Toronto FC knew their window was closing. All three of their Designated Players would turn 30 years old or more this season, their highly-paid squad was unsustainable, and there was a lack of alternative options as proven by their fall from grace in 2018.
The 2018 season was meant to be more of the same. Toronto FC of 2017 might well be the greatest MLS team of all time. Prior to the 2018 season, it was said that they had gotten even better. How wrong everyone was. Toronto proceeded to finish outside of the playoffs.
Nevertheless, most still expected Toronto’s window to extend to 2019.