Toronto FC sends forward Charlie Sharp to USL's Tampa Bay Rowdies on loan
TORONTO — Toronto FC has loaned forward Charlie Sharp to the Tampa Bay Rowdies of the USL Championship for the remainder of the 2025 season.
The move should give the 24-year-old Sharp more playing time and a taste of life in a different environment. The six-foot-five striker has seen just 105 minutes of action in six MLS games this season, including one start, while also playing for TFC 2.
'One of the things I said to Charlie, specially as a young forward, is you have to play where you have real pressure to score,' said Toronto coach Robin Fraser. 'When you get these opportunities, you have to put them away. And if you don't, there are real consequences, more so than even playing for the (Toronto) second team where it's more about developmental philosophy.'
'Part of learning to be pro is embracing that pressure, the pressure of winning and losing that I don't think you necessarily get when you're with a second team,' he added. 'So to put him out some place where you have people whose livelihoods depend on it, then I think it's the way to really test yourself in a pressure-filled environment.'
Toronto selected Sharp in the third round (61st overall) in the 2023 MLS SuperDraft out of Western Michigan University.
He signed three short-term agreements with the first team during the 2024 season, making his debut against Nashville on May 15. The native of Brighton, Mich., signed a first-team contract on Sept. 17, 2024, and has one assist in eight appearances in total.
Sharp spent five seasons at Western Michigan, scoring 42 goals and adding 22 assists in 89 appearances. As a senior, he led NCAA Division I ranks with 19 goals and was the first MAC Hermann Trophy finalist in Western Michigan's men's program history.
Toronto forward Hugo Mbongue (Vancouver FC) and defender Adam Pearlman (Halifax Wanderers) are both currently out on loan in the Canadian Premier League.
Tampa (5-10-2) currently sits bottom of the USL Championship's 12-team Eastern Conference. The Rowdies roster includes former Forge FC forward Woobens Pacius, who is on loan from Nashville SC.
Pacius led Forge in scoring with 32 goals in 93 appearances across all competitions in three seasons with the CPL side.
Aa native of Terrebonne, Quebec, Pacius spent time in CF Montreal's academy.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 8, 2025
Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press
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