Comeback win in Orlando shows Reds on right track
The fun has only just started, says Toronto FC coach John Herdman.
At 5-4-1 after 10 games, it’s hard to disagree. There are positive signs in the present and real hopes for the future for a Toronto team that finished last in Major League Soccer last season at 4-20-10.
The latest evidence came Saturday when goals by Tyrese Spicer and Prince Owusu, in the 87th and 90th minute, lifted Toronto to a dramatic 2-1 comeback win at Orlando City. That moved TFC into fourth place in the Eastern Conference — five points behind firstplace Inter Miami, but with a game in hand.
The players have hit their target at the 10-game mark, Herdman said.
“We’re right in touch with that top four, so I’m proud of them; they committed tonight,” he said after the game. “The pre-game conversations, they made some commitments as a collective and individually. And, watching them live, that was a proud moment as a coach.
“I mean, hey, we’re 10 games into the season. We haven’t won the FA Cup or Champions League, but we’re going to celebrate and enjoy this moment,” he added with a smile. “Because it’s one of the first times, I think, this team’s come back for a long time and won.”
In fact, it marked their first league win after conceding the first goal since a 2-1 decision over the Philadelphia Union on April 16, 2022. TFC had gone 0-35-4 when scored on first.
It was also their first victory over Orlando since 2019, ending an eight-game winless run (0-6-2).
With the past few seasons leaving plenty of scar tissue, Herdman has set about changing the culture.
“Since John has come into the organization, I think he’s been very clear about what he wants to achieve and that’s definitely spread throughout the team,” said veteran goalkeeper Sean Johnson.
The much-ballyhooed brotherhood, so often cited during Herdman’s time in charge of the Canadian men, is still a theme. But these days, Herdman talks about the collective and focuses more on mentality.
Unlike his time with Canada’s national program, Herdman can work on that on a daily basis. And he gets to do it for an organization free of the shackles at financially challenged Canada Soccer.
Herdman has shown a ruthless side, chiding his team for only scoring five goals in a mid-week 5-0 Canadian Championship romp over the semi-pro Simcoe County Rovers. He wanted to erase the mark set in a 6-1 cup win over Montreal in 2009.
It was not the most gracious look. But he raised the scoring “failure” again ahead of the Orlando game.
“We felt like a nearly man with that goal (of setting the record) we had against Simcoe,” Herdman said. “And I challenged the group after the Simcoe game, you know, the nearly man is not where we want to be.”
Herdman appears to have knit together what was a divided camp.
With Lorenzo Insigne sidelined by a hamstring injury, teammate Federico Bernardeschi — portrayed in some quarters last season as a troublemaker — has won kudos for his attitude and work ethic. While the former Juventus star has yet to score this season, he has been a sparkplug.
Bernardeschi triggered both goals Saturday after Duncan McGuire put Orlando ahead in the 37th minute. His long ball found Kobe Franklin on the right of the penalty box and his cross was headed in by Spicer in the 87th minute. Three minutes later, Bernardeschi beat two Orlando defenders to deliver a cross that Owusu headed home for his fifth goal in four games across all competitions.
“To be honest, I can’t even find words to describe how important he has been to this group,” Johnson said of Bernardeschi. “He’s really taken a responsibility on his shoulder in a big way.”