Last season, Toronto FC was ravaged by injury while awaiting its Italian cavalry, the Vancouver Whitecaps put in a decent run to end the campaign, and CF Montréal shocked the MLS to finish two points back of the Supporters’ Shield.
Now, following the events of Matchday 9, some unfortunately familiar themes are coming to the fore once again. As it stands, only the Whitecaps are in a playoff place with ten points from eight games.
So, what’re the chances of glory for a Canadian MLS club in the 2023 season?
Toronto FC might need to change it up
Throughout much of last season, there was a sense of bad luck and building toward the next campaign, with several injuries hindering consistency and highly-anticipated internationals arriving late.
Even though the scoring and creativity of Federico Bernardeschi and Lorenzo Insigne was welcomed, for a second season running, Toronto finished 13th in the conference.
It was clear that a new goalkeeper and defensive help were needed to shore up an otherwise very talented starting XI that significantly lacked – and still lacks – much depth.
So in came the highly-rated Sean Johnson to keep net and Matt Hedges and Sigurd Rosted to bolster the centre-back positions.
While Insigne missed a handful of games through injury, Michael Bradley, Johnson, Brandon Servania, Richie Laryea, Bernardeschi, and Mark-Anthony Kaye have all been fit and playing well for the most part.
Still, the results haven’t been there. Nine points in as many games, with only one win, shows that those big gains hoped for last season simply aren’t forthcoming.
Now, this is a talented team when fully fit, and it’s clear that the bookies see this as Toronto is the favourite of all Canadian teams to win the MLS in soccer betting lines at +5000. It’s well behind the +450 of LAFC, but there’s slight optimism.
While he’s both the sporting director and the manager, Bob Bradley has only managed an average of 1.11 points per match in his 47 games as Toronto’s boss, so perhaps it’s time for a change at the helm.
Unless a fairly drastic change is made to the backroom staff or Bradley’s strategies, this team of rather good players doesn’t look set to be able to claw its way up the standings in 2023.
Back to the build for CF Montréal
CF Montréal exceeded expectations greatly last season, and as a result, the team’s been gutted by more financially well-off sides.
The star of the show was Wilfried Nancy. As the manager for what would end up being 79 games, the Frenchman drilled Le CFM into being a ball-dominant team that was superb to watch.
Columbus Crew paid a pretty price to take the 46-year-old and a few members of his staff, with his departure being accompanied by key pieces Alistair Johnston, Djordje Mihailovic, and Ismaël Koné.
Now, CF Montréal did spend a good chunk of what it brought in from its big-name departures, but the goal remains the same: develop and play top young talents.
It’d be fair to say that there have been some teething problems getting accustomed to the new head coach, Hernán Losada, but he and the club are fixated on the progress of individuals and building towards something better.
Losada is highly rated, even being given the nickname “El Profesor,” and looks to be in Montréal for the long haul. So, while MLS glory may not be on the horizon for the +15000 club, progress as a team can be achieved.
Whitecaps might be Canada’s best shot at the postseason
Despite sitting the highest among the Canadian teams – 19th overall and eighth in the Western Conference – the Vancouver Whitecaps are way out at +6600 to win the title in sport betting markets.
The results so far have been middling with some flashes of brilliance, following a mostly disappointing 2022 season in which few of the team’s highly-rated young talents were given consistent starting runs in the league.
Even without the anticipated reliance on up-and-coming stars, the Whitecaps concluded the season ninth in the conference but did claim the Canadian Championship.
This does look to be a stronger team now, however, with newcomers Julian Gressel and Yohei Takaoka arguably being two of the team’s top performers through the opening eight games.
Most telling is Vancouver’s goal difference. Despite sitting among teams with neutral or negative differentials, the Whitecaps have only conceded seven in eight games to boast a +4 goal difference.
It’s been a solid defensive effort, so the hope is that top scorers Brian White and Simon Becher (both on four goals) will be able to string together hot streaks as the season progresses to get more points in those close contests.
A plague of injuries aside, the Whitecaps look to be in a good place to at least make it to the postseason in 2023, but some additional scoring from the midfielders would certainly help.
He cannot be stopped right now!!@juliangressel is tied for third in MLS with four assists on the season.
— Vancouver Whitecaps FC (@WhitecapsFC) April 10, 2023
Congrats on being named to the @MLS Team of the Matchday! #vwfc
As it stands, and against the odds, the Whitecaps look to be in the best position to compete for glory, but that could change if the situation in Toronto pivots quite drastically.
*Credit for all images in this article belongs to AP Photo*
FIRST PUBLISHED: 26th April 2023
