Heading into the final seven matches of the MLS regular season, it can be easy to overlook just how much has changed over the course of the year.
2022 has been a season of constant evolution for Toronto FC.
New coach, offseason ins and outs that continued well into the summer transfer window, and a new style, a new identity.
Through it all Bob Bradley has had a core vision.
“All year we had ideas on things that we wanted to work on. Ideas of the way we play, principles,” said the TFC coach on Thursday. “You can see some of those things that have been there right on through – whether we were able to sustain them as long or do them at a level quite high enough, those are different things. There were at times adjustments with injuries, adjustment to try to get the most out of different guys, but we never lost sight of how we wanted to play.”
“And with the additions of Lorenzo [Insigne] and Fede [Bernardeschi] and Mimmo [Domenico Criscito] and Mark[-Anthony Kaye] and Richie [Laryea], those guys all fit in with what we have been trying to work through all year,” Bradley continued. “It's not that it changed with these guys; it makes it better. The work has been fun and we've seen progress in the team.”
There have been ups and downs, there always will be.
But think back to that glorious opening 45 minutes in the match against Charlotte FC on July 23 where TFC took a 4-0 lead with Jonathan Osorio opening the scoring, a Michael Bradley brace, and Bernardeschi scoring on his debut. Bradley’s second was set up by Insigne, registering his first assist in MLS.
That was the only half of football where all of the recent additions have been on the pitch at the same time. Kaye left that match early with a knock that has held him out since.
He was always going to be a key cog in the middle of the park. For what he brings on the pitch, but also his familiarity with the vision from his time under Bradley in Los Angeles.
“I understand what kind of football Bob is trying to play here. I understand the culture that's needed here too. I was brought in here for my performances on the field, but I'm also an asset off the field to get guys to understand how we want to play moving forward,” said Kaye. “At LAFC in 2018 it was a big learning curve for a lot of the guys and we had to be really open and be like a sponge and just soak everything in. The more guys we can get to buy in on that idea of the football that Bob is trying to play, the better the team will be.”
Unavailable for the last six matches, Kaye is nearing a return.
“I'm feeling better every day, getting more training sessions under my belt is giving me more confidence. So I’m feeling good,” he said. “There's a possibility. We're going to assess where I'm at physically tomorrow. Obviously when you're out for so long, you don't want to jump too quickly into things. I trust the medical staff and the coaching staff that we'll figure out the right plan going forward.”
“It's unfortunate I couldn't play a bigger role in the last couple of games,” Kaye added. “But I know how important this next stretch is and that's why we're trying to really make sure everything is ready to go on my end for when I get the call to get back in the team.”
Toronto head into the business end of the schedule with fresh minds after a costly stumble last week, drawing 2-2 at home against the New England Revolution midweek and losing 2-1 away to Inter Miami CF on Saturday.
“We were disappointed,” levelled Bradley. “There's been a few key moments that have hurt us.”
“One point from those two games after we had had 10 in the previous four – 11 points out of the last six league games, right? The fact that we only took one in the last two now makes that margin smaller,” he underlined. “We still look at everything in the same way and we certainly understand that every game the points become bigger.”
The Eastern Conference remains a jumble with six points separating nine teams scrapping over three spots. Toronto sit five points back heading into the weekend.
Desperation wasn’t the word.
“There's an eagerness to continue to move forward in the right direction and improve,” replied Kaye. “We've shown that when everything is clicking we can be one of the best teams in the league and it's just about finding that consistency and fine tuning a little bit of the details.”
“If we get that sorted,” he added. “We'll be very happy with where we end up at the end of the regular season.”
The rest of the season begins on Saturday with the return fixture against that same Charlotte FC.
“I said before we played them the first time, they're a good team, they've got a clear identity and how they want to play. They've been very good at home this year," said Bradley. “Those are all things we understand well.”
Charlotte responded well to that defeat in Toronto in July, beating D.C. United in their next outing, but lost the next two – at home to the Chicago Fire and away to LAFC. They followed those up with a win away to NYCFC before losing 2-1 at home to Orlando City SC last Sunday.
Team goal-scoring leader Karol Swiderski has refound some form, scoring three goals in their last five matches, bringing his tally up to eight on the season.
Interim coach Christian Lattanzio’s side enter the action two points above TFC, but still on the outside looking in. They will be looking to make the most of this second shot at a team that humbled them.
Toronto recall that day very differently.
“That was a day we waited for,” said Bradley. “Oddly enough the first half is the only 45 minutes that we've had where Lorenzo and Fede and Mimmo and Mark and Richie were all on the field at the same time. So yeah, it's exciting to think that when you get the right group of players on the field in moments the football goes up a few more notches and we're going to keep trying to make that happen as often as we can.”
Added Kaye: “That Charlotte game was a glimpse of a small bit of the potential we can reach. It was a good moment and we look forward to creating more of them now.”
