Football Season Review

In what was Toronto’s 10th season in MLS, the 2016 campaign will live long in the memory for both club and fans, in what turned out to be their best ever finish in the league. Greg Vanney’s men would find themselves in third position in the Eastern Conference, going all the way to the MLS Cup Final, where they would suffer a heart breaking penalty shoot-out defeat at the hands of the Seattle Sounders. The reds managed to bring in some great reinforcements at the end of last season, strengthening their defence with the addition of players such as Steven Beitashour and Drew Moor, while bringing in others including experienced midfielder Will Johnson. After an inconsistent start to the season, which saw Toronto struggling for form by mid-July, the Canadian side would really get going over the next few weeks, losing just 1 of their following 12 games. Conceding just 39 goals over the course of the season, Toronto would end the year with the joint second best goal difference in the entire league, keeping a total of 13 clean sheets overall. Despite being hampered by various injuries, both Sebastian Giovinco and Jozy Altidore would have fine seasons for the club, the Italian recording a total of 17 goals and 15 assists, while Altidore managed to find the back of the net 10 times. Tosaint Ricketts would be a great addition to the side, being brought in during the middle of the season, with the Canadian international adding even more depth to the squad. Tsubasa Endoh would also add a youthful burst of energy to the side, with the rookie forward putting in a solid first season for the club. If Stefan Frei hadn’t of pulled off a few tremendous saves in the MLS Cup Final, then the reds could very well be MLS champions right now. But, with a solid group of players and confidence obviously high, Toronto will go into 2017 full of optimism and hopeful of yet another positive campaign.

Player of the Season: Sebastian Giovinco