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While Lorenzo Insigne has struggled to stay on the field since joining Toronto FC last summer, his countryman Federico Bernardeschi has been ‘straordinario’ for the Reds.
TFC brought in the Italian internationals for huge money last year and, in the second half of the 2022 MLS campaign, both put up excellent numbers. But this year, Insigne injured his groin in the first game of the season and has been out ever since, and will be for 2-3 more games. In Insigne’s absence, Bernardeschi has stepped up big time and partly because of his efforts, the Reds, who failed to make the MLS Cup playoffs the last two years in a row, are off to a decent start to the season with a win, a loss and two draws. (There are unsubstantiated rumours that Insigne is unhappy with TFC and might be moved to a Turkish club this summer).
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On Saturday night, Bernardeschi had a hand in both Toronto goals at a frigid BMO Field as the home team shut out Inter Miami, 2-0, with midfielders Jonathan Osorio and Mark-Anthony Kaye scoring. In four games this season, largely with fellow star winger Insigne on the sidelines, the 29-year-old Bernardeschi has two goals and two assists. Last year, he recorded eight goals and three assists in 11 matches. And perhaps just as important, he seems genuinely happy with his new team and league. There was some talk that he was frustrated with the team’s slow start (prior to Saturday’s victory) and his teammates’ inability at times to find him in good spots. But last week, Bernardeschi bounded into the media room at the BMO Training Ground with a huge smile on his face, calling all the media guys “his friends” and reaffirming his vow to play even better and help his team win.
“Fede is an interesting guy. You know, he’s fun,” said TFC coach Bob Bradley. “What you see on social media is a great part of him. We’ve got to make sure that he’s always also on the inside. Like I challenge him now to also be a really good leader in a team, to be a good teammate and to be a more consistent player.
“I think he’s capable of doing so much and then I think we try to keep it pretty simple with what we talk to him about,” the coach continued. “You know, we talk during the week about a little bit more direct with his runs, forward a little bit more, coming back in moments. You know, he’s worked very hard in the off-season. He’s fitter. He’s strong. He runs hard and those can be really important qualities in our team. And look, he is a guy that brings life. You’ve just got to make sure it’s all in the right way for the group. So yeah, it’s a good challenge.”
Bernardeschi excelled at his national position, right-wing, on Saturday against Inter Miami and has already forged a good connection on the attack with right-back Richie Laryea.
“He loves coming in from the right side. In the moments when Oso (Osorio) drops into the midfield, we encourage Fede to get a little closer to the (forward) and not be so wide,” said Bradley. “I thought there were three or four times on (Saturday) where he moved forward and we weren’t quite able to play the ball that gets him into the box off the edge of the left back. Getting him on the move into the box has got to be something that we continue to build on because it’s a way that he can be a real threat, doing more to help the team in other ways.”
OSO’S GOAL OH SO BIG
There were a number of firsts recorded in TFC’s 2-0 victory over Inter Miami: Kaye scored his first goal as a Red at BMO Field. Laryea and Bernardeschi recorded their first assists of the 2023 MLS season. Goalkeeper Sean Johnson recorded his first clean sheet for the Reds. Michael Bradley recorded his 100th victory for TFC in MLS action. But perhaps the biggest accomplishment was Osorio’s goal. The Brampton native has now scored in each of his eleven seasons with his hometown club, extending an all-time TFC record.
“It means a lot to be a part of this club. The goals in 11 seasons, it’s my job,” said Osorio. “I think that’s what I’m here to do.”
Osorio, 30, flirted with the idea of playing in Europe after his TFC contract expired at the end of the 2022 season, but in the end, he signed a new three-year contract (plus an option for 2026) with Toronto. He has played more games for TFC than any other player (322 games), starting his TFC career in 2013.
“Being here with this club for that long, of course, everybody knows how much that means to me and how much I care for this club. Every game I go out there and I give a 1000%,” said the Canadian international. “I give it all on the pitch along with my teammates, and yeah, you know, just looking forward to now bringing this club back to what I feel like where it belongs.”
SLOGGING THROUGH EARLY GAMES
Bob Bradley was breathing a big sigh of relief following the team’s first victory of the season on Saturday.
“It was important,” he said. “You know, the beginnings of seasons are strange between weather, between fields, and look, it is what it is but cold weather teams have it a little bit harder because you finish up pre-season and then the season starts, and are you training outside (in the cold). So there’s challenges early in the year. The games are not always great yet.”
SBuffery@postmedia.com
Twitter @Beezersun
