Just one of Canada’s three MLS representatives looks to be going to the postseason in 2022, with CF Montréal securing second place in the Eastern Conference.
It’s a far-flung state of play from the 2015 campaign, which saw Toronto FC, the Vancouver Whitecaps FC, and the then-Montréal Impact go to the MLS Cup Playoffs.
In his second season with CFMTL, Wilfried Nancy was expected to improve on the side’s third-successive 18th overall finish.
Championing an exciting, attack-first style, Montréal has achieved the feat and will now be in the betting markets for the postseason.
For Toronto and Vancouver, however, it will almost certainly be another season out of the playoffs. Here’s a look at the struggles of the Canadian duo.
What went wrong for Toronto FC in 2022?
Bob Bradley has made it clear from preseason that Toronto FC continues to move through the rebuilding process. This was exemplified by 21 first-team players from 2021 moving on in the offseason.
With two games to go, Toronto is already eliminated from the postseason, sitting eight points back of the nearest spot with 61 goals against and a road record of 2-10-4.
Still, on paper, The Reds retooled well during the season, bringing in Canadian internationals Doneil Henry and Mark-Anthony Kaye, as well as Italian trio Federico Bernardeschi, Lorenzo Insigne, and Domenico Criscito.
Unfortunately, the cavalry arrived too late to propel Toronto FC from its tepid, injury-plagued start. The Italian wingers couldn’t have done much more to spur a revival, though, scoring 14 goals in a combined 23 appearances.
The foundations look to be in place for a much stronger 2022 campaign, hoping that a tsunami of injuries doesn’t sweep through again. Still, reinforcements are needed, particularly along the backline and in net.
It’s going to be a rough end to the campaign for The Reds, too. Toronto is at +100 to beat a +220 Inter Miami in the soccer odds, despite Miami being eight points clear and in a postseason spot.
Then, it’s off to face the incredibly dominant Philadelphia Union.
Insigne insanity 🇮🇹🇨🇦 pic.twitter.com/oaxapzKcKa
— Toronto FC (@TorontoFC) June 24, 2022
What went wrong for the Vancouver Whitecaps in 2022?
Technically, with two games to go, the Vancouver Whitecaps are in with a shot of making it to the playoffs, but five points and two places away look to be too much of a mountain to climb.
Last season, the Whitecaps surged to the playoffs, buoyed by the hiring of Vanni Sartini, but ultimately bowed out in the first round to Sporting Kansas City.
Attempts to pick up where they left off didn’t work. Vancouver lost six of the opening eight MLS games, scoring only six times in that spell. While results turned around in May, the games remained close, with goalscoring continuing to be the crux of the team.
Lucas Cavallini (8), Ryan Gauld (7), Tosaint Ricketts (4), and Brian White (4) lead the Whitecaps for MLS goals with only two games to go. At this time, Vancouver’s 38 goals scored is good for last in the Western Conference.
There has been some measure of success for Vancouver, though. Arguably, getting to 40 points with so few goals is a good sign for the work rate of the side, and winning the Canadian Championship in July gave the fans something to celebrate.
Over the offseason, Sartini will hope to bring in some creative attackers to up the team’s goal output.
CF Montréal will be Canada’s only representative in the MLS Cup Playoffs this season.
Hopefully, Toronto FC and the Vancouver Whitecaps can bring in the reinforcements necessary to challenge in 2023.
*Credit for all images in this article belongs to AP Photo*
FIRST PUBLISHED: 27th September 2022
