This is one in a series of team previews preparing fans for the 2023 MLS season. Check out the full list; teams will be revealed in predicted order of finish from Feb. 10-24.
What Toronto FC did last year
Bob Bradley’s first year in Toronto began with the promise of Lorenzo Insigne on the horizon, a new DP center back and plenty of hope in the post-Greg Vanney era. Before Insigne could even get to Canada, that DP center back had already been essentially booted off the team, Toronto had the league’s worst defense and they were too far buried to make a dent in the standings.
Even after Insigne arrived with fellow Italian winger Federico Bernardeschi in tow and former Bradley Ball standout Mark-Anthony Kaye close behind, Toronto just didn’t have the juice. After an astounding debut for Toronto’s newest stars against Charlotte, Kaye got hurt and the team never really recovered.
So, yeah, year one didn’t go as planned. Even with Bernardeschi putting in an instant Best XI-caliber shift over the back half of the season. Maybe year two under Bradley will be a little smoother?
Key additions
Forward Adama Diomande (waivers), defender Matt Hedges (free agent), goalkeeper Sean Johnson (free agent), defender Raoul Petretta (transfer from Kasımpaşa SK), defender Sigurd Rosted (transfer from Brøndby IF), midfielder Víctor Vázquez (Re-Entry Draft selection)
Key departures
Goalkeeper Alex Bono (out of contract), defender Domenico Criscito (“retirement” but not really lol), defender Chris Mavinga (option declined), defender Luca Petrasso (trade to Orlando), forward Jacob Shaffelburg (trade to Nashville)
Making the case for Toronto FC
Take a real quick look at the “Key Additions” section and appreciate one of the best off-seasons in the league when it comes to adding high-end production and fixing critical issues. Center back Matt Hedges is a perfect fit for TFC's back line and Sean Johnson will continue to do Sean Johnson things at goalkeeper. With left back Raoul Petretta and center back Sigurd Rosted added in defense, they should be much improved defensively.
And a Toronto team that’s much improved defensively with a healthy Kaye plus Insigne and Bernardeschi in their first full season should have more than enough firepower to rack up points……..
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…..wait for it……….
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….IF THEY’RE HEALTHY.
This team is not deep. They’re old. And they feel like they might spend the entire year on the cusp of losing a load-bearing piece at any moment. They made a smart move yesterday to trade for midfield depth and bring in former Dallas midfielder Brandon Servania, but there are still a few areas where it feels like the drop off from starter to reserve is massive.
That being said, the case for Toronto is straightforward. Their best XI will be better than nearly every other best XI. All it’s going to take for them to finish near the top of the East is for Bernardeschi and Insigne to live up to expectations and for the rest of the apparatus to hold up around them. Yeah, it’s risky to be on Toronto. But the reward with this team could be very high.
Players to watch
Bernardeschi put up eight goals and three assists in just 1100 minutes last year. Give him a full season and we’re looking at a very likely MVP candidate.
Elsewhere, if new center back Sigurd Rosted is the real deal, Toronto’s backline might actually be kind of excellent? After being one of the worst defensive teams in the league last year, that’s a really, really big deal. He and Hedges could potentially be enough to make up for the concerning defensive presence of 35-year-old defensive midfielder Michael Bradley.
A nerdy tidbit
Just an atrocious defense. Their 56.32 expected goals allowed put them only slightly better than last-place San Jose. I could break that down and explain how a lot of that came from horrific transition moments, but can we just all agree that “nearly as bad as San Jose” when it comes to anything defensively is a clear indicator of how dire things were across the board?
A fun tidbit
They still have an open DP spot! Did I forget to mention that? It seriously feels like everyone keeps forgetting to mention that. Just imagine if a DP midfielder comes in at some point and starts wrecking shop. Or maybe they add a DP striker to an already frightening front three. Look, it seems pretty important that one of the biggest spenders in the league can just go out and get another DP at some point this year.
Projected finish
3rd in the East
We’re banking on a lot here. We’re banking on this team’s lack of depth not coming back to bite them, we’re banking on the new look back line coming good immediately, we’re banking on a potential third DP signing arriving in the summer to fix a key issue or two and we’re banking on Bernardeschi and Insigne being fully invested. That being said, none of that feels farfetched. This is one of the highest variance teams in the league entering the season and dang it if we aren’t just brimming with optimism these days. Besides, a Year Two bump under Bob Bradley of all folks wouldn’t exactly be surprising.