TFC's 2020 season is in the books. Certainly this was a year with some pretty big ups, some pretty big downs, and some pretty unusual happenings. What do you think went right? Wrong? What does the team need to change before the start of the 2021 season?
Too much concentration of money in the midfield. They had the best midfield in MLS and regularly had 60% possession but no finishing. We relied on Pozuelo for finishing and squeaked out some 1-0 victories, often on a penalty. Very few goals from open play as that's not Pozuelo's role, he can chip in from time to time but we were really wasting his talent without an elite striker for him to deliver the through balls which is more his game. Obviously Altidore is done - he is a TFC legend and will always have a place in TFC folklore - he certainly deserves a song more than Danny Dichio does. The question is whether the Achara-Akinola combination is good enough. Achara looked really good in that one game at BMO Field and then got injured so there's no way to know. Akinola looked great in the MLS is Back tournament and then was never quite the same after the injury. Defending was adequate but not impressive.
The good parts of the year were really good. There were times when this team just rolled over everything in its path. Undefeated for the first eight games. A nine game undefeated streak in the middle of the season. And while it hurt to miss out on the Shield, finishing second in the entire league isn't too shabby at all. Plus we still have a chance to win the Canadian Championship if we can see our way to beating Hamilton some time in January. Pozuelo was masterful most of the time, Osorio turned in another great season, and Akinola was a revelation. On the down side, despite all the successes, this team also had some big failures. The 5-0 loss to Philly when they had a chance to basically lock up the Shield - that was a big one. And then drifting backwards into the playoffs before losing to Nashville - that was another. On the player front, Altidore was terrible. Even when he was there (all 746 minutes) he wasn't. And Bradley, as much as he gives his all, is no longer physically capable of playing the style of game he is paid to play. TFC has announced its roster moves here: https://www.torontofc.ca/post/2020/11/30/toronto-fc-announces-season-roster-moves The big notes are: "Toronto FC has not exercised the option on midfielder Pablo Piatti. Piatti will be eligible for the MLS Re-Entry Draft. Defenders Laurent Ciman, Justin Morrow and Eriq Zavaleta will all be out of contract at the end of the year. In addition, the loan deal for defender Tony Gallacher will expire at the end of the year." And, of course, Vanney just stepped down. So, for 2021: Coach: We need one. I won't pretend to have ideas as to who it should be other than someone with a good record who can move us to more silverware. His style will obviously influence how we play and who plays next year, but that's an unknow for now. Goalie: We're fine. Not awesome, but fine. Upgrades are not a priority here. Defence: Gonzalez is solid but getting old fast. Laryrea is great. I'd love to get Gallacher back again. Dunn returns from loan ready for MLS starts. Beyond that it depends how you feel about older guys like Ciman (probably gone) and Morrow as well as Auro (hot and cold) and Romeo (young, coming back from loan). I think we need help here. Midfield: Piatti is gone. That's a DP slot. Bradley doesn't have the stamina any more. He's great but he needs to move into a mentorship role where he isn't a regular starter. Fraser was the heir apparent but Vanney let him ride the bench all year in favour of Bradley so we still don't know what he can do if given a real stretch of playing time. With Osorio leading on the field and Bradley mentoring from the bench, I think Fraser can take the next step and be a solid starting mid. Forward: Altidore needs to be gone. I'm not sure how that works because I can't see another MLS team taking him at his salary. Can they buy him out? Anyway, that would be another DP slot. Those two DP slots should probably be a striker and an attacking mid. If those players are selected well and the new coach actually puts some trust and playing time into the young prospects, I think we're looking good for another solid season. If they make other upgrades as well, we're back in championship mode.
The expansion draft for Austin is tomorrow. Here's a list of the rules and the protected players: https://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2020...raft-official-list-players-eligible-selection Why in the world did TFC protect Altidore? Or does he have a no trade clause that makes protecting him mandatory?