In many ways, the Bill Manning era at Toronto FC began when he was hired as president more than five years ago.
In some ways, though, it has only just begun.
TFC was much different when Manning arrived in October 2015, backed by years of executive experience in the NBA, NFL and, crucially, MLS coming off eight seasons at Real Salt Lake, an organization that won the MLS Cup in 2009 and was runner-up in 2013.
Manning inherited a solid foundation in Toronto that began with general manager Tim Bezbatchenko — who, alongside former Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment boss Tim Leiweke, became the chief engineer of a club-wide transformation in 2013.