TORONTO – What do you do after recording the greatest Major League Soccer campaign of all time?
If you’re Toronto FC, you do it again.
TFC is coming off a spectacularly successful 2017 campaign that saw them hoist the MLS Cup, win the Supporters’ Shield, and repeat as Canadian club champions. In addition, Toronto set the MLS record for most points (69) in a regular season.
The Reds kick off the 2018 MLS campaign on Saturday afternoon when they host the Columbus Crew in the season curtain raiser, and it’s clear that the off-season hasn’t quelled their ambition or will to win in the slightest. There’s a surging belief within camp that they can not only duplicate what they did a year ago, but that they can go one better.
“People keep [saying to] us, there’s no way you can do what you did last year. And we’ve said, why not? We think our roster is just as good, if not better,” GM Tim Bezbatchenko recently said.
That’s not some idle, fanciful boast. Thanks to a new pot of Targeted Allocation Money available to all MLS clubs, and some shrewd signings during the winter, Toronto’s roster appears even stronger than last year’s version, with the core of the team still in place.
The departures of Canadian winger Raheem Edwards (now with the Montreal Impact), defender Steven Beitashour (signed as a free agent with Los Angeles FC) and veteran midfielder Benoit Cheyrou (retired) have been mitigated by a series of high-profile arrivals. Foremost among them is Gregory van der Wiel, an experienced defender who has played at the highest level in Europe, and who started for the Netherlands in the 2010 FIFA World Cup final.
It would have been difficult to imagine TFC upgrading at the right fullback slot when Beitashour moved to LAFC, but that’s what they’ve done with the addition of van der Wiel.
Other notable newcomers include former Brazil under-20 international Auro (on loan from Sao Paulo) and Spanish midfielder Ager Aketxe (from Athletic Bilbao).
Much like van der Wiel, the young Brazilian seems to be an upgrade on Edwards, while Aketxe adds more quality and depth to a midfield that is the envy of every other MLS team. At 24, Aketxe could also be a player for the future, replacing the influential Victor Vazquez should he decide to leave over the next two years.
Toronto is betting on the new trio helping them conquer a new frontier: the CONCACAF Champions League. Coach Greg Vanney’s side is already through to the quarterfinals of the annual continental tournament that brings together the best clubs from around North and Central America, and the Caribbean. TFC easily dispatched the Colorado Rapids in the Round of 16 to book their spot in the final eight.
However, a much stiffer test awaits them in the next round. Mexican powerhouse Tigres is a team with a larger roster payroll than TFC, and feature players of the calibre of French forward Andre-Pierre Gignac, Chilean star Eduardo Vargas and Ecuadoran Enner Valencia, not to mention a host of Mexican internationals.
It can’t be overstated how difficult of a time MLS clubs have had in the Champions League compared to teams from Mexico’s Liga MX. Of the nine Champions League finals that have been held since 2009, seven have pitted one Mexican club against another. Only twice have MLS teams reached the final: Real Salt Lake in 2011 and the Montreal Impact in 2015. Also, Mexican teams have won 13 of the 15 games they have played against MLS clubs over the past five tournaments.
If TFC is serious about doing what they did last year, and possibly even going one better, then winning the Champions League is the next step.
“From a talent perspective, I think 100 per cent we can compete [in the Champions League]. … We’re as equipped as any team ever in MLS [has been] to compete in CONCACAF and possibly win it, and that’s our goal,” Bezbatchenko said.
Club president Bill Manning acknowledges the difficult path ahead for TFC in the Champions League, but he’s also confident they can go on a run in the tournament.
“You had two [MLS] teams go to the final in the last six, seven years. Last year, Dallas and Vancouver both made it to the semifinals. I think we’re stronger than either one of those franchises a year ago. I think it’s there for us,” Manning offered.
“We’re talking Mexican heavyweights. It’s going to be a [difficult] journey, but at the end of the day you have to beat the teams on the field. I feel confident that we can be a team that can make a run and win it.”
Even with new players in tow, forwards Jozy Altidore and Sebastian Givionco expected to lead the line, and Vazquez still around to pull the creative strings, captain Michael Bradley remains TFC’s most important player, the team’s main reference point.
Bradley’s leadership is invaluable to this club, as is his steadying presence in central midfield. The American international holds himself and those around him to a high standard at all times. He sets the tone for this franchise, and the tone within this organization at the moment is dead serious.
Complacency? Forget it. Bradley would never allow it to happen.
“Even as [MLS] champions from last year, nothing’s guaranteed for this year. Not even close. So, the understanding from everybody here is to take what we have built and continue to work with humility and motivation and excitement; to make sure that we are not standing still. We’re trying to push the envelope at the biggest levels,” Bradley commented.
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