebastian Giovinco and Jozy Altidore coming to town in 2015, TFC needed another Designated Player slot, and Gilberto was the casualty of that, shipped out to Vasco da Gama in his native Brazil.
Tsubasa Endoh, 2016-2017
An all-time fan-favourite in Toronto, Tsubasa Endoh had two stints with the club, and during the first one wore the number nine, later switching to 31.
Drafted by the club with the ninth overall pick in the 2016 MLS SuperDraft, two spots back of current Reds star Richie Laryea to Orlando City SC, Endoh was part of Toronto FC’s 2017 treble-winning team and also spent time with Toronto FC II.
His contract option was declined after the 2017 season, but Endoh played with the reserves in 2018 where he won another MLS contract. He rejoined the club for the 2019 through 2021 seasons, and made 80 appearances in total, scoring 10 goals and adding five assists.
After brief stints with Melbourne City and LA Galaxy II in 2022, Endoh’s career came to an end after he was diagnosed with acute leukemia. In 2025 he officially retired, signing a ceremonial one-day contract with TFC.
Gregory van der Wiel, 2018
The thought of the number nine being on the back of a defender’s kit still feels wrong, years after Dutch defender Gregory van der Wiel wore it for Toronto FC in the 2018 season.
Signed as a right back, van der Wiel ended up playing centre-back more than anywhere else, also pitching in at left back on a few occasions. The 2018 season was not a great one for TFC, who despite going on a run to the final of the Concacaf Champions League and winning the Canadian Championship, missed the MLS playoffs the year after winning the treble.
In the 2019 preseason, van der Wiel was released by Toronto FC after an altercation with Greg Vanney.
Erickson Gallardo, 2019-2021
Erickson Gallardo came to Toronto with a lot of promise in 2019, but a series of injuries meant his time with the Reds was largely forgettable.
Gallardo never scored a goal in his three seasons with the club, and was limited to just 16 appearances in all competitions in that span. After missing most of the 2019 season with injuries he did not feature in the MLS Cup Final that Toronto lost to Seattle, serving as an unused substitute in all four playoff matches. In 2020 he featured four times in league play and made one appearance in the playoffs, before a groin injury in Toronto’s first match of 2021 in the Concacaf Champions League kept him out for the entire 2021 season apart from a handful of games with TFC II.
Jesús Jiménez, 2022
Jesús Jiménez joined Toronto FC ahead of the 2022 MLS season and had a solid season, scoring ten goals and adding four assists in 37 matches in all competitions. He was part of the Reds team that won the 2020 Canadian Championship, which was rescheduled to 2022 because of the pandemic, and led the team in scoring that year, tied with Jonathan Osorio.
Ahead of the 2023 season, though, Jiménez was traded to FC Dallas. No TFC striker has scored double-digit goals since, something that Josh Sargent will be looking to change in 2026.
CJ Sapong, 2023
If there’s anything you’ve learned from this exercise, it’s that Toronto FC has had a lot of roster turnover over the years, especially at the striker position — and there is another one-season player to come still after CJ Sapong, who played for the club in 2023.
Sapong had scored nearly 100 MLS goals over a dozen seasons in MLS by the time he landed in Toronto in a trade with Nashville, but managed just one in red across 22 appearances that season. That goal came in his debut for the club when he was wearing the number 17 before switching to nine, and he retired after the season.
Ayo Akinola, 2024
Previously wearing number 20 for TFC, academy product Ayo Akinola wore number nine in 2024, for his final few matches with the club.
After a slow start to the season, and a disappointing 2023 as well that saw him loaned out to the San Jose Earthquakes, Akinola had his contract terminated in May of 2024 — and he made just five appearances that season for TFC. In part of seven seasons with the club, Akinola scored 18 goals across nearly 100 appearances.
Injuries and inconsistency hampered his time in Toronto, and he’s fallen off the national team radar as well since moving to FC Wil in Switzerland — and most recently FC Vaduz in Liechtenstein where he plays with former TFC teammate Nicolas Hasler.
Ola Brynhildsen, 2025
Toronto FC loaned in Danish striker Ola Brynhildsen for the 2025 MLS season with the option to purchase it, and after a poor season where he too missed time with injuries, the option was far from being triggered.
The loan from FC Midtjylland was terminated before the season even ended, with Brynhildsen sent to Bodø/Glimt with several games left on the MLS schedule. In 22 appearances for the Reds, Brynhildsen scored just twice.
He had two assists in his Bodø/Glimt debut, but has not played a game since after suffering a knee injury.
Who was your favourite player to wear number nine for Toronto FC? What are your hopes for Josh Sargent’s performance in 2026?