Toronto is known for its decorated sports history and passionate fan bases. The Toronto Maple Leafs have won 13 Stanley Cups, the second most in the history of the NHL. When the Toronto Raptors won the 2019 NBA Finals, fans flooded the streets of the downtown core in celebration.
This season, the Raptors narrowly missed a playoff position by one place, and the Leafs were eliminated by the Florida Panthers in game seven of the second round of the playoffs. Both the Leafs and Raptors have been competitive this season, but can the same be said for Toronto Football Club (TFC)?
TFC’s history
While TFC did win the Major League Soccer (MLS) Cup back in 2017, their recent seasons have made for terrible viewing. The club has failed to make the playoffs since 2020 and has finished in the bottom two positions in three of the last four seasons. Their 2025 season has seen little to no improvement; the club currently sits in 25th out of 30 teams and seems destined to finish outside of the playoffs.
Their lacklustre league position has been matched with a horrendous result in the Canadian Championship, being eliminated in a preliminary round by losing a penalty shootout to CF Montreal. TFC has made it to the fourth, or final, round of the playoffs two times in the last three seasons, making this year’s first-round exit an embarrassment.
The fans’ protest
The Toronto faithful have not let this poor run of form go quietly into the night. TFC has multiple supporter groups who go to every single match to cheer on the Reds with their loud instruments and voices. These groups include the Red Patch Boys, U-Sector, Kings in the North, Original 109, and Tribal Rhythm Nation. The groups can typically be found in sections 112–118, which are known as the ‘supporters section’ at BMO Field. However, this was not the case for TFC’s match against DC United on May 10.
Instead, some supporters decided to protest against the players, coaches, and management team responsible for Toronto FC’s downfall from title contenders to wooden spoon contenders year after year. The protest included disruptive flares and flags in the parking lot, which were visible from inside the stadium.
The most palpable impact of the dedicated fans’ decision not to support TFC was the lack of fan engagement against DC United. Without the supporters section in full voice, the atmosphere at BMO Field throughout the game was eerie and quiet.
Who is to blame?
After the departure of star players Sebastian Giovinco, Jozy Altidore, and Michael Bradley, as well as Head Coach Greg Vanney in the late 2010s, newly appointed General Manager Jason Hernandez was tasked with carrying on the era’s winning formula into the 2020s.
Italian superstars Lorenzo Insigne and Federico Bernadeschi were signed by Hernandez and the recruitment team in 2022, two years after the pair won the European Championships with the Italian national team. Hernandez gave Insigne a four-year contract, which has seen the player earn more than 15 million dollars a year.
This made Insigne the highest-paid player in the history of MLS in 2022, only second to one of the sport’s greatest ever players, Lionel Messi. Bernadeschi was similarly given a four-year contract, which has seen him earn around 6 million dollars annually.
The signing of these two dynamic forwards and global sporting stars got TFC fans excited. It showed ambition from the club and their desire to reclaim the MLS Cup. What the fans had failed to realize is that the recruitment team, under Hernandez’s leadership, did not sign the same quality across the pitch.
In 2022, TFC finished 13th place in terms of goals scored with 49 in 34 matches, but their defence conceded 66 goals in that same period, the third worst in the league. It was a similar story for TFC in the following seasons, leading to a disgruntled and dejected Insigne.
After three seasons finishing in the bottom third of the league, Insigne pushed for a move away from the club in January this year. TFC ultimately parted ways with both Insigne and Bernadeschi, buying out their contracts at the beginning of July.
There are multiple parties that deserve to take the blame for TFC’s recent struggles. Hernandez’s recruitment team has failed to sign quality defenders and midfielders to compete in the MLS. A star signing in defence or midfield would provide balance and structure to an attack-heavy team.
But the players are not exempt from any blame. Insigne and Bernadeschi took on the most scrutiny, and rightly so, but the entire squad have crumbled in key moments — not only this season, but also in seasons past.
With fan protests, poor recruitment, and a lack of quality on the pitch, only time will tell whether TFC can make the comeback they hope to see. Without summer signings to reinforce this thin roster, TFC are unlikely to make the playoffs for a fifth consecutive season.
