TORONTO – Over the years a lot of players have suited up for Toronto FC.
But not one of the 240-plus others has done so as often as Jonathan Osorio, who reached a new milestone with Friday night’s 1-0 win over the Montreal Impact – his 250th club appearance.
“It’s special,” said Osorio on Monday during a Zoom conference call. “Special for me, being local here and everything that I've been through to get to this point.”
Toronto born, Brampton raised, Osorio joined the club in 2013 and over the years has seen TFC transform into a perennial contender.
It didn’t happen overnight, good things rarely do.
“It means a lot,” Osorio continued. “The important thing is, for me, it shows that all your hard work eventually pays off in the end. If you stay motivated and keep focused and stay disciplined and work hard someday everything will start to pay off and you'll start to see successes.”
“The appearances thing is great, but it only means something with trophies that come along with it. The appearances don’t mean anything without trophies. That's really what I strive for,” he added. “And so, yes this is great and everything, and I'm happy that I do have some trophies to go along with that, now it's to keep getting those appearances and trophies along with it.”
As he mentioned, Osorio has some hardware to go along with the matches.
The 2017 MLS Cup and Supporters’ Shield, a trio of Eastern Conference crowns, and three Canadian Championships is a good haul over the course of seven seasons.
That he is not satisfied is what makes him such a driving part of the side.
“Over the course of 250 games he is, in many ways, the epitome of our team and the organization,” said Greg Vanney post-match in Montreal. “He's a guy who grew up in Toronto and has continued to grow as a player during my almost seven years here.”
“He just continues to get better and better as a soccer player – his mind for the game, his work, everything he has done, he just continues to grow,” continued the coach. “He's passionate about the game and every day he shows up to get better and to play at the highest level.”
“He's a workhorse all around the facility and now he's the guiding light for a lot of our young Canadian players, in terms of the pathway and the work rate and what it takes to get there and stay there and to make a difference. He's that guy,” Vanney added. “I love having him on the team. He's part of the heart and soul of this group. I'm proud of him for 250 and hoping he can get 250 more.”
From his first regular season appearance – a 2-1 win over Sporting KC at BMO Field in March 2013 (his first goal would come a few weeks later against the LA Galaxy) – to his two-assist return against the Vancouver Whitecaps earlier this month after an injury kept him out of the starting lineup during the MLS is Back Tournament in Orlando, and beyond, Osorio has been and will be at the forefront of the action for TFC.
With years worth of highlights to consider, it is hard to pick just one.
“There's so many,” reflected Osorio. “I've been speaking a lot with people how time has flown by. I remember my first day in preseason like it was yesterday and we're already here, 250 games later, it's crazy.”
“I have a lot of favourite moments,” he continued. “The top ones have to be winning MLS Cup, playing in three MLS Cup Finals, playing in the [Concacaf] Champions League Final, winning the Canadian Championships.”
“For me the team successes are my favourites,” he pinpointed. “And then individually I have some milestones that I'll never forget – my first game, winning the Golden Boot in the Champions League – all those things mean a lot to me and they can't happen without my team and the coaching staff and people who believe in me; of course, my family who have been there since day one.”
Here’s to many more.
“Many moments have come to the mind and I'm very grateful for that, but I know that there's still a lot to go,” added Osorio. “There's still a long, long journey for me to go, as far as my vision, and that's what I'm most focused on right now.”
