It’s nose-to-the-grindstone time for the 30 teams across Major League Soccer who officially opened training camps this month ahead of the start of the regular season on Feb. 22.
For the Vancouver Whitecaps and Toronto FC, pre-season gives them a chance to settle in and find their bearings after both clubs recently hired new head coaches. CF Montreal enters the pre-season with a host of new marquee players looking to establish themselves going into the league campaign.
Here are the big questions facing the three Canadian teams in MLS after they began their respective training camps this month.
Can Robin Fraser get the most out of Lorenzo Insigne at Toronto FC?
Lorenzo Insigne had another disappointing season for Toronto FC in 2024.
The former Napoli captain suffered through injury problems and put up very poor numbers in MLS, scoring just four goals while tallying seven assists in 23 games. He ended the regular season by going 13 consecutive appearances without scoring.
Insigne, 33, earned $15.4 million US last season, according to the MLS players’ union website, making him the second-highest-paid star in the league behind only Lionel Messi of Inter Miami. So, it's fair to say the Italian DP didn't even come remotely close to living up to his hefty contract.
Being able to motivate and get the most out of Insigne is one of the biggest challenges facing Robin Fraser, who was officially announced as the club’s new head coach last week.
“I know [Insigne] is a talented player,” Fraser said. “But at the end of the day, everyone has to work, I just don’t think we can have passengers. And it is my impression or my feeling that if you want to contribute to this team, that will be evident in a lot of ways.”
General manager Jason Hernandez still believes that Insigne has something to offer and will be inspired by playing under his fourth coach at TFC since coming to MLS in 2022.
“Considering what it has looked like at times when Lorenzo is at his best, he can influence MLS to a great degree. We just haven’t seen enough of that from him when it comes to his availability. And so, we’re hopeful that we can keep him available and keep him healthy. There’s all to play for a new manager in 2025,” Hernandez said.
Can the Vancouver Whitecaps finally go on a long playoff run?
There’s no question that the Vancouver Whitecaps have been the most successful Canadian MLS team in recent years.
The Whitecaps have qualified for the post-season in three of the last four seasons, while Toronto FC’s most recent playoff appearance came in 2020. Vancouver has also won three consecutive Canadian Championships (beating both Toronto and CF Montreal in the finals) and reached the quarter-finals of the 2022-23 Concacaf Champions League.
But there is a growing sense in Vancouver that the team needs to take that next step in order to become one of the truly elite sides in MLS. Each of Vancouver’s last three playoff runs ended before they truly got started, as the club bowed out in the early rounds before reaching the Western Conference semifinals.
Former coach Vanni Sartini was beloved in the city for his passion, charisma and colourful personality, yet that wasn’t enough for him to keep his job. The Italian was fired just weeks after the club’s disappointing playoff exit at the hands of LAFC last November. Then last month, the Whitecaps’ owners – which include former NBA star Steve Nash – announced the initiation of a process to sell the club.
Enter Jesper Sørensen, who was announced as Vancouver’s new coach this week. The former Danish player and Brøndby IF manager has some huge responsibilities resting on his shoulders. He’ll be expected to keep his team focused on the pitch while the distraction of the potential sale looms over its head, and lead the team to a lengthy playoff run.
“We lost a little bit of energy at the end of last season,” said Axel Schuster, the Whitecaps sporting director.
“And so, it was very important for us to find somebody who can take it from here and who is combining all the skills and the qualities as a head coach to take over, because we don't want to have a restart. Nobody has to be worried that this bill could become a transition year. We want to continue from where we ended last year, and Jesper is exactly the right candidate.”
Will a bunch of new players help invigorate CF Montreal?
It’s been a pretty busy off-season for CF Montreal.
A home loss to Atlanta United in the wild-card game last October sent Montreal crashing out of the playoffs at the first hurdle. In the aftermath of the club’s premature exit, management made wholesale changes during the off-season, declining contract options for several big-name players, including 2024 top scorer Josef Martínez, veteran Finnish midfielder Lassi Lappalainen, and Canadian international Raheem Edwards.
At the same time, management has brought in a number of new exciting players during the winter. Experienced German forward Fabian Herbers was signed as a free agent after spending the past two years with the Chicago Fire. Montreal’s attack was also bolstered with the acquisitions of German forward Prince Owusu (Toronto FC’s top scorer last year) and Albanian international Giacomo Vrioni (from the New England Revolution).
The club’s biggest move came in a trade with the LA Galaxy as Montreal acquired promising defender Jalen Neal from the reigning MLS Cup champions. Neal, 21, is a member of the U.S. national team and is also considered one of the brightest prospects in American soccer – he ranked No. 9 in the MLS 22 Under 22 list for 2024.
“I think [Neal is] a great acquisition. He's a young player that I think he's really hungry to do well, and him winning the MLS Cup last year he wants to have success again right away next year with us … A ball-playing centre back fits perfectly our style. So, I think that fits perfectly with how we want to play,” Montreal captain Sam Piette said.
Editor’s note
John Molinaro is one of the leading soccer journalists in Canada, having covered the game for over 25 years for several media outlets, including Sportsnet, CBC Sports and Sun Media. He is currently the editor-in-chief of TFC Republic, a website dedicated to in-depth coverage of Toronto FC and Canadian soccer.
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