Agent reveals why Cassius Mailula’s Toronto FC move failed
Cassius Mailula’s time in Major League Soccer was supposed to be the next major step in his career. Instead, the Mamelodi Sundowns forward found himself fighting for opportunities before his Toronto FC spell eventually came to an end.
Now, his agent, Karabo Mathang-Tshabuse, has revealed what she believes went wrong.
Mailula, 25, returned to Sundowns this season after mutually agreeing with Toronto to end his stay at the club. The move back to South Africa has already begun to look like a fresh start, with the striker scoring three goals in four matches across two competitions.
But his difficult spell in Canada was far more complicated than a lack of form, according to his representative.
Speaking on Sport Night Amplified this week, Mathang-Tshabuse said several factors contributed to Mailula’s struggles at Toronto.
“To be honest, I think it’s not one answer that will fit this puzzle. It’s layered and it’s nuanced,” she said.
Toronto wanted Mailula, but the coaching staff were not fully convinced
One of the biggest problems, according to Mathang-Tshabuse, was the disconnect between Toronto’s recruitment department and its coaching staff.
She said the club’s recruitment team pushed for Mailula’s signing, but that enthusiasm did not necessarily carry over to the technical and coaching departments.
“At Toronto, the recruiting department wanted him. It did not translate into the coaching department,” she said.
That left Mailula in a difficult position as he attempted to establish himself in a new league and country.
The forward joined Toronto in 2023, but regular playing time proved difficult to secure. He was eventually sent out on loan, first to Moroccan giants Wydad AC and later to Belgian side Kortrijk.
Mailula’s style did not fit Toronto’s expectations
Mathang-Tshabuse also pointed to a tactical and stylistic mismatch.
She described Mailula as a different type of forward whose strengths are particularly evident inside the penalty area.
“As a football player, he’s a little short, he’s a little bit stout, he plays differently. He’s the man who you’re going to find in the box to tap in,” she said.
The comments offer an insight into why Mailula struggled to establish himself at Toronto despite arriving with a strong reputation from Sundowns.
Rather than simply being a case of a player failing to adapt, his agent believes the circumstances around the transfer played an important role.
Mailula’s camp admits the move could have been handled differently
Mathang-Tshabuse also acknowledged that Mailula’s transfer might have been managed differently from the beginning.
She suggested that the player’s representatives moved too quickly after Toronto’s technical team identified him as their preferred target.
“Maybe we were too quick to sign up because the technical team said he’s our number one without really engineering it in such a way that he could maybe be loaned and come back,” she said.
The admission highlights one of the risks that can accompany major transfers. A player can be identified as a priority target by a club’s recruitment structure, but that does not always guarantee a long term role under the coaching staff.
For Mailula, that disconnect ultimately contributed to a spell in which he struggled to secure consistent opportunities.
Wydad spell gave Mailula a fresh opportunity
Despite the disappointment in Toronto, Mailula’s career did not stall completely.
His loan spell at Wydad provided a valuable opportunity to regain confidence and playing time, with Mathang-Tshabuse describing his time in Morocco as particularly successful.
She also highlighted his partnership with fellow South African Thembinkosi Lorch during his spell at the club.
“He had a phenomenal time at Wydad with Thembinkosi Lorch. Even though there’s no regrets, there’s always lessons,” she said.
The Wydad experience appears to have been one of the positives to emerge from a complicated period in Mailula’s career.
Sundowns return offers Mailula a fresh start
Mailula’s return to Mamelodi Sundowns has so far produced encouraging signs.
After ending his Toronto stay, the forward has quickly found his scoring touch again, registering three goals in his first four appearances across two competitions.
For a player who spent much of his time in Canada searching for regular opportunities, the early impact in familiar surroundings represents a significant change.
Mathang-Tshabuse said there are no regrets over the decision to move Mailula to Toronto, despite acknowledging that some aspects could have been handled differently.
“We don’t regret the move because of what it’s produced,” she said. “But obviously, there are desires of maybe I wish we could have done this differently.”
Mailula’s Toronto chapter may therefore have ended without producing the breakthrough his camp had hoped for, but the experience appears to have provided important lessons.
Now, with the striker back at Sundowns and already finding the net, the focus has shifted from what went wrong in Canada to what Mailula can achieve with his career back on familiar ground.
