Page 72 - Soccer360 Issue 105

MLS 2024 SEASON PREVIEW
BRADLEY
When Michael Bradley signed with Toronto FC in 2014, it wasn’t the ‘bloody big’ success that the club had promised. Bradley was unveiled alongside English striker Jermain Defoe and together the pair were supposed to lead the Reds to glory. The team even brought in Brazilian legend Julio Cesar to play between the posts.
It was an exciting time for fans of the club considering that they had never even made the play-offs before. TFC have some of the most passionate supporters in the league, but the product on the pitch could never deliver what the fans truly deserved. But 2014 was supposed to be different. Unfortunately, the year didn’t exactly pan out as planned with the club failing to make the play-offs again and Defoe desperate to get out of Toronto. The former Tottenham man was quickly sold to Sunderland, but Bradley was committed to making things work in Toronto and was named team captain heading into the 2015 campaign. While Defoe’s time in Toronto was over much faster than most anticipated, the club didn’t give up on trying to win. Not only did they ink Italian striker Sebastian Giovinco, Bradley’s good friend and fellow American international Jozy Altidore was also acquired just a few days later. Together, the trio of Designated Players would make history.
And they did, as 2015 was the first season the club ever made the play-offs, with Giovinco becoming the 2015 MLS Landon Donovan MVP. Bradley speaking Italian fluently because of the time he spent with Roma certainly helped Giovinco settle in and feel comfortable in his new surroundings. While there had been a plethora
of excitement and highlights, the
2015 campaign ultimately ended in disappointment when they were eliminated in the opening round of the postseason at the hands of their bitter rivals the Montreal Impact. Led by Didier Drogba, the Impact humiliated Toronto 3-0.
The embarrassing loss to Montreal would
be the catalyst TFC needed though, as they became one of the most feared teams in the league. With Bradley captaining the club,
the Reds found a way to reach the MLS Cup Final in 2016. Not only did they get revenge on the Montreal Impact by ousting them in the Eastern Conference Final, but they had also earned the right to host the MLS Cup Final at BMO Field.
Unfortunately for Bradley and TFC though, 2016 would end in even more heartbreak
as the club was defeated on homefield in penalty kicks after a scoreless draw that saw the Seattle Sounders keep both Giovinco and Altidore in check. In defeat however, the club would only go stronger once again. 2017 was a dream campaign for Toronto and one that still doesn’t quite feel real. Toronto cruised through the MLS campaign - setting a single-season points record in the process. The club took home both the Supporters’ Shield and Canadian Championship,
BOWS
OUT
MLS LEGEND MICHAEL BRADLEY RETIRED AT THE END OF 2023 AND LEAVES A HOLE IN THE TORONTO FC MIDFIELD. MARCO D’ONOFRIO DISCUSSES HIS LEGACY AND THE ROLE HE’S HAD IN TFC’S GREATEST SUCCESSES.
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