By Canadian Press

Bradley exits on a losing note as Toronto FC loses 2-0 to Orlando in season finale

Oct 21, 2023 | 6:33 PM

TORONTO — Captain Michael Bradley, in his final game before retirement, exited on a losing note Saturday as Toronto FC was beaten 2-0 by Orlando City SC in its regular-season finale.

While Toronto had most of the play against a second-string Orlando lineup, substitute Duncan McGuire put Orlando ahead in the 63rd minute. The Orlando rookie forward clearly hadn’t read the script, beating Bradley on the play. And McGuire did it again in the 74th minute.

It was a game that meant nothing in the standings, with Toronto (4-20-10, 22 points) mired in the league basement and Orlando (18-7-9, 63 points), having already locked up second place in Major League Soccer’s Eastern Conference.

The loss confirmed the 2023 season as Toronto’s worst-ever.

It also marked the third time TFC has finished last in the standings, having done so in its inaugural 2007 season (6-17-7, 25 points) and in 2012 (5-21-8, 23 points).

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Toronto ends the season on a seven-game losing streak, having won just one of its last 17 games (1-16-0) in all competitions. It failed to score in its last three games, scoring just 26 goals in 34 games,

Orlando coach Oscar Pareja opted to save his big guns for the playoffs, making nine changes to the starting 11 that beat New England 3-2 last time out.

But the occasion still had significance for Toronto.

Bradley’s swansong was also John Herdman’s first in charge on the Toronto sideline after watching the last two road games from the stands. 

Herdman had to go to the bench in the 17th minute when centre back Aime Mabika went down, forcing Bradley to drop back from the midfield into the backline. 

Toronto had 59.7 per cent possession in the first half against the makeshift Orlando lineup but managed just one shot on target. German striker Prince Owusu, taking a Federico Bernardeschi feed, scored for Toronto in the 52nd minute but the offside flag was up.

Italian star Lorenzo Insigne hit the Orlando goalpost in the 90th minute.

Saturday’s bench was a measure of the lack of depth Toronto has. The eight outfield substitutes had a combined five goals this season, all from 19-year-old Deandre Kerr — one of five subs aged 22 or younger.

In contrast, Orlando sent on 16 goals and 23 assists in the form of Uruguayan star Mauricio Pereyra, Ivan Angulo and McGuire at the hour-mark.

McGuire scored two minutes after coming on, pulling down a long clearance from goalkeeper Mason Stajduhar and then neatly flipping it past Bradley before beating goalkeeper Sean Jonson with a looping shot.

McGuire scored again soon after as the Toronto defence was carved open. The sixth overall pick in the 2023 MLS SuperDraft accelerated away from Bradley and nonchalantly poked the ball past Johnson for his 13th goal of the season.

Toronto went 0-18-1 this season when conceding the first goal.

Orlando has won four straight and lost just once in its last 11 games (8-1-2).

Orlando came into the game having already set franchise records for points (60), wins (17) and fewest losses in a full season (seven). With its two goals Saturday, it tied the franchise single-season record of 55, set in 2016.

Toronto, meanwhile, joins D.C. United, FC Cincinnati and the defunct Chivas USA as the only MLS franchises to have lost 20 or more games in a season more than once.

Herdman’s influence was evident during the anthems as he, his coaching staff and the substitutes stood arm in arm in front of the Toronto bench. The former Canada coach was a man in perpetual motion, pacing the coach’s box throughout. His body language reflected the play in front of him.

When Bernardeschi went to take a corner in first-half stoppage time, Herdman raced halfway down the pitch to shout instructions.

The 36-year-old Bradley was the last man out of the player tunnel, walking out with his two kids Luca and Quinn Elle to a standing ovation from the crowd and a guard of honour from the two teams. A banner with his name and number also welcomed him.

lt was Bradley’s 308th game in all competitions in Toronto colours. Only Canadian midfielder Jonathan Osorio has made more appearance (341) in Toronto colours.

Bradley exited to another standing ovation in the 80th minute.

Bradley signed with the club in January 2014 along with Jermain Defoe. The England striker lasted just one season in Toronto but Bradley made it his home. He says his future lies in coaching.

Orlando, whose arrival at BMO Field was slightly delayed due to traffic, offered little in attack in the first hour.

Toronto displayed some nice buildup play but was unable to turn that into scoring chances. Owusu, left unmarked on an Insigne corner, sent his header off-target in the 31st minute.

Insigne, with TFC’s first shot on target, forced a diving save from Stajduhar in first-half stoppage time. The Italian was stopped again, early in the second half after a nifty run into the penalty box.

Insigne and Johnson both returned to the Toronto starting lineup after injury absences. Insignia missed the last four games with a lower body injury while Johnson has been out since July 30 with a hand injury that required surgery.

Toronto was without the injured Adama Diomande, Sigurd Rosted and Brandon Servania.

Peruvian international goalkeeper Pedro Gallese, leading scorer Facundo Torres and Pereyra among those left out of the Orlando starting 11. Seven usual Orlando starters were on the bench.

Stajduhar, in Gallese’s place, made just his fourth start of the season, as did former TFC midfielder Luca Petrasso.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2023.

Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press