CanMNT World Cup hopeful Jacen Russell-Rowe makes calculated gamble with Toulouse FC move
Jacen Russell-Rowe has become the latest Canadian MLS to Ligue 1 export, as he joined Toulouse FC on a transfer from the Columbus Crew on Monday.
After spending parts of four seasons with the Columbus Crew, joining their second team in 2022 before earning a promotion to their first team later that year, this is a landmark move for the 23-year-old Russell-Rowe, who heads to Ligue 1 for a multimillion-dollar fee. 
Having been linked to European clubs in the past, it was long expected that Russell-Rowe could make such a move down the line, but it seemed unlikely that he would transfer straight to a club in the top five leagues from MLS. Given that his strongest links were to Scottish clubs, you could see a world where he first headed to a league like Scotland’s, before making another move like this Toulouse further down the road.
Now, though, he’ll get the opportunity to join a club like Toulouse directly, which is great news for him - not only is he joining a club in a league known for developing talent, but he joins a team on the upswing, too.
Une nouvelle nationalité au TéFéCé ! Bienvenue Jacen 🇨🇦 pic.twitter.com/LUxreujdgX
— Toulouse FC (@ToulouseFC) February 2, 2026
Currently, the club sits eighth in the Ligue 1 table, just two points behind fifth-place Lille OSC, as they look to return to European football for the second time in four seasons - they played in the Europa League in 2023-2024 after their shock 2023 Coupe de France win.
After league finishes of 13th, 11th and 10th in their last three seasons, this is a chance for them to also set a high watermark in table placements this decade, showing why it’s encouraging to see Russell-Rowe’s arrival at the club at this time.
For those who have followed Toulouse for a while, they’ll know that they’re a club with a good history in France, but they had a turbulent end to the 2010s, eventually leading to their relegation to Ligue 2 after the 2019-2020 season - marking the first time they were relegated to France’s second tier since 2003.
Now, though, they seem to be set to reach the heights they had reached in their almost two-decade run in Ligue 1, which included top-four finishes in 2006/2007 and 2008/2009. They’ll be in tough to reach the top four this year, as they sit nine points behind fourth-place Olympique Lyonnais, but even a top-five finish would be quite impressive, given that it’ll come with guaranteed European football.
Of course, the question to be asked right away, though, is how much Russell-Rowe will feature for his new club this season. Often, it can be a risk to join a club halfway through their season, as they’ll typically be quite settled, especially if they’re having a good year.
At the same time, though, there are reasons to be encouraged about Russell-Rowe’s prospects of earning minutes right away, which shows why this move makes sense for him at this time.
DEAL DONE ✅
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) February 2, 2026
Jacen Russell-Rowe joins Toulouse FC ✍️
The former Columbus Crew striker heads to Ligue 1 🇫🇷 as he looks to secure a roster spot with the CanMNT 🇨🇦 at the 2026 World Cup ✨ pic.twitter.com/NfU0HAXojv
When looking at Toulouse’s squad, there’s a clear lack of a goalscorer on their team, as their top Ligue 1 marksman is winger Yann Gboho, who has just six goals. What it shows, though, is that Toulouse’s approach has been more of a collective one - they’ve managed to score 30 goals in 20 games, which, while not elite, is still not bad at all - but it shows that they could use a regular goalscorer to lead them.
They’ve got a few strikers who have stepped up - Santiago Hidalgo has five goals in all competitions, Frank Magri has five goals, and Emerson has four goals - but they’re lacking someone who can reliably find the goals needed to lead the line in their preferred 3-4-3.
There, though, is where Russell-Rowe could be valuable to them. It’s hard to say whether or not someone who scored 10 goals in all competitions in 2025, and eight in 2024 (albeit in limited minutes both seasons), will offer the regular source of goals Toulouse needs, but there are two things they can bet on with his arrival. 
Firstly, they’ll be banking on the fact that he could take a step up in a bigger role. With the Crew, he had just over 2000 minutes in 2025 and 1500 minutes in 2024, as he averaged around 45-50 minutes per appearance across the last two seasons.
At Toulouse, he could take on a bigger role and still hopefully maintain a solid scoring rate, or even improve on it. Statistically speaking, he’s had solid success in that rotational role, averaging 2.07 shots, 0.31 xG and 3.92 touches in the box per 90 minutes across all competitions with the Crew since making his debut in 2022, which are not bad numbers for a striker.
Here's how Russell-Rowe's 2025 shooting statistics compared to his MLS peers - as seen here, he was solid to good in most categories, although he could've benefitted from a lot more volume (via FotMob)
Ideally, his xG would be a bit higher - 0.32 xG would translate to around seven goals in 2000 minutes of play - but his number of shots and touches in the box shows that he gets to good areas, and he’s overperformed his xG by a decent number, suggesting that he is a good finisher.
OH MY. 4-0. IT'S OVER.@ColumbusCrew // Audi MLS Cup Playoffs pic.twitter.com/M8zwSsEekg
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) November 3, 2025
Perhaps, if he can work on getting more xG while maintaining or improving his shot rate, he could push for double-digit goals with Toulouse. 
Here's Russell-Rowe's last 75 shots with the Crew, showing that he generates plenty of quality - again, improving his volume is his big priority (WyScout)
For context, while Toulouse is eighth in Ligue 1 in total xG, they’re fourth in xG per shot, so they create more quality than quantity, showing that Russell-Rowe’s ability to finish would be more than welcomed by them. If they can find a way to translate his finishing skill into their system, while improving both his and their overall shot quality, then there can be a fruitful match to be had.
Otherwise, the thing Toulouse will be betting on with Russell-Rowe’s arrival is a familiarity with their system, as he’s spent most of his time in Columbus playing under Wilfried Nancy, who uses a similar 3-4-3 system as the one used by Toulouse coach Carles Martínez Novell. 
Here are some of Russell-Rowe's other all-around statistics from the 2025 season - for a striker, he has some great passing numbers, showing his comfort in a variety of attacking roles (via FotMob)
Under Nancy, Russell-Rowe played as both a striker and an attacking midfielder - meaning that he could slot into multiple positions in Toulouse’s 3-4-3, too.
Jacen Russell-Rowe doubles the lead for the @ColumbusCrew! pic.twitter.com/z9k2gyTxby
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) June 26, 2025
He’s unlikely to nab Gboho’s spot on the left, but he could immediately slot in up front or on the right, which gives him more avenues to crack this squad as he adjusts to the Ligue 1 level and regains his fitness after a few months off.
Yet, that shows why Toulouse will be eager to bring in Russell-Rowe, as there are reasons to believe he could fit in quite nicely with them. If that proves to be true, they’ll have gotten a bargain at the price they paid, as strikers typically go for a lot more than a couple of million dollars.
Certainly, Russell-Rowe’s contract situation (his deal with the Crew expired at the end of 2026) and his status as a Canadian in MLS probably reduced his price significantly, so they’ll have recognized the sort of deal they’re getting.
Considering how the last Canadian MLS to Ligue 1 export performed in Moïse Bombito, Toulouse will hope that is proof that Russell-Rowe can quickly adjust to the league - certainly, there are more and more signs that MLS players can seamlessly adjust to life in the top five leagues if they join the right club with the right fit for them.
That appears to be the case for Russell-Rowe, and that’s good news for him, as there is one last reason why this move makes sense for both parties - Russell-Rowe is arriving in France quite motivated.
With it being a World Cup year, there is a huge opportunity for Russell-Rowe to crack Canada’s squad, but it was going to be hard for him to do that while still in MLS. With the excellent play of Jonathan David, Promise David and Tani Oluwaseyi in Europe, he won’t pass them on the depth chart, but he could still catch up to players like Daniel Jebbison, Theo Bair, Cyle Larin and Charles-Andreas Brym, who have had varying levels of success this season.
To do that while still in MLS was going to require absolutely dominant play from Russell-Rowe, but if he can go to Ligue 1, earn respectable minutes and score a handful of goals before the end of the 2025-2026 season, it’s not that outrageous to suggest that he's worth including in Canada’s squad this summer.
For example, profile-wise, Russell-Rowe has an advantage over Jebbison and Bair, as he can play both as a striker and a second striker, which could allow him to become Jonathan David’s direct backup, as well as an option to play alongside him. Then, that could be bad news for Cyle Larin, who has sometimes played that role as a second striker, although his form lately has also done him no favours in his race to crack Canada’s roster.
GOAL 🇨🇦
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) January 18, 2026
JACEN RUSSELL-ROWE opens the scoring for the CanMNT with a PERFECT header off Malik Henry's cross, for a 1-0 lead over Guatemala 🇬🇹
🔴 Watch LIVE on OneSoccer pic.twitter.com/iG0OQ2cBKy
Because of that, look for Russell-Rowe to hit the ground running in Ligue 1. If he does, then his stock could rise massively over the next few months, vaulting him into Canada’s World Cup squad, while setting him up for even more growth down the line - all while further opening the growing door for Canadians in MLS to move directly to teams in the top five leagues.
That’s why this move makes sense for both Russell-Rowe and Toulouse, who are making a calculated bet on each other at a crucial time.
