Toronto FC: Alejandro Pozuelo must be proven right

Alejandro Pozuelo believes that Toronto FC are one of the better teams in MLS. While on paper, he might appear right, TFC must prove it so on the pitch first.

Money raises expectations. If you have it — and especially if you spend it — there is a greater demand for success. It seems obvious, but throughout the history of sport, the richest teams are the ones that win the most. And the same goes for Major League Soccer.

That is why Toronto FC, in their most recent form, are often expected to be one of the premier teams in the league. They have money. And they are not afraid to spend it, as evidenced by the signings they have made throughout the recent years, including but very much not limited to Sebastian Giovinco, Jozy Altidore, Jermain Defoe, Michael Bradley and Auro, all of which have cost significant fees or wages.

And then they shattered their transfer record this offseason to bring Alejandro Pozuelo across the pond for around $10 million. Even with key departures and a disappointing 2018 season, the expectations were high as a kite.

There was good reason. On paper, Toronto FC have one of the strongest squads in the league. Attacking firepower, a dominating midfield, an experienced backline, and a true star player in Pozuelo. And this week, Pozuelo himself stated that he believes Toronto are one of the best teams in the league:

"“I think (we’re one of the better teams). We have individuals for possession and we have a really good team, not only the 11 starters, we have good depth. We need to continue to work hard and we’ll see over these 14 games.”"

But the performances — and the results — have not matched up to the demands.

Now, it is all well and good saying these things, and Pozuelo may even be right if you were to simply look at the names on the teamsheets and aggregate a record for every team, but sport, as they say, is not played on paper. It is played on the pitch, and Toronto FC have not performed as their names would indicate.

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The Reds currently sit in seventh position in the Eastern Conference, hanging onto the final playoff spot. They have a negative goal difference, a points-per-game of just 1.3, the lowest of any team above the playoff line in either conference, and have conceded a staggeringly poor 33 goals, the seventh-worst defensive record in MLS. While Pozuelo may extol the virtues of his and his teammates’ qualities, on the pitch, it is not translating to consistent and deserved success.

There is a very simple fact of the matter: Toronto FC are not playing particularly well. Now, there are some reasons for this. The Gold Cup did not help matters, with both Altidore and Bradley missing significant time; Greg Vanney’s tinkering has hindered his team, injuries scuppering the depth of the squad; the over-reliance on Pozuelo and his ingenious brilliance to create something out of nothing has seen other players not step up to the mantle when required. But these are as much excuses as they are genuine reasons for Toronto’s underperformance.

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There is time for Toronto to prove their quality, to meet their expectations, and to vindicate Pozuelo’s claim. But for now, I will wait until it is illustrated. Football is not played on paper. Pozuelo and Toronto might want to show they understand.

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