Three games into the season, nobody at Toronto FC is surprised that the team is not the finished article yet.
The team started slowly in the season opener away to FC Dallas, but fought back in the second half and may have deserved more than a 1-1 draw. At BMO Field the following weekend, they looked to be in control of the game from the opening whistle, only for the New York Red Bulls to score on pretty much every half-chance created, leading to a 4-1 defeat in the home opener.
And this past weekend, having taken an early lead in Ohio, the Columbus Crew scored twice in the second half to emerge with a 2-1 win.
With so much change in the off-season – a new coach, a raft of new players, new ideas – it was always going to take time for the pieces to come together.
Lorenzo Insigne, one of the massive additions for the 2022 season, will not arrive until midseason. Carlos Salcedo and Jesús Jiménez, two of the others, have both hit the ground running. But within each of the results there have been some really good moments, some promising moments.
“I think you've seen glimpses of really, really good football from our team and glimpses of the way Bob sees our team playing and the style in which we play,” said Jonathan Osorio on Tuesday. “Obviously the results haven't gone our way. Most of that has been mistakes that are inflicted by ourselves, so we're just trying to improve every day.”
Mistakes leading to chance creation for the opposition is the nature of the game. Turnovers in bad spots, failures to recognize the signs of danger and be prepared for defensive transitions, set-pieces. These are all details that will be cleaned up with time.
Winless through three matches, a little bit of frustration is only natural.
“Just because everybody wants to win here,” replied Osorio. “We know how good we are and we know what we're capable of, so yes, it's frustrating that we have one point in three games, but at the same time, there's no panic or anything like that.”
“It's early in the season, this is a very new team, and there's a lot of new things going on, so we can't just expect to be an amazing team right away,” he continued. “There's a process to that and so we're just taking it day-by-day and trying to improve.”
Preparations for the Saturday visit of D.C. United to BMO Field continue, but aside from the glimpses of the X’s and O’s, there have been a few other hints of a promising future.
Bob Bradley has shown a willingness, an eagerness even, to give young players, Canadian players, a chance.
Against FC Dallas there were four young Canadians on the pitch – Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty, Jacob Shaffelburg, Jayden Nelson, and Deandre Kerr – two of them teenagers. Versus New York another, Luca Petrasso got the starting nod and earned an assist on his debut with the first team, while Noble Okello and Ralph Priso got minutes off the bench.
And against Columbus there were seven Canadians in the starting XI, with Lukas MacNaughton and Kadin Chung stepping in seamlessly, with another three coming on off the bench – including a first appearance in 2022 from Jordan Perruzza and a first team debut for Kosi Thompson.
Regardless of results, that is a positive development.
“We have a lot of young guys playing, getting experience every game and getting more confidence, which is great,” said Osorio. “Now it's just about focusing on putting in a full 90-minute performance and being concentrated every second of the game and start instilling that winning mentality into the team.”
“We have really good talent,” he summarized. “I don't remember the last time we're playing seven Canadians in an MLS game, so this is good, this is good. We want to push them to keep getting better now and to realize that it's not just good enough to be playing, you have to be performing, you have to be – more than anything – winning. This is the next step: for us as veterans to instill in them and also for them themselves to find that.”
Those messages are being received.
“It’s good for us young players to get the opportunity, but we just have to keep learning and take our opportunity too,” said Okello. “In this league you have to go after what you want. As young players you may not get so many opportunities, you have to show what we can do when we have them. It’s good, but we can’t be comfortable.”
In Bradley, who as Chung recounted ahead of the Columbus game, they have a coach who will challenge them to develop the mental side of their game.
The physical talents are the ticket to the show, the mental aspects will see them flourish.
“He's a good coach, especially for us young players,” highlighted Okello. “He’ll see little details and things as players we wouldn't be able to see and he teaches us every day about different little things that we might not even be thinking about on the pitch. He's a good leader and teacher.”
“He’s showing a lot of faith in us,” he added.
Reds remain committed to process ahead of home match vs. DC - Toronto FC
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