Prior to Sunday’s 5-0 defeat away to Philadelphia Union II, Toronto FC II had been on a good run.
Unbeaten in four matches with wins over Crown Legacy, Inter Miami CF II, and Orlando City B, a draw away to FC Cincinnati 2. Coming after a three-game losing skid in May, the team had turned a corner.
“The last three weeks have been probably our best weeks of training,” said Gianni Cimini last Thursday. “Teams have peaks and valleys. You don't expect to be at this high for a long, you expect it to have a little drop – that's the way high performance works: you get it to a point where it's really there and you just can't sustain it, it’s got to drop and then you try to bring it back up.”
“We always have to keep our finger on the standards,” he continued. “It's good right now, but we know that you’ve got to work through these things every day. That it's not good just like that, it's good because of all the details, the accountability, the process, all that stuff. That's why it's where it's at right now.”
Michael Sullivan scored the only goal in the 1-0 win over Crown Legacy. Hassan Ayari bagged a 75th-minute equalizer in Cincinnati. Micah Chisholm scored early and Marko Stojadinovic added a second before half-time at York Lions Stadium against Miami, and Ayari put Toronto ahead after just four minutes in Orlando, they levelled, but Antone Bossenberry opened his account seconds after coming on in the 79th minute to take all three points.
Six goals scored over that stretch, from five different players; TFC conceded just twice over those four games.
“We were really solid defensively, getting clean sheets and really limiting other teams chances,” said Stojadinovic last week. “That's our foundation. All season we've had games where we've been creating a lot of chances, but the last few games we've started to capitalize on them a bit more.”
Chisholm credits the good run to the vibe in the room and what it produces: “For me, the togetherness and the brotherhood that we have in the locker room.”
“On the field, everyone's willing to put their body on the line,” he added. “Winning the second balls and fighting for your brother.”
And that the side has done it while constantly shuffling the lineup impressed Patrick McDonald.
“It’s a big nod to the depth of the team,” he said. “There's been a lot of rotation.”
“We haven't seen a real consistent lineup, which is okay because whenever someone's name is called guys are ready,” elaborated the 2024 MLS SuperDraft pick. “It's a credit to the coaches one, putting together a good team, and to the guys who haven't had as many minutes. They are ready when their names are called.”
Through the opening two months of the season the side lost just twice in seven outings, both away. Then came that three game slide. There are always many reasons for a defeat.
Some are expected. Cimini has asked the side to evolve from a possession-based team to one that, while still retaining that element, is more comfortable without the ball, looking to exploit those moments of transition.
“It's natural with any team trying to bring in a new, not a totally new, identity,” said Stojadinovic. “Having the balance: to know that sometimes we do need to keep possession or sometimes we are playing heavy metal.”
“Two years ago there would be games where we would have so much possession, but it doesn't create the chances and we get punished on one attack against us,” he recalled. “Now we're okay with defending more, but then when we do counter we're creating more.”
Some are not.
“I don't think it was what wasn't working. We made mistakes that we shouldn't have,” countered Chisholm. “We learned from those three games. We needed a moment to learn and make mistakes.”
It’s never easy, but it is necessary.
“It was a tough period,” said McDonald. “We had a lot of guys up and down with the first team, there was a handful of injuries from some of our more experienced guys, our leaders, you could say. It was a good opportunity for a lot of guys to get good minutes and fight through some adversity.”
“Training was tough at times,” he recalled. “But that's what has helped us get to the point we are now. That was a good test for the team. Every team experiences that throughout a season – it was nice that we got it pretty early, so we know we can handle it going forward.”
Toronto had less possession than their opponent in three of those four games and several of the goals scored, in particular the two against Orlando, were textbook examples of that heavy metal football, forcing turnovers in dangerous areas with pressure and pouncing on the opportunities they create.
The best teams can do it all.
“It's important for a team to be able to have possession and dominate with the ball, but also dominate without the ball. We saw that in Orlando,” laid out McDonald. “We didn't have the ball that much, in the first half especially, but the team stayed locked in. We were defending a deep block for the majority of the first half, that sprung some counterattacks, but not too many.”
“And then second half, we calmed down, gained possession,” detailed the midfielder. “[Being comfortable defending deep] gives us confidence that we don't have to have the ball to control or win a game. And then when we do get it, we are very dangerous. Against Orlando, we kept them in one side, drew them out, switched to the other side, and got the wingers going one-v-one. It gives the team a big boost to know we can do that.”
It takes time.
Way back before the season began, Cimini anticipated it would take some time for this group to come together. Not only because of the tactical evolution, but because of the roster changes.
Every off-season players come and players go, and so when a new season approaches a mix of returning players, graduates from the TFC Academy, and external recruits, from college or elsewhere, must come together to form a team.
As much as the team was in the process of adapting tactically, so too were the players.
For some it was stepping up from academy soccer to MLS NEXT Pro.
“It was a huge opportunity coming to preseason with the second team, I knew there was a lot at stake,” said the 16-year-old Bossenberry. “Now it's a professional environment where high demands are expected.”
“I went into it very confident, knowing that I wanted to earn the trust of my coaches and teammates come the season to start,” continued the attacking midfielder. “It's been a good jump and I think I've settled in pretty well, got to know the guys, have made real relationships, and built a good brotherhood with them.”
His game-winner in Orlando earned the side a victory and him a nod as MLS NEXT Pro Rising Star of the Matchweek.
“We just got subbed on, we're supposed to press. I knew that once the goalkeeper had played the ball and the centre back made a mess of it that there was going to be an opportunity,” recounted the teenager. “Luckily, it fell right to my chest, I was able to take a touch and slot it away.”
“It's a great feeling,” he smiled. “I was filled with adrenaline, so I had to calm myself back down to make sure we could secure the win and protect the lead.”
For others it was coming back home after a spell in Europe – Chisholm was in Germany with Hannover 96 II.
“It's always been a dream of mine to play at home,” he said. “I was telling my friends, even back at Hannover, I want to play for Toronto FC. I never knew the situation was going to come up so soon in my career, but I wanted to come back and play in front of my family and friends.”
The Markham native has settled in nicely, but there is still adaptation to be done.
“I'm able to play anywhere, play any style, so it wasn't too hard adapting to do a new identity. It’s more adapting to new players,” he noted. “That goes for anyone joining a new team. Those are the guys that are giving you the ball and that you're giving the ball to.”
And for some it was stepping up to a higher level, playing a different role, and settling in a new location.
“The mindset is a little different in the professional world, but the season in college is tight, you're playing a lot of games, two-to-three a week. The physical load has not been a huge challenge for me. The biggest one is the length of the season,” said McDonald. “You need to stay focused for 10 months versus just four months of a hard season. It's a more tactical game here with a more catered approach, but it's been a good change and I'm happy to do it here in Toronto.”
The 22-year-old, who spent preseason with the first team before an injury limited his participation, has been asked to operate in more advanced areas of the pitch at times.
“It's been a good change from college for me,” he began. “I played a little deeper and in a different formation, different tactics, so it took me a little bit to adjust to playing higher up and playing more between the lines in the final third, being more creative, but I have really enjoyed it. It's been a test, but I've learned that I enjoy that more than sitting deep.”
Even the guys that were old hands with TFC II – if one can call a 21-year-old an ‘old hand’ – were evolving.
Stojadinovic made his MLS Next Pro debut in 2023 and as such is one of the senior members of the squad.
“There's extra responsibility now,” he reflected. “If you go back two years when I technically was playing as an academy player, I was 18 turning 19 and if you look at the team now, there's 16 and 17-year-olds, so it's slightly different, but I understand what they're going through.”
“You're trying to find your footing against older guys and trying to prove yourself, that you belong here. You might have days that are good, but then days that aren't so good and you have to keep your confidence high,” Stojadinvoic outlined. “Now fast forward two years, being one of the older guys in the group, I'm not necessarily the most talkative leader, but I try to show by example how to be consistent on the field. If there's times where our team is struggling, where we're behind and they need a spark, showing that I can give them some confidence or an energy boost. Or, if things are going good, then just contributing and making sure things are even smoother.”
Cimini is pleased with how the different strands of the side have come together through these opening months.
“We have a good character group,” he said. “A group that stands for each other, that trains hard, that encourages each other, that fights for each other.”
“It's hard to find that and we're happy that we have that,” added the coach. “It has a lot to do with the culture that we're trying to create, but also them as people. They're willing to buy into what we're trying to do.”
Little things become big ones.
“It starts when everyone comes in the morning,” observed Chisholm. “No one's down and just saying ‘hi’ for the sake of saying ‘hi’, they genuinely care about the other person. That goes on to when we're on the field.”
“Although in training we're really aggressive with each other and everyone wants to win, at the end of the day everyone wants the person beside them to also be the best version of themselves. It comes from that,” he added. “It helps that we're winning. With our good vibe comes good results.”
Big ones become the best.
“There's been a couple moments in training sessions, when you have a good play, they encourage you, say ‘good job’ and stuff like that, but the one that stands out is the goal,” said Bossenberry. “Being able to celebrate, jump up in the air, turn around and see everybody running as hard as you were and being able to soak that all in.”
“That was one of the best moments I've had with T2 for sure,” he smiled.
Lessons will have been learned from Sunday’s loss to the Union. The side will have been on the training pitch all week, working through those in preparation for their next match. TFC II will host New York Red Bulls II at York Lions Stadium on Friday, an evening that will feature the return of former TFC captain Michael Bradley, now coach of RBNY II.
Last weekend’s results momentarily bumped Toronto out of the top eight in the Eastern Conference – they have a game-in-hand against the two teams directly above them, Orlando and NYCFC II – but with the second half of the season just getting started there is plenty of action ahead.
The side is united in what they want from the rest of 2025.
“The goal for myself, the goal for the whole team, is to make sure we make the playoffs this year,” said Stojadinovic. “The guys that have been a part of the team the last two years have said that, but we've fallen short both years.”
“This month of July with five games, it's a statement month,” he continued. “Get past this month and we're in a good position to finally achieve that goal and make the playoffs. And then from there, we'll see what happens.”
Philadelphia was the first of those five. After the Red Bulls, TFC II head to New York for a clash with NYCFC on Wednesday, they then host Chicago Fire II the following Sunday before visiting Columbus Crew 2 on July 27. All but the Columbus game could be looked at as six-pointers.
“The aim is playoffs and to win MLS NEXT Pro,” echoed McDonald. “I know the club had a good run three years ago to the Eastern Conference Finals, so our goal is to get back there, win that, and win it all. Full steam ahead; it’s the full focus for everybody.”
“Yeah, same for me,” agreed Bossenberry. “It’s very important to continue to build; we have some big matches [ahead]. Show the group’s resilience, push through, make the playoffs and not just stop there, but continue and win it all.”
Closed Chisholm: “Just playoffs. Nothing more, nothing less.”
