Going into Seattle and getting a result would send a message to the rest of the league. Toronto FC is for real.
Consider that message delivered.
TFC wasn’t supposed to score twice within the opening 24 minutes. Jermain Defoe wasn’t supposed to make it look that easy. Toronto FC wasn’t supposed to employ the kind of late game defending that wins tight games, no matter what city they’re playing in.
Not yet, at least. The assumption was it would take time for these players, most of them new to the team, to gel.
Is 17 minutes considered a long time?
HIGHLIGHTS: Defoe's First Goal | Defoe Strikes Again | Caldwell's Strong Defence
The pressure on the club entering this season is higher than normal and that’s understandable. A lot of money has been spent on players with excellent track records. But it’s the supporters who have stood by this club since the beginning that should enjoy this the most. This isn’t about risk or worst case scenarios. This is about seeing something through.
Their place of worship, BMO Field, was empty on Saturday, but they gathered elsewhere. At familiar haunts with framed photos on the wall providing context for why they were there.
Hope, and the many reasons we dedicate ourselves to the hopeless is what makes being a ‘fan’ so terrific.
We drift from periods of high expectations to months in the abyss. Saturday’s win, though just one result, fed the former. It’s going to be an exciting year.
But enough of the whimsy. Here’s what stood out on opening day.
The players that will need to carry this team did the heavy lifting on Saturday. Though rust appeared to coat his passes at times, Michael Bradley was fantastic. His pressure in the midfield led to Defoe’s winner in the 24th minute.
Defoe, well, he did what he said he would do. Two touches in the first half hour resulted in two goals. The look of consternation on the faces of supporters who had never experienced this level of clinical finishing was a joy to observe. Jermain Defoe is going to do that a lot this season.
“The most important thing is obviously winning the game,” Defoe said following his sterling debut. “To score two goals in your debut, that’s a dream.”
Bradley looked forward, but recognized just what exactly TFC was able to accomplish at The Clink.
"There's no doubt in my mind that as the season goes on, we'll continue to improve," Bradley said. "And our football will be good, and we'll play well, but tonight was different, tonight was about the spirit, the mentality and doing whatever it took to come away with three points.”
INTERVIEWS: Michael Bradley | Ryan Nelsen | Jermain Defoe | Steven Caldwell
"For everybody, for every person in this locker room, every coach, every person part of this club, it's an important day. It's only one game, and we're mindful of that, we know we still have a long way to go, a lot of work to be done. One game doesn't make a season.”
We expected big things from Defoe and Bradley, the pillars of an organization that needed granite in place of playdough. But it was the play of the ‘others,’ as we’ll call them in the opening months, that impressed.
Dwayne De Rosario was lively in the first half, creating lanes and chances for his teammates with clever movement that suggested the Scarborough native still has something left in the tank.
Steven Caldwell and Doneil Henry registered a solid performance, answering multiple Sounders attacks with resolute defending. Mark Bloom and Justin Morrow were not forced into purgatory by DeAndre Yedlin and Dylan Remick. They passed their opening day test as well.
It’s one game. Trophies do not get handed out after big wins on the road. The home opener versus D.C United approaches fast. Take the day to celebrate, but don’t dwell on the past.
To crown TFC as the league’s best side after one fixture is hyperbole at its best, but here is what we do know.
They’ll be able to score. They’ll be able to counter attack on a dime.
They’ll be able to rely on solid goalkeeping from Julio Cesar. They’ll be able to count on Steven Caldwell to provide the voice and the leadership owed by the captain.
It’s only one game yes, but what a game it was. As chants were exchanged and smiling faces filled the Duke, Real Sports and other pubs across this city the significance of the moment became pretty clear.
As fans what we deserve is always up for debate. Most argue the answer is nothing. It’s sports. There are far more important things in life. And while that is most certainly true it’s worth recognizing how far beyond ‘sports’ this dedication goes.
Friends who get together because of this team, this franchise, deserve to have their faith rewarded.
For at least one day in Seattle, they did.
