Jonathan Osorio seems to have found his footing at a Toronto FC that was completely rebuilt in July. He has scored five goals in his last six games, putting him at the heart of an unbeaten streak that has brought the team back into the playoff race.
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The Toronto side have not lost in Major League Soccer (MLS) since losing 1-0 to CF Montreal on July 16. With three wins in four games on Monday, they were just four points behind a quartet of Orlando City SC, Inter Miami CF, New England Revolution and Cincinnati FC in sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth in the East table. Only the top seven formations from each association advance to postseason ball.
He returns to Osorio and is on track to have his best offensive season of his career and his 10th season in Toronto. He also earned praise from some of his teammates and his head coach, Bob Bradley, after the recent win at the expense of the Portland Timbers.
“I don’t know if it’s the best football he’s played but he’s definitely playing wonderfully now,” said team-mate Chris Mavinga, according to comments posted on the team’s official website. We need “Oso” to play like that.”
“His role hasn’t changed,” Bradley said. The more the team can play good football, the more you see how smart he is and what a good player he is.”
philosophy
This return to form also coincides with the arrival of three Italian players: Federico Bernardeschi (three goals in four games), Lorenzo Insigne (two goals in four games) and Domenico Criscito.
Besides their immediate impact, Bradley finds they fit very well with the philosophy he is trying to implement.
“These guys bring special qualities,” said Bradley. And then you put her in the middle of some of the other things that we try to do as a team.”
And to top it off, the Italian trio seem to have arrived in Toronto with the right attitude to fit in well with the group.
“You see Lorenzo, Criscito, Bernardeschi, they are good guys,” said Mavinga. They used to be captains too. You can see that they came with the right spirit, so it’s good to play with them. It’s not just about the quality, but about the personality of the person. You can see they are real leaders and push us to do our best.”
Toronto FC will face a crucial test on their way up the table when Inter Miami CF visit Florida on Saturday.