Toronto Football (Country) Club

“I thought it would be a nice little job for him to learn some stuff by,”

This was a quote made by former MLSE President and CEO Richard Peddie towards former MLSE COO Tom Anselmi, who was set to become the top executive overseeing the newly-formed Toronto FC prior to their inaugural 2007 MLS season. I find this quote to be extremely prominent in my mind, and I always come back to it whenever I think about Toronto FC, and especially when there is some sort of drama at the club (which is frequently). If you asked me the question of "what do you think is the one single thing that sums up Toronto FC as a football club and a sporting entity?" My answer would be the quote I mentioned above.

The 2023 MLS season is underway, and Toronto FC have once again had a difficult start to the season, with only two wins from their first 11 games. I am hearing the same tunes from TFC supporters in regards to things like getting a DP striker, whether Head Coach Bob Bradley should be fired, and even whether if TFC President Bill Manning should be fired as well. I have heard all kinds of opinions about all those things and more (and it is perfectly fine to look at these things as potential solutions to those woes), but I always end up looking beyond those issues and look at MLSE's management of Toronto FC.

Here is my hot take. The only positive decision MLSE has ever made for Toronto FC was hiring Tim Leiweke as MLSE President, and with that, Leiweke's "win-first" mentality with his decision-making (hiring Tim Bez, signing Giovinco and Altidore), led to Toronto FC's only successful period on the pitch from 2015-2020. I almost believe that Toronto FC's success on the pitch was stumbled upon entirely by accident.

Now, Toronto FC is back to that futility period that has permeated through their every being prior to their sustained successful period. I am seeing the same things that made Toronto FC the laughingstock of MLS. TFC front office is hiring ineffective coaches with tactics from a bygone era and a lack of need to adapt to an ever-changing modern game. There is extremely poor roster construction despite being one of the highest payrolls in MLS that would make even the Dallas Mavericks blush with envy.

I am increasingly skeptical that a major change in player personnel or coaching staff would fix the underlying problem with Toronto FC. That underlying issue is a disconnect on what success is between MLSE and the TFC supporters. TFC supporters want to see success in the measure of wins and trophies. MLSE views success in the measure of monetary profit. The problem is that you cannot have monetary profit without success on the pitch. Toronto FC rode the wave of financial success in the early years because the city of Toronto had never seen what a soccer atmosphere would look like in its own city, which was unlike anything you would experience if you went to a Leafs or a Raptors game. There was a seed of authenticity in the atmosphere of early Toronto FC games, and it was fashionable at the time to go to TFC games not necessarily to watch the players, but to experience the atmosphere from the supporters. The problem is that you need the success on the pitch to aid the financial success of the club. When Toronto FC kept losing and losing, there was a waning of the atmosphere. There was infighting in the club and among the supporters groups. There were protests. People stopped supporting the team. The mask had come off, and the problems laid naked for all to bear.

I feel like now, with Toronto FC familiar struggles, we will eventually see the same conversations in regards to MLSE's role in managing Toronto FC as a business, rather than a football club. MLSE are obviously not going to sell TFC, so the best thing TFC supporters can hope for is for lightning to strike twice and hire an executive to go against the 'country-club' culture at MLSE. Maybe MLSE should hire me as that executive. At the very least, it would be a nice little job for me to learn some stuff by.