TFC out to erase memory of dismal ’18
Questions abound as the team opens camp after a lengthy break
For the past two years, Toronto FC’s pre-season began so soon after the previous year ended it almost felt like the Reds had no time off at all.
There was a 43-day break following TFC’s MLS Cup loss to the Seattle Sounders in December 2016, and 44 days off after Toronto took its revenge on Seattle a year later.
But not this year. A lengthy 11 weeks — a whopping 77 days away — after Toronto finished ninth in the Eastern Conference, well out of playoff contention, the Reds returned to the BMO Training Ground on Monday looking to right the ship.
With most of the personnel chips in place, a 26-player roster to date, it is now up to Toronto to answer a handful of on-field questions if they want to get back to being one of the top teams in Major League Soccer. Where do the goals come from?
The 59 regular-season goals Toronto scored in 2018 was the second-best output in franchise history, but still 15 fewer than in 2017. The Reds currently have only have four forwards, aging designated players Sebastian Giovinco, 31, and Jozy Altidore, 29, and 22-year-olds Jon Bakero and Ryan Telfer. They parted ways with Canadian strikers Tosaint Ricketts and Jordan Hamilton and Argentine forward Lucas Janson.
Giovinco played 327 more minutes in 2018 than he did in 2017, scoring three fewer goals. Jozy Altidore, whose presence on the field makes the game easier for Giovinco, was efficient this past season, scoring seven goals on nine shots, but he stayed healthy for just 13 games. Telfer and Bakero combined for one goal in 858 minutes. The Reds could need more help up front, especially with the loss of three depth forwards. Jonathan Osorio played a major role in TFC’s attack last year, scoring 10 of his 23 career goals in a single season, but has yet to prove he can put up such numbers on an annual basis.
President Bill Manning said at the start of the off-season that he wanted to add another attacker, but so far the onus falls squarely with Giovinco and Altidore to get back to their old selves. Will an injection of MLS experience help?
One of Toronto’s off-season plans was to add more MLS experience — as it did between the 2015 and 2016 seasons — to help the club’s “win now” goal. That has come in the form of defender Laurent Ciman, who spent four years in the league, and winger Nick DeLeon, who has played in MLS for seven years. Ciman will be one of the players tasked with securing Toronto’s defence, which gave up a franchise-worst 64 goals in 2018. DeLeon will be employed to support Toronto’s attack. Can Drew Moor stay healthy and who will his successor be?
Moor is the player Toronto brass regularly refers to when trying to answer what went wrong at the back last year. The 34-year-old, who played just 568 regular-season minutes in 2018, not only holds down TFC’s centre back position but he organizes everything coming out of the defence. His vocal presence allows fellow centre back Chris Mavinga to focus on his athleticism and make big plays, and Gregory van Der Wiel to take his rightful spot as a wingback.
Toronto will have to give Moor time off if they want him to last a full season. Ciman will take some of his minutes but, at 33 himself, isn’t a long-term solution. Toronto will have to look at the likes of Nick Hagglund and Eriq Zavaleta and decide if either has a future as Moor’s successor, or start looking elsewhere. Can Toronto avoid the designated player distraction?
Giovinco, Altidore and captain Michael Bradley, 31, only have one year left on their respective deals. How Toronto will proceed with the expiring contracts remains up in the air and is bound to be a question that hovers over this team all season. Best-case scenario, the current group recognizes this season as its last chance to win a championship as a whole, and that knowledge galvanizes the team. Worst case, it serves as a distraction and derails another year.
TFC opens its season against at Panamanian side Independiente FC in the first round of the CONCACAF Champions League on Feb 19. The regular season opener is March 2 at the Philadelphia Union.