On Oct. 29, Montreal Impact kicked the Toronto FC out of the Major League Soccer playoffs with a 3-0 shutout. After the city’s most recent Blue Jays hype and subsequent World Series disappointment, the Reds let Toronto fans down again with an embarrassing loss in the first round of MLS playoffs.
The Reds’ performance was unfortunate—the team did little more than trip over the ball throughout the game, leaving Impact fans scratching their heads at the end of it all, wondering how goals against stopped at three. With a slow and hesitant performance in the first half, the game went south quickly. Each goal against was caused by a lack of awareness and effort from the team, one goal leaving the audience cringing after defender Josh Williams slipped and missed a square pass sent to him by Ahmed Kantari, giving Impact’s Ignacio Piatti a streamlined path to an open net.
Toronto FC’s 2015 season was a rocky one. The team did exceptionally well at points, though successful wins were usually followed by a loss, taking their fans on a roller-coaster ride of high hopes and disappointment.
Toronto FC’s first and only playoff game left fans and the franchise wondering about the team’s future.
It has been suggested in the past that Toronto FC bring back Steven Caldwell, former TFC captain and currently serving Director of Corporate Development with Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, to help boost the Reds’ publicity. After suffering from a serious achilles injury, Caldwell announced his retirement in July 2015 after 17 seasons of professional soccer.
In an article discussing Toronto FC’s recent boot out of the playoffs and their current identity, CP24 proposed that Caldwell should be brought back and made into club president Bill Manning’s “right-hand man,” arguing that Caldwell formed the heart of Toronto FC and its franchise.
As Toronto FC’s new president, Manning is being held in the spotlight after last Thursday’s loss, leaving fans wondering what sort of changes Manning will make to improve the team in the future.
On another note, Montreal deserves a pat on the back for this game, being one of two Canadian teams left in the MLS playoffs, along with the Vancouver Whitecaps. Having advanced to the semifinals, Montreal Impact beat Columbus Crew 2-1 on Sun. Nov. 1. Impact is scheduled to play Columbus Crew again on Sun. Nov. 8.
Whitecaps FC finished with a scoreless draw against the Portland Timbers on Sun. Nov. 1, and are scheduled to play the Timbers again on Sun. Nov. 8. This year marked the first time in history that all three Canadian MLS teams made the playoffs.