Poor results, underachieving superstars, a costly generation gap in the roster, widespread rumors of infighting and discontent, and now a midseason parting with the head coach and sporting director.
Almost exactly one year on from the official unveiling of Lorenzo Insigne, the outlook is grim at Toronto FC. Club president Bill Manning acknowledged as much as he faced the media for the first time since Bob Bradley’s dismissal in the wake of Saturday’s 2-1 setback at New England, the Reds’ seventh loss of the league campaign.
“Both on the field and off the field, we have not been in harmony and we have not been in sync,” Manning told reporters on Tuesday. “During my career, I've been fortunate to have moments where it all comes together and you get good results. And it just felt now was that time that we needed better results, and I challenge Lorenzo and Fede\[rico Bernardeschi, his fellow Designated Player], as well as the other players, that we all need to look in the mirror and we all need to be accountable, and we need to do better.”
What went wrong?
In Manning’s words, “the plan has not gone according to plan” for TFC. The bold gambit to splash out on two huge contracts for the Italian internationals and garnish their quality with veterans, academy products and Bradley’s expertise has fizzled, leaving them second-from-bottom in the MLS Eastern Conference and also-rans in the Canadian Championship.
“There was a belief by the staff that certain players or profiles needed to be brought in to help the team win. I also think there was a belief that some of the younger players who got a lot of minutes last year could step in and contribute at a higher level,” said Manning. “And right now we have not gotten it on either front. And it's been disappointing. It's not what we envisioned.”
That said, he, newly-promoted GM Jason Hernandez and interim head coach Terry Dunfield refused to throw in the towel on 2023, suggesting that a permanent head coach can be identified in a matter of days or weeks rather than months. They also defended, to some extent, the big-picture concept of a more top-heavy roster headed by elite match-winning talent, even at the cost of squad depth – in some ways the antithesis of how consistent MLS contenders like the Philadelphia Union have been crafted.
“I think if you look on paper, and you look at our first 20 guys, considering an MLS campaign, how many games there are, the travel, I feel quite good about those 20 guys,” said Hernandez, a 14-year MLS veteran during his playing days who until Bradley’s departure was the US coaching legend’s assistant GM.
“Now, the reality is we haven't had those 20 guys, or 25 guys, really, for long stretches of the season. We're not talking about inconsequential guys, we're talking about important pieces.”
Yet there was a distinct sense that a new direction is needed, with the reflection and taking of stock that usually accompanies that.
Hernandez vowed to lead a data-driven analysis of Toronto’s soccer operations, comparing their ways of working to both the MLS elite and media, which was a striking statement given that TFC boasted the league’s most respected analytics department during their 2016-19 peak, in which they reached three MLS Cup finals in four years and won a historic treble in 2017.
“There were stretches here where the club felt like the different arms and different departments were operating with a tremendous synergy, and it was felt throughout the building,” said Hernandez. “To be quite honest with you, since COVID, and people returning from work and being remote and the whole bit, we still are working towards reaching our full potential as far as that is concerned. And I think that'll be something hopefully I can help us achieve as a club.”
Can the season be saved?
Bradley was one of a scant few leaders in contemporary MLS handed both coaching and GM/chief soccer officer duties, and Hernandez’s elevation suggests that executive leadership has concluded those responsibilities are too extensive for one person to handle. Manning himself acknowledged that a hotter spotlight now shines on his own performance, and sounded prepared to let the next coach chart the course in philosophical terms.
“I want to win and at the end of the day, no one really remembers how you play. They remember your results, remember your results on the field,” Manning declared. “We have a group of players that I think are better than our record shows and I as team president, I don't want to describe the style of play. I want to have a coach that can take the players we have and put them on the field and have, whether tactically or stylistically, can put them in the best position to succeed.”
Manning also confirmed the Reds’ third DP slot is presently occupied by TFC homegrown and longtime midfield standout Jonathan Osorio, and the club’s salary-budget outlook is “tight right now,” hinting that big-ticket acquisitions will be difficult to pull off this year.
That leaves Dunfield, a former Canadian international and fan favorite of Toronto’s early years, to try and improve the locker-room vibes as quickly as possible, starting with Real Salt Lake’s visit to BMO Field on Saturday (7:30 pm ET | MLS Season Pass), the first of three matches in eight days for the Reds.
“I think if we get it right, potentially this could be the best story in MLS, if we can turn this around,” suggested Dunfield, who’d previously been coaching TFC’s Under-17 academy side.
“We have a lot of work to do ahead, to get right for Saturday and make sure the players are light, bright and clear and can go and perform.”
