ANOTHER YEAR

Nicholas D'Agostino

It is now official, with TFCs 4-0 loss to Orlando on Saturday night their playoff hopes have come to an end. This is now back-to-back years that the Reds have failed to make the postseason and it is the first time they have missed the playoffs in back-to-back years since the 2013 and 2014 seasons.

This has been a season of rollercoasters with many ups and downs that have driven some TFC fans crazy. Either way, while this season may be looked at as a failure because of the team’s inability to make the playoffs, the one bright spot is the project that TFC and Bob Bradley are currently working towards.

When Bob Bradley was hired in the offseason he and TFC management were looking to turn over a new leaf and start developing the new wave of TFC. With all the roster turnover both in the offseason and midseason, TFC were never able to get on a roll and gain momentum which ultimately cost them the season. With next season’s core players already here TFC should be better next year and they will hopefully get back to their winning ways.

The major bright spot of this season was the arrival of the Italian Superstars. Both Insigne and Bernardeschi showed their excellence at certain times this season which excited both TFC and their fans. It was evident that with the arrival of the Italians TFC instantly became a better team and they instantly had better performances on the pitch.

While all of that is true, it is also clear that this year even with the Italians TFC is not near being a complete team. They still have lots of work to do both on and off the pitch which will start as soon as the season wraps up. While this year, many TFC fans hoped that they would squeak into the playoffs especially when the Italians came over they at least got a taste at what the future holds for TFC.

Moving Forward

TFC is currently in the beginning stages of their project and this season was undoubtedly a step in the right direction. While this season was not a success, they now have some of their core roster players in Toronto and ready to go. Looking ahead to next season and beyond one aspect TFC needs to focus on is their defense and goaltending.

Too many times this season their defense and goalies let them down which ultimately cost them points throughout the entire course of the season. It might be time to say goodbye to some longtime players and invest money into new and improved defenders and goalies.

As well as defense, the attack could use another dynamic player that could play with both of the Italians and create for the rest of the team. Most likely a striker to play through the middle would be most beneficial as Insigne and Bernardeschi most often operate the wings.

With all that being said, Toronto still has two games left, one against Inter Miami and the other against Philadelphia.