Tenth; sixth; ninth; twenty-first; and twenty-third.
Those are the numbers Tim Bezbatchenko has had to work with on SuperDraft day during his time at Toronto FC, numbers that reflect the success the Reds have had under a general manager often nicknamed “The Architect.”
Those early selections, coming at the end of TFC’s lean years, have served today’s team well. Current No. 1 goalkeeper Alex Bono was picked at No. 6 in 2015; Nick Hagglund has regularly cracked the starting 11 since he was drafted at No. 10 in 2014; even Tsubasa Endoh, whose contract option was declined late last year but is expected to join the team in pre-season next week, was also quick to break into Toronto’s first team.