If the "winners" of Major League Soccer's offseason received a trophy for their triumphs, Toronto FC would have lifted the 2013-14 Offseason Cup over a month ago.
In the span of exactly one month — December 13 to January 13 — the Reds announced the signings of Designated Players Gliberto, Jermain Defoe and Michael Bradley, as well as the return of former TFC star Dwayne De Rosario.
TFC's offseason shopping spree was so massive and expected to make such an impact that the behind-the-scenes work has been turned into a half-hour television mini-series that's also now found its way to the web (above video).
All For One is 23 minutes that covers everything from the first days on the job for new general manager Tim Bezbatchenko in September, to Gilberto's introduction in December, De Rosario's return to his hometown, a trip to London to meet with Defoe and Bradley's first hours as a citizen of Toronto upon arriving from Italy.
As a team that has thus far failed to make a single playoff appearance during its seven-year existence, this offseason's motto was "Why can't we be great," as stated in the video by Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment president and CEO Tim Leiweke, the mastermind behind TFC's winter moves.
"Great" is unquestionably what TFC went for.
Be sure to check out the next episode of All For One either on TSN2 and Sportsnet in Canada or YouTube everywhere else in the coming days.
