Fifty-six points. That’s how many Toronto FC had through 27 games last season. A year later, they have just 27. Instead of watching the entire league disappear in the rear-view mirror, 2018 has been a slow process of watching the playoffs disappear over the horizon.
The facts are simple, and well-publicized: The Reds are nine points back of the Montreal Impact, with just seven games left to go. Hope isn’t gone, but it’s damn feeble. TFC have games left against a number of teams directly above them in the standings, giving them a small modicum of control over their own destiny.