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MLS: Toronto FC have been in turmoil for the past years and change looks unlikely.

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Bob Bradley departed and John Herdman came in but it looks as if the Englishman will have similar issues in his first-ever club job.


Toronto FC Fans at Columbus Stadium in the game against Columbus Crew (Socceronly)



Toronto FC fans have had to endure some miserable seasons. Their maiden campaign in the MLS failed to promise hope for the future, the 2012 season was record-breaking for all the wrong reasons, then 2023 was a combination of both, but dubbed with far higher expectations.

All the excitement that TFC fans bought into the 2023 season was quickly snatched, with lacklustre performances, impotent attackers and unimposing defenders all leading to them recording the least number of points in a season, the fewest wins obtained and a rock-bottom finish in the Eastern Conference.

As they were racking up these dismal tallies, a toxic atmosphere at the club reaped through the BMO Field, with their two designated players somewhat responsible.

The pair was Lorenzo Insigne and Federico Bernardeschi, two signings who were meant to turn Toronto’s descending MLS stature around.

Instead, the forwards recorded nine goals between them in their first full season in the MLS, and off-the-pitch they never saw eye-to-eye, clashing at the training ground and then moaning about the manager at the time, Bob Bradley.

Insigne never went public with his disdain for the American coach, but Bernardeschi openly showed his feelings towards him, after a 1-0 loss to Austin.

The 29-year-old said, back in May: “This team, this city, the fans, everybody doesn’t deserve this. I think maybe we need to change something.

“We need to have a little bit more tactics. We need an idea of how we play because this is the real problem for me. It’s impossible to play like this when we play without an idea. This is the big problem for me.”

When questioning tactics, and the identity of the team it is not difficult to see who the target of this attack was, and John Molinaro, who has covered TFC since their entrance into the MLS in 2007, was one of the journalists witnessing his outburst.

He said: “When he went on a rant about a coaching change, it was very much unsolicited and I appreciate after a loss players sometimes let emotions get the better of them, but he double-downed on it.

“He offered that of his own volition, but when I spoke to him one-on-one he didn’t backtrack. 

“I don’t think there are any questions the way he spoke out didn’t help matters, whether that was his situation or the club.

“He can have that opinion about Bradley, he is entitled to his opinion, but expressing it in such a public way was not the smartest move.

“I am not sure the club, management and players appreciated it at all.”

A month after Bernardeschi’s comments, Bradley was sacked and by August the former Canada men's and women’s coach John Herdman was appointed.

The Englishman struggled to turn the fortunes around during the season, and after taking his first steps into club management, he has been handed a tough task.

Despite the ongoing January transfer window, Herdman is likely to keep Insigne for at least six months, but Bernardeschi has been gaining interest from his homeland and flirted with rejoining Juventus.

Molinaro said: “I won’t be terribly surprised if he is still here, but I wouldn’t be surprised come the end of the January transfer window that he has gone, whether that is Juventus or somewhere else.

“It was interesting speaking to John Herdman who said the players have essentially formed a senior leadership group within the team.

“In the group aside from Sean Johnson, Jonathan Osorio and Shane O’Neill and the two Italians.

“This is despite the comments to the Juve fans outside the training ground last month. I don’t think Bernardsechi would be part of that leadership group if he wasn’t going to be sticking around for a while.”

But these transfer windows and constant player interaction is a new experience for Herdman, who has had success as an international manager, leading the Canadian Women’s team to two Olympic bronze medal finishes and taking the men’s squad to a first World Cup in 36 years. 

Although at club level, he is a novice.

Molinaro said: “He was quite successful because he changed the culture of those teams, and got the most out of the sets of players.

“So he faces very much the same challenge at TFC, he has the collection of under-performing players, and it is a place that is in desperate need of a culture change because it was very toxic there, especially at the back on of last season.

“They were mentally fragile last year when Toronto were at their best between 2015-2017, there was an unbreakable spirit in the team, even if they went down in games they would have belief and confidence to come back and win, which often they did.

“Last year it was a team that at the first sit of a setback, they would fold and there was no heart or commitment, and that was with players who were there during the successful period.

“Herdman has to find a way to instil belief into the project and build confidence that they can win games.

“Often times when they conceded the first goal that was it, they would lose. I don’t think there is any question that they were a mentally frail and scared team.

“I am not saying he isn’t up for the job, but this is a new experience for him and his first assignment in club football isn’t exactly easy for him.”

As much as it is about trying to re-group and encourage the players who are already contracted at the club, it would be naïve for Herdman and Jason Hernandez (TFC general manager) not to fix the glaring issues that arise in the squad.

An attacking threat is an obvious priority, if you removed Deandre Kerr, Insigne and Bernardeschi from the squad, the rest of their attack totalled one goal.

But along with goals, they need someone who can bring the other wide forwards into play and help TFC retain possession higher up the field, which will come at a cost that Toronto may not be able to pay.

Molinaro said: “Hernandez said it is proving difficult to get new recruits in.

“This is because there are some realities about contract issues and the salary caps situation they are in, and in order to bring players in they need to move some out.

“That will be difficult they don’t have many valuable assets, they have one or two minor exceptions, but if Toronto go into the season looking like this then I would say my expectations are very low.”

The trouble of getting rid of lingering players in the squad will also mean they will struggle to improve at centre-back, but surgery on this roster is imperative as their season-opener against Cincinnati, on the 25th of February, draws in.

The Orange and Blue are just one of many teams that make the Eastern Conference so competitive and, with TFC’s pre-season activity indolent the 2024 season could inflict emotions felt in 2007, 2012 or 2023.

But hey, at least Toronto fans have proved they can handle it.


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