TORONTO, Canada—The 2017 Reds are not coming back.
This might seem an odd to say, but in saying it I am suggesting more than just the obvious. This year has been, to put it diplomatically, an adventure for Toronto FC players and fans alike. But through everything—the handful of assured highs and a selection of disconsolate lows—something has remained constant throughout the majority of their games—an unwavering notion that Toronto FC could, and in fact should, be performing better.
When I say the 2017 Reds are not coming back, I mean that we, the fans, need to release the expectation that the 2020 Reds should—and one day will—not only play like, but veritably become the squad from three years ago; we need to stop our backseat campaign of forced necromancy before the playoffs begin.