I did not want to write another post about Toronto FC this year, and especially so soon after my last post a couple of months ago. However, the overall atmosphere surrounding the club has become so toxic that I had no choice but to say something. I do not know how many times I can say the same thing in different ways. I have also heard seemingly every single opinion about this club from every type of Toronto FC supporter and casual. I am just going to give my thoughts on the recent events at TFC and (once again) talk about how badly mismanaged the club is. I am tired of talking about Toronto FC mismanagement, but deep down, I secretly revel in it.
Toronto FC President Bill Manning finally did the thing and fired Head Coach Bob Bradley. Was this a necessary firing? Yes. Is it going to help the Toronto FC players this season? No, because despite Bob Bradley being a terrible coach and sporting director, the issues with Toronto FC go deeper than Bob Bradley.
At this point, how is Bill Manning still employed at Toronto FC? He oversaw the hirings of Ali Curtis (who hired Chris Armas) and now Bob Bradley. All his management and coaching hires were abysmal. At his press conference to announce Bob Bradley's firing, he is sitting there gaslighting the reporters and fans saying that the fans should stick with him and that him and the club need to be better and things were not working and stuff like that. Bill Manning claims that because there were setbacks and the last few years did not go well, it does not mean that you are bad at the job. If you are responsible for the setbacks that happened at TFC over the last few years, I would argue that you are bad at the job and that you should be fired. He was also the one who sold Lorenzo Insigne and Federico Bernadeschi a bill of goods (and the two Italians are not blameless in all of this with their poor performances).
However, with all of that said, I do not think firing Bill Manning will help TFC in the long run, because despite Bill Manning being a terrible president, the issues with Toronto FC go deeper than Bill Manning.
This leads me to Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment (MLSE) as the owners of the club, who are themselves owned by two money-grubbing corporations in Bell and Rogers, who fill the board of directors with profit-driven telecom executives who think they know about running sports franchises. They focus more on the entertainment rather than the sports. Hell, Toronto FC itself is a marketing exercise disguised as a football club. Toronto FC have released more commemorative football kits than they have league wins this season, which I think sums up TFC and MLSE perfectly.
How do you fix Toronto FC? My pipe dream scenario is that MLSE sells Toronto FC to someone (or a group) who is serious about fixing the deep-rooted issues of the club, but that will never happen. Toronto FC will fold before MLSE sells the team (which is another rather hilarious solution to fix Toronto FC, which is by making it cease to exist). MLSE should hire a sporting mind like they did with Tim Leiweke with a win-first mentality to oversee the sports franchises, but I do not think the executives at MLSE are capable of that. Along with Bill Manning, executives such as Tom Anselmi, Mo Johnston, and Kevin Payne have failed with TFC under the MLSE ownership. So, I do not think the question is how do you fix Toronto FC, but rather if the people in charge WANT to fix Toronto FC. With this current structure, I think the answer is no.
The last part of this post is directed to Toronto FC supporters. You have the power to just walk away from all of this. Toronto FC has consistently let you down, wasted your time, and insulted your intelligence throughout the years of their existence (obviously omitting 2015-2020). You are entitled to your own decisions, whether you want to walk away from Toronto FC, protest the mismanagement of the club both inside and outside BMO Field (as well as on social media), or chant "Toronto till' I die" and hope that the club fixes itself. You can demand cheaper ticket prices, or refuse to renew your season ticket for next season. When is enough going to be enough for you? Will it ever? If you do walk away, it is not like you are starved of football in the Greater Toronto Area and beyond. There's York United and Forge FC from the CPL, and there are other countless League1 Ontario teams to check out.
I think the argument can be made that the 2023 edition of Toronto FC is even worse than the "worst team in the world" era of 2012 in terms of the toxicity of the sentiment surrounding TFC supporters. I do not see any way out of this. It does not matter what coach, or GM, or president you put in at the club. Toronto FC will find a way to reach a new low. If it was not for Tim Leiweke and his decision-making that helped bring TFC to glory, I genuinely think Toronto FC would not just be the worst-run club in MLS history, but in football history. I think Toronto FC has permanently damaged their reputation. It is genuinely depressing to see, and I do not even support the club!
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