Toronto FC: The makings of a successful playoff team

Toronto FC will be in the Eastern Conference playoffs. And based on the make-up of their side, they will be a threat to anyone. They have the basis of an excellent team.

You do not have to be the best team in the league to win a knockout competition. As any sport with a playoff-structured postseason knows, the most dominant regular-season team, and statistically thereby the best team in the league, does not always win the playoffs.

In global football, the most comparable situation is perhaps a domestic, straight-knockout cup or an international competition. Portugal won the 2016 European Championships by winning just one game in 90 minutes. They were not the best team in the competition, but they found a way to win it nonetheless.

The Portland Timbers very nearly did the same last season. You could argue that Atlanta United were successful, as Tata Martino adapted his tactics drastically to ensure that his team were best prepared for the unique pressure cooker that is the playoffs.

The best teams in MLS this season have been Los Angeles FC, New York City and Atlanta United. There is a swathe of other Western candidates in a tier just below that, as well as the Philadelphia Union. All of these will be viewed as the favourites for MLS Cup this fall. And their performances throughout the year justify as much. But there are other teams that have the makings of a side that could make a run at postseason success: elite talent, winning experience, a top-level centre-back, and that je ne sais que when it comes to big games.

Chief among the alternative options are Toronto FC. Greg Vanney’s side have been inconsistent throughout this season and are presently battling for a home game in the first round of the playoffs. They are hardly the most complete of playoff contenders. But they have the foundations to be extremely dangerous in a straight-knockout format.

First and foremost, they know how to win. Michael Bradley, Jozy Altidore, Jonothan Osorio, Marky Delgado. These are players that have enjoyed immeasurable success with Toronto FC. They know to win high-profile matches. They have conquered the MLS playoffs before. They may not rival LAFC in terms of talent, but their experience and winning mentality are not for nothing.

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Then there is Omar Gonzalez. Every great MLS team needs a high-level centre-back who can anchor the defence, release pressure through intelligent and accurate distribution, and lead the team forward. Gonzalez is better than most. Gonzalez has played in 12 leagues games this season. Toronto have gone 6-1-5 in those matches. That is a points-per-game of 1.92. That is nothing to be scoffed at whatsoever.

And finally, this team is stacked unlike almost all others in MLS. Altidore is a top-five centre-forward, Bradley is an elite MLS defensive midfielder, Gonzalez is a quality centre-back (that, by the way, is the spine of your team), and then you have Alejandro Pozuelo, who is the electric spark that can absolutely explode into life over a short series of matches like the playoffs.

There are few players in MLS that singlehandedly win a match. There are even fewer that can singlehandedly win two or three matches in succession. Pozuelo is in the latter category. And that makes him — and Toronto FC by extension — exceptionally dangerous in knockout football.

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The playoffs are utterly unique. They require a different team. One that can hit brief heights, knows how to grind out results, and score in quick batches. You do not have to be clinical, not consistent, quick-firing, not reliable, prolific, not patient. And that is who Toronto FC are. They really do have the makings of a successful playoff side.

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