Toronto FC decide against re-signing former MVP Sebastian Giovinco
Sometimes, one goodbye is enough.
After talk from both inside and outside Toronto FC that the club may re-sign Sebastian Giovinco, the MLS Cup winner, former league MVP, and the man generally considered to be the best player in their history, the club instead elected not to do so ahead of Friday’s MLS roster freeze deadline.
So, the fun’s over.
Per Michael Singh, interim head coach Terry Dunfield said that while TFC probably could have pulled the trigger on signing the Atomic Ant for sentimental reasons, the feeling was that the Italian was two or three weeks away from being ready to actually be included in a matchday squad.
“My thoughts are that if we were just looking for a nice moment, a nice feeling for our fans, for Seba, we probably could’ve pulled the trigger on a deal,” Dunfield said. “But in my opinion, that’s not Seba. I think Seba wants to come back and be impactful and really make a difference. At this stage, he’s probably, realistically, two or three weeks away for roster selection. Unfortunately, this year we’ve run out of time.”
When there are only six weeks left of the season, and a change of head coach is coming in three weeks’ time, that didn’t really make much sense.
Would signing him have been fan service? Yes, very much so. But, honestly, in this annus horribilis, there was a significant portion of the Reds’ fanbase that were probably thinking “why the hell not do it?” There’s not been much else to shout about this year, after all.
Just under five years after making his last appearance in a TFC shirt, the club icon had rejoined team training last week after several weeks of working out alone at the BMO Training Ground facilities. He will continue to train with the club despite not signing a contract.
Dunfield added that the four-time All-Star and TFC’s all-time record goalscorer will keep training for the rest of the season, with the hopes that he’ll be close to 100 percent by the time John Herdman takes over on October 1. That would give the new head coach the chance to assess Giovinco up close ahead of 2024.
Toronto face their domestic rivals the Vancouver Whitecaps on Saturday.
As sad as I am not to see Giovinco on the pitch again, if his conditioning was still not there given he has barely played for almost 2 seasons, I think its a good move to protect Giovinco from a possible injury.
I would still like to see him as a depth piece starting next season. We clearly lacked depth when our starters were injured this season and a player of Giovinco’s skill level coming off the bench could be amazing for Toronto as he has not only the ability to score by playing as a Striker, but he could also sub in as an attacking mid and feed the likes of Insigne and Fede if they are still here.
I am glad they mentioned Seba not wanting to rejoin unless he was at his best. We really can’t imagine him accepting training every day for the next month unless he agreed with the plan.
This is NOT about money, both he and MLSE have plenty. It’s also not about age, 36 is not old. Most athletes start to show wear before that but they aren’t finished if gifted. Ask Zlatan, Messi, Etc, skill shines if not “out of shape”.
I can see Herdman signing Seba with a dual purpose, sell tickets while exciting fans and drag the DP’s into reality so they play close to their level. But, we can stop focussing on that so we are less frustrated.
We rid ourselves of some of Bob’s horrible player acquisitions and in 2024 Gio comes in and wins a spot on the roster
Honestly, what did they have to lose. They could have brought him in, late in a game, just to take a direct free kick at goal. God knows, Insignificant is never going to score from one, never has, never will, Bernadeschi, perhaps, a remote chance, but Seba, always a possibility. But, maybe next season after they ditch the other Italian thieves, after they think he is fit. Why not, we can’t seem to convince Canadians to play here (except tomorrow, of course, GO Whitecaps)? So, why not Seba?
Still the message should be: fire Manning. Everyone on this site, please don’t forget, keep up that message. We are not going to get better until he leaves.
Probably one of the sadder things in sports is when an aging star tries to make a comeback and fails and I would not want to see Seba go through that; it would taint his legacy at TFC. He had great days here and I want to remember them for what they were.
If however he works hard and gets into game shape for 2024 I am ok with bringing him back. Just don’t bring him back this year for a nostalgic victory lap when he’s not ready.
Does Herdman want Giovinco because it looks like he doesn’t. Maybe Herdman thinks there’s already enough options at striker. Mailula, Prince, Kerr, maybe TFC bring in a DP striker too.
Seems like a missed opportunity either way. I can guarantee that if you gave Giovinco all the minutes that Sapong, Diomande & Prince have had, Gio would have actually scored some goals.
It would be great to hear from Seba on this. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I haven’t heard any comments from his end.
Maybe there was some agreement that they’d bring him back next season under (hopefully) more positive circumstances and assuming he is at least ready for pre-season.
Oh FFS way to tick of the tfc fan base. Get your heads outta your ass. U guys sign sapong, diomamde, the already injured Prince from 2nd division in germany, peruzza, mbongue, but you won’t sign Giovinco? Even at 36 he would have had more goals before the end of the season then all 5 of those strikers combined. Hey at least we have an aging Diomande at 500K next year to pop some goals in right Bill!!!
how long would they have wait now to be able to sign him
Except for a great playoff year in 2019, TFC have been a poor team since 2017. TFC are in the entertainment business and since 2017 the entertainment level, for the fans, has been extremely low. Giovinco is the greatest player to have worn a TFC shirt. No one expects him to be the same player he was in 2016/2017 but his signing will excite the fans, provide excitement and perhaps have a positive effect on his teammates.
What have TFC to lose? Surely after weeks of training with the club TFC know if Giovinco can complete. As usual TFC have treated the fans like chumps.
Bradley… best?. Pure TFC evaluation. Ownership down. Exactly WHY this franchise has fallen year after year…. a gold medal in stand-up humor…
Giovinco was 100% 5 years ago. And even at that time he was an average player at world football level, enough to be the second best player of TFC ever (the best M. Bradley). Only Messi and a few can play at reasonable level at 36. Bad news he is still training. The correct decision would be NO forever.
Would have been interesting to see him with the other two Italians playing together.