Over the last two years inside Toronto FC, there was a growing sense that the club needed a refresh.
The Reds had enjoyed a prolonged period of unprecedented success with a consistent core from 2016 to 2019. They played for the MLS Cup in three of those seasons and won it in 2017, along with the Supporters’ Shield and Canadian championship.
But the past two campaigns — displaced from Toronto for the most part because of the pandemic — were difficult by all accounts. By the end of last year, captain Michael Bradley said, there was a shared feeling that it was time for change.