Injury-ravaged Toronto FC fighting fires on and off the field this season

Football

Published 23.05.2023

Injury-ravaged Toronto FC fighting fires on and off the field this season

TORONTO — It seemed like business as normal at Toronto FC on Tuesday with Italian stars Lorenzo Insigne and Federico Bernardeschi each coaching.

But there was doubtless loads of motion behind closed doorways because the beleaguered franchise fought fires on and off the sector, coping with rumours about Insigne’s way of thinking and a annoyed outburst from Bernardeschi after Saturday’s night time’s 1-0 loss in Austin dropped Toronto to 2-5-7 in final place within the MLS Eastern Conference.

Insigne was a shock omission Saturday with coach Bob Bradley defined after the match that the 31-year-old had landed awkwardly on a play through the mid-week scoreless draw with the visiting Red Bulls.

“He was still struggling (Friday). He was out on the field hoping that it would be OK but in the end, he was not able to work (Friday) so we didn’t bring him here,” Bradley stated. “Hopefully that’s not a big thing.”

An emotional Bernardeschi raised eyebrows in a post-game digital availability in Austin with a annoyed outburst that appeared directed at his coach.

“We don’t play,” the Italian, the fourth-highest-paid participant within the league at US$6.295 million this season, stated in English. “We play long pass. We don’t have any idea to play.”

“I think this city, the fans, everybody, don’t deserve this,” he added. “And I think maybe we need to change something. We need a little bit more tactics. We need an idea how we play, because this is the real problem for me. It’s impossible to play like this when we play without (an) idea.”

Asked whether or not the issue was in executing the sport plan or the sport plan itself, Bernardeschi replied: “We don’t have a construction in the game. When the player has the ball, we don’t know how to pass the ball. This is the real problem. Because we don’t train about that.”

“We lose every game. We tie, we lose, we tie, we lose. Sometimes we win. But I can’t believe this, sincerely. This is no good for the young players. They need to get better and grow up with an idea of football. We need the idea of football.”

Bernardeschi, who at all times wears his coronary heart on his sleeve, was substituted within the 67th minute with Bradley saying later he had been affected by a abdomen bug through the week.

Former Canadian worldwide Kaylyn Kyle, a co-host of “MLS 360” on Apple TV, added gas to the hearth on Monday’s MLS Extratime podcast by saying Insigne didn’t wish to work with Bradley, citing “a source close to the situation in Toronto.”

There had been additionally options on social media that Insigne had certainly made the journey to Austin solely to have a disagreement with Bradley.

“He never travelled,” midfielder Mark-Anthony Kaye stated of Insigne.

“Before we were even on the bus going to the airport (to fly to Austin), it was already confirmed that he was not travelling,” Kaye added. “I don’t know where their rumours come from. I don’t know where people get their information about this situation because there was no dispute between Lorenzo and the coach.”

“It was very clear to the whole team that he thought it was best for him to stay back and be assessed. And we supported that and respected that and we just moved forward as a team and took the guys who were ready to play to Austin.”

Bradley, who usually solely meets the media instantly earlier than and after video games, was not obtainable to talk Tuesday.

The hearsay mill and accompanying exterior noise is the very last thing the struggling crew wants, with quite a lot of supporters utilizing social media to vent their frustration on the membership’s lack of progress.

Injuries and an absence of depth have hamstrung Toronto. Bradley has already used 24 totally different gamers in his beginning lineup for league play this season.

TFC was lacking 10 gamers by means of harm or suspension for the match in Austin. The strolling wounded included 4 key starters in captain Michel Bradley, Insigne, centre-back Sigurd Rosted and Canadian midfielder Jonathan Osorio.

Centre-back Matt Hedges and midfielder Mark-Anthony Kaye returned to the beginning lineup on the weekend after harm absences. But the TFC harm checklist additionally included defender Shane O’Neill, midfielders Alonso Coello and Victor Vazquez and forwards Adama Diomande and Deandre Kerr.

With Bradley, Osorio and Insigne not dressed, Richie Laryea captained the crew.

After serving a two-game suspension, midfielder/ahead Jahkeele Marshall Rutty will likely be obtainable for Saturday’s recreation towards visiting D.C. United (5-5-4). Vazquez is scheduled to return to Canada on Wednesday after present process a process on his foot in his native Spain.

O’Neill and Osorio labored out on their very own Tuesday. Osorio, who’s recovering from a medial collateral ligament sprain in his knee, did some operating. The membership has but to announce a timetable for his return, nonetheless.

Two of Toronto’s 5 league losses have come on stoppage-time targets. TFC conceded a 91st-minute aim on the weekend in Austin and targets within the ninetieth and 98th minute within the season-opening 2-2 defeat at D.C. United on Feb. 25.

On the opposite facet of the coin, Toronto rallied for a 2-2 tie April 15 in Atlanta on Brandon Servania’s 94th-minute strike.

But there have been worrying indicators. TFC held the lead in 5 of its first seven league outings this season (the opposite two recreation had been scoreless attracts at San Jose and Nashville) and held on to win simply one in all them (2-0 over visiting Inter Miami on March 18) whereas compiling a 1-1-5 begin.

Toronto has held the lead in simply one of many seven league video games since whereas going 1-4-2. TFC has been blanked in its final 4 league outings and has not scored since CJ Sapong’s aim April 29 in a 1-0 win over NYCFC.

Toronto’s league-scoring drought now extends 404 minutes. Bradley’s membership ranks twenty seventh within the league in pictures, twenty first in pictures on course, is tied for twentieth in targets scored (13) and ranks sixteenth in targets allowed (18).

It has but to win on the street in league play at 0-4-3 this season, with simply 5 targets scored within the seven away outings. And it exited the Canadian Championship on the first hurdle, crushed 2-1 by rival CF Montreal.

D.C. United, which completed seven factors beneath Toronto within the East basement final season at 7-21-6, involves Toronto 9 locations and 6 factors above TFC within the standings.