TFC officials want to be ‘annual’ contender as big changes await in offseason

Author of the article:

Canadian Press

Neil Davidson

Published Oct 17, 2024  •  4 minute read

New York Red Bull's Lewis Morgan (right) heads the ball in front of Toronto FC's Shane O'Neill during first half MLS soccer action in Toronto on Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024. Photo by Jon Blacker /THE CANADIAN PRESS

Toronto FC’s top brass has promised change at the ailing MLS club, which is sitting out the playoffs for the fourth straight season.

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But fans may have to wait for answers with a review of the 11-19-4 team still underway.

“We’re going to look at everything and that’s what were doing right now,” said Keith Pelley, president and chief executive of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, which owns the team. “We’re in the midst of it.”

Changes are expected to start coming next week with decisions on some 13 players on whom the club holds options for next year.

The fact that the franchise held its end-of-season availability two days before the end of the regular season was a graphic reminder of its most recent failure. But Pelley made a statement of his own in leading the speakers list at the team’s north Toronto training centre.

“Making the playoffs is not our goal … Our goal is to be a contender on an annual basis,” he said. “For us to be a pre-eminently operated team in not only MLS but seen worldwide as a pre-eminent, efficient, well-run club in all aspects, on and off the field.

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“And we’re not there yet but we’ll be there. It won’t happen overnight but it will happen.”

General manager Jason Hernandez and coach John Herdman followed, singing off the same hymn sheet.

Toronto has not made the playoffs since 2020, when it exited at the first hurdle in an upset loss to expansion Nashville. Its regular-season record since then is 30-75-21, with coaches Chris Armas and Bob Bradley fired along the way.

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Former Bayern Munich technical director Marco Neppe was engaged to review the club and provided Pelley with a three-hour presentation recently in Munich.

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“His No. 1 observation would be that the club lacks an identity of what kind of football we want to play, what kind of football is conducive to MLS and as a result that should dictate every strategy that you follow from your academy to your scouting department through and through,” said Pelley.

Given the team put former Canada coach Herdman in charge last October to revamp the team’s style of play, the lack of identity issue seems a little confusing. But the club, hamstrung with salary cap issues that needed to be cleared, was unable to give Herdman some of the weapons he needed and the revolving coaching door since the departure of Greg Vanney in December 2020 clearly did not help team identity.

“This season was a roller-coaster,” said Herdman. “It started strong, finished weak and didn’t meet the expectations of what a club like Toronto FC should be producing for its fans.”

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Herdman said he is looking for young, athletic and durable talent to help turn around the team.

Hernandez, for his part, said the kind of season TFC has just gone through means “hard conversations for everyone.”

Toronto was eliminated from playoff contention in a 1-0 loss Oct. 5 to visiting Inter Miami. It will watch the regular season finale from the sidelines, with a bye on the final weekend.

Still, TFC made improvements in wins (11, up from four), points (37, up from 22) and goals scored (40, up from 29).

But goals against got worse (61 compared to 59). And Toronto picked up just one of a possible 15 points in the five-game stretch run (0-4-1) to the regular season.

A nine game winless run (0-7-2) in league play that stretched from May 25 to July 6 was also a killer. Captain Jonathan Osorio and Richie Laryea were both away at Copa America.

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And losing the Canadian Championship final to Vancouver after outplaying the Whitecaps was another bitter pill to swallow.

Italian stars Lorenzo Insigne (US$15.4 million salary) and Federico Bernardeschi (US$6.295 million) remain under the spotlight after combining for 12 goals and 15 assists.

Both are under contract through 2026 (the club has options on Bernardeschi through 2028 and through 2026 on Insigne, whose existing deal expires in June 2026).

The two Italians started just 14 league games together. And Osorio, Bernardeschi, Insigne and Laryea, the team’s third designated player, started together in just two of 34 matches — the first game of the season and the 26th.

Insigne, his season disrupted by injury, failed to score in his last six appearances in all competitions and had just three goals _ none in league play — in his last 19 appearances. His last MLS goal came June 15.

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“I think Lorenzo is somebody that is committed to Toronto. He’s given his heart and soul to Toronto,” Pelley said. “But in a rebuild, you have to evaluate everything … We will talk to his agent, talk to Lorenzo in the coming couple of weeks, understand what his desire is, and look at it from a holistic perspective and make a decision at that particular time.”

He suggested MLSE’s owners would support whatever that is.

Bernardeschi impressed in his move to wingback but his production tailed off as the season wore on, in part due to Insigne’s lack of availability and production.

After a torrid run, the swashbuckling Italian was blanked in his final 18 appearances in all competitions dating back to June 29 when he scored in a 2-1 loss in Atlanta. That goal marked his 13th goal contribution (eight goals, five assists) in nine MLS appearances since April 27.

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