Oppo Research: 5 Things about Toronto FC

In this edition of Oppo Research, Hudson River Blue spoke with Tom Nightingale of Waking the Red to learn more about Toronto FC, New York City FC’s opponent at Yankee Soccer Stadium on Saturday. Here is your NYCFC vs Toronto FC preview.

1. The cultural reset worked

Hudson River Blue: Toronto finished bottom of the Eastern Conference last season but started this season strongly and currently sit 5th in the Eastern Conference. What has led to the positive start after a disappointing 2023 season?

Tom Nightingale: TFC president Bill Manning and head coach John Herdman have spoken numerous times of the need for a culture reset and that’s exactly what Herdman looks to be bringing. As coach of the Canadian men’s national team, Herdman consistently used the word “brotherhood” to describe his team and this TFC roster suddenly looked like brothers after all too often seeming like strangers in 2023.

Herdman installed his Canadian deputy Jonathan Osorio as Michael Bradley’s replacement and is getting a tune out of mercurial Italian Designated Players Lorenzo Insigne and Federico Bernardeschi. Former NYCFC All-Star Sean Johnson was superb in goal in the first two games and will hopefully return to the XI after a niggle kept him out last weekend. Johnson underpins a newfound defensive resilience from this team. Three clean sheets in a row to start 2024 would have been utterly unthinkable a few months ago from this team who conceded an East-worst 59 goals in 2023. It all adds up to a wave of positivity carrying this team forward through the early weeks of the season.

2. The Herdman era

HRB: Toronto did not lose many players or bring in new faces, but did keep head coach John Herdman. Herdman was hired late last season, but what have you seen from him and the team this season that is an improvement?

TN: It’s all about that culture thing, it really is. Whatever you think of Herdman tactically, it’s undeniable that he knows how to foster an all-in, highly committed atmosphere on the training pitch and in the dressing room.

With Herdman only officially taking charge for the final proceedings of last year, this is effectively the hard launch of the Herdman era in Toronto. He’s got his former CanMNT support staff with him in the dugout and the familiar Osorio and Richie Laryea (albeit Laryea is currently out injured) on the field, which helps. The commitment and performance level he is getting so far from Insigne and Bernardeschi after problems on and off the field in 2023 is a huge factor in TFC going unbeaten through three games.

Eyebrows were raised when Herdman suggested Insigne’s minutes will have to be managed carefully, but that approach and a tight relationship of mutual respect between player and manager has yielded two stunning match-winning goals from the Italian in three games — the only goals the Reds have scored so far this year and the only ones they’ve needed to secure back-to-back wins.

3. Tight defense = road win

HRB: NYCFC dominated Toronto in last two meetings, but this time around the Canadian side are playing much better. How can Toronto find success at Yankee Stadium on Saturday?

TN: Herdman’s emphasis will be on keeping things tight at the back. So far in 2024, this NYCFC side don’t score many but they do concede every game. Coming into the Bronx with three clean sheets from three, TFC have no reason not to be confident of shutting out their hosts if they play with the same solidity they’ve shown so far.

And at the other end, they have the difference-makers to win the game if their defensive resilience shines through and they can take advantage of the chances they are bound to get through NYCFC’s porousness. Insigne’s taken all the headlines and looks like the player TFC always hoped they were getting and while Bernardeschi has been slick so far this year without yet truly coming alive, he’s capable of winning a game in an instant.

4. The X-Factor: Lorenzo Insigne

HRB: What’s the X-factor that could decide this game?

TN: It’s impossible not to say Insigne right now. He hasn’t been scintillating – in truth, he’s been pretty quiet – but he’s conducting his own Goal of the Season competition already and it’s his magic that is winning games.

A key storyline to watch will be how much time he gets. So far in TFC’s two away games, he had 62 minutes and 45 minutes at Cincinnati and New England, respectively. On the Gillette Stadium turf, he needed just the first half to win the game. How the first half pans out may well have a say in how much time he gets, but he’s unlikely to get more than an hour. The game could be decided on what he does in that time.