January 15, 2020--Toronto FC II 2020 Preview (by Rocket Robin)
Toronto FC II 2020 preview:
It is a bit early for this when only the league schedule has been released and the team roster has not been issued but I'll outline some changes to this year's format.
The USL League One will operate this year with twelve teams. (an increase from last year's inaugural season of ten). Six teams will qualify for post season play, an increase from four. The regular season will have each team play twenty-eight games between Friday March 27th and Saturday October 3rd.
TFC II will start their first four games on the road. This is not a surprise as 'The Dome' will still probably be standing like last year at their training facility until the last of the winter weather has passed and it's dismantled. They play at the BMO Training Grounds in Downsview. No team in the league so far has listed the starting times for their games but I assume a 4:00pm starting time like last season because the turf they play on does not have stadium lights so night games are out. Most games are scheduled for Friday which cuts into their attendance but fits my own timetable well.
Three new teams debut for 2020. They are Union Omaha, New England Revolution II, and 'League One Miami'. The New England and Miami teams are a slow process of getting the MLS 'II' and 'B' teams into League One instead of the USL Championship the second tier league between League One (third tier) and the highest rank Major League Soccer (first tier). The MLS reserve teams are perceived to drag down the Championship league because of their poor attendance. Last summer there was an effort to bring the other MLS reserve teams down to League One but they've all eluded the suggestions/requests/persuasion and for 2020 will stay where they are. Besides TFC II, New England, and Miami, the other MLS owned League One teams are North Texas SC (FC Dallas) and Orlando City B (Orlando City). Forward Madison has an 'affiliation' with the MLS Minnesota United team. Another Miami team has dropped from the sky to play at the USL Championship level. December 11th and 'The Miami FC' was announced by an ownership group buying the USL rights to Ottawa Fury FC when that team couldn't get sanctioning by the Canadian Soccer Association to continue in 2020. From what I've read, this new team is NOT associated with Inter Miami. It is hard to say how TFC II will do for this season. Last year the team finished with their best record ever after dropping down from what is now known as USL Championship. Their record was nine wins, nine ties, ten losses for 36 points. They finished seventh out of the ten teams—seven points out of the final playoff spot of fourth. They were a streaky team and fizzled near the end only fading in the last month of the season. This year looks promising in that it's six of twelve making post season with three brand new teams and last year's second place team, Lansing Ignition, folding just days after being knocked out in the semi-final. The new playoffs will have the two highest finishing teams get a bye in the first round. Team 3 will host team 6 and 4 will host 5 in a one game series the weekend of October 9-11. Semi-finals will be played the weekend of October 16-18 with team 1 and 2 hosting the surviving teams—1 hosting the lower ranked. The final will be played the weekend of October 22-25 in the higher ranked team's city. It's always unknown in January what the team will look like. The only player officially not back is midfielder Aidan Daniels although he was 'on-loan' for much of last season to USL Championship team Ottawa Fury. He has signed with Colorado Springs Switchbacks to stay at the same level. Some players who saw time with TFC II were forward Jordan Hamilton and midfielder Jay Chapman from their MLS team who were traded to other MLS teams. Also defender Ashton Morgan and goalie Caleb Patterson-Sewell were not retained by the MLS team. Morgan was the longest serving member of TFC. I saw the Toronto FC Academy, his and their, first ever game back in 2008 in the CSL league. A certain amount of uncertainty will be settled by February 9th when the CONCACAF qualifying to the summer Olympic games will finish. Canada has a chance using an under 23 roster which will include TFC II standouts midfielders Noble Okello and Jayden Nelson. Nelson was voted the 'Outstanding Young Player' by the Canadian Soccer Association for 2019. If Canada qualifies, some TFC II players will be absent in July and August to travel to Japan. The MLS draft brought four players to TFC (they decided to pass in the third and fourth rounds—also interesting as they acquired Inter Miami's third round choice in the trade of the rights of Juan Agudelo). All their choices attended American universities in 2019. Nyal Higgins age 21 was their first choice at 19th. He is a defender who also spent time with GTA area Vaughan SC which had a record four alumni chosen in the MLS first round! [A search of my own archives couldn't find a game I'd ever attended with Higgins playing.] Ifunanyachi Achara 25th is age 23 from Nigeria. Second round choices were two more defenders, 33rd Malick Mbaye age 24 from Senegal and 51st Simon Waever age 23 from Denmark. It will be interesting to see if Waever pairs with fellow Danish player Patrick Bunk-Andersen who played defender but came up for freekicks and cornerkicks to provide headers accounting for most of his goals.More teams mean TFC II will play each team less often. Last year with most teams making two trips to Toronto, I was able to recognize the players and style of the teams by their second visit. This year it's down to playing six of the teams twice, four teams three times, and Inter Miami four times.
I'll be waiting to see news of the roster taking shape.
Rocket Robin
robing@eol.ca
twitter @RocketRobin01
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