Random thoughts on TFC: Should Reds shut down Kevin Long for the season?
There's no need to rush the injured veteran back into action, especially with youngster Lazar Stefanovic waiting in the wings.
Some random thoughts I had on Toronto FC as it prepares to host Inter Miami on Saturday (4:30 p.m. ET/TSN & Apple TV).
Leads have been hard to come by for Toronto FC
Toronto FC's current eight game winless run (including six consecutive draws) has underlined several of the team's main problems this year, most notably its deficiencies in attack.
TFC have scored just five goals and have been shut out three times over the course of their last eight outings, and they've gone 11 consecutive contests without scoring more than one goal - not since a 3-0 home win over the Portland Timbers on June 28 have the Reds registered a multi-goal game.
John Molinaro
Another problem that hasn't been talked about nearly enough is how Toronto has consistently played from a position of disadvantage this season.
Take this current eight-game winless run as an example: TFC have been out in front for only 15 minutes (out of a possible 720 minutes). Theo Corbeanu's 75th-minute goal against the New England Revolution on Sept. 13 was cancelled out by Luca Langoni's equalizer in the final minute of regulation time. Since a May 24 home loss to Nashville SC, the Reds have enjoyed just four leads.
Four leads across 16 MLS matches. Four! Little wonder TFC have managed to win just five times this season and haven't earned a victory since a 1-0 road decision over San Diego FC on July 16.
Simply put, the Reds can't continue to dig themselves into a hole in games. They have to find a way to play from a position of advantage, otherwise they run the risk of going winless through their final four games of the campaign.
"I think goals change games, and playing from a position of being in front is so different than playing from a position of being even or especially from behind," coach Robin Fraser said this week.
"And while we have made significant improvements in every part of our game, the last piece really is about executing the final action, because we've done a decent job of progressing the ball up the field. We're getting deep progressions, but we have to turn the deep regressions into real chances and the real chances into goals."
John Molinaro
The merits of shutting down Kevin Long for the season
Kevin Long has been a work horse for Toronto FC this year.
Long, who turned 35 last month, has logged 1,889 minutes (fourth most among outfield players on TFC) across 24 MLS appearances, which includes 23 starts, while playing with a slew of defensive partners.
In particular, the Irish centre back was an iron man for Toronto during its busy summer schedule. At one point, he played in 11 straight league matches for Toronto (including eight 90-minute performances) dating back to June 25 before missing last weekend's road game vs. the Columbus Crew.
Long's run of consecutive appearances came to an end in Ohio after he was subbed out in the previous week's away match vs. the New England Revolution. He was forced off in the 16th minute of the game (his 50th MLS appearance) after he picked up a hamstring injury while making a long back-pass to goalkeeper Luka Gavran.
Long didn't train with the Reds last week and he also wasn't involved in Wednesday's practice. Robin Fraser didn't have a specific timeline as to how long the Irish centre will be out of action when asked by TFC Republic.
“I think [he’s] making little progress, but it's gonna be slow," Fraser admitted. "I don't really have a timeline, to be honest. It's not today, it's not tomorrow. It's probably not before early next week. So, we just have to see."
Given Long's age and the fact that there are only four more games remaining in the season, shutting down the veteran centre back for the rest of the year seems like a wise course of action to take.
"I think everything's in consideration at this point, but we'd certainly like to see how he progresses," Fraser said.
There's absolutely no need to rush Long's recovery. With no playoff spot to fight for, TFC aren't in desperate need of his services.
Furthermore, having him sit out the rest of the year would also afford more opportunities to young centre back Lazar Stefanovic, a promising 19-year-old prospect who has been limited to just 12 appearances (four starts) and 538 minutes in his first full MLS season.
Stefanovic needs playing time and experience to continue his development. Letting him start the last four games would help along that process and put him in a better position to become a regular contributor for TFC next year.
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Are there legitimate reasons for optimism with TFC?
A fifth consecutive season with no playoff berth to show for it. Just five wins in MLS and one of the league's worst attacking records. A first-round exit in the Canadian Championship.
There's just no way to spin in it: This season has been a failure for Toronto FC.
But there are reasons to be optimistic for next year, starting with the team's defensive play. The Reds have conceded just 37 goals in 2025, which is tied for the fourth best defensive record in the league. By all accounts, Robin Fraser has made a big impact on making TFC more defensively stable and stout since taking over from John Herdman.
The underperforming Italians DPs are gone, as are a few other players who weren't carrying their weight. GM Jason Hernandez acquired close to $1.8 million US in GAM during the summer, which will give him increased flexibility when it comes to making roster moves in the off-season.
No less than 16 players on TFC's current roster will either be entering the option years of their contracts or will be at the end of their loans once the season is over. So, Hernandez has a golden opportunity to retool and reshape his squad in a major way.
There's a crop of young players in Lazar Stefanovic, Jules-Anthony Vilsaint, Malik Henry and Deandre Kerr who offer long-term hope, while new DP Djordje Mihailovic has made the Reds more dangerous going forward in the short-term with his on-field vision.
The rebuilding process hasn't quite played out the way Jonathan Osorio had originally envisioned when Fraser took over at the start of the year. But the Toronto captain does see light at the end of the tunnel.
"The team looked a lot different in the beginning of the year and there was no certainty as to what was going to happen with all the moves that we made in the summer. … I didn't know what to expect but things have happened, and now it feels like the team is rebuilding and is in the middle of it. And [it’s] stable, more stable. There's a lot of things that will be happening, but it feels that it's heading in that direction, for sure," Osorio said this week.
Let's not kid ourselves: Hernandez has a mountain of work to do in the off-season to build Toronto FC back up into a contender. But there are positive signs that the club is trending in the right direction.
(Top photo by Lucas Kschischang/Toronto FC)
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