State of the union: Toronto FC stuck in MLS purgatory

John Herdman’s post-match press conference following Toronto FC’s 3-2 road loss to Charlotte FC last weekend was a case study of a manager expertly straddling both sides of the fence.

On the one hand, Herdman lauded TFC for the way they twice fought back from a goal down in the second half to level the score against an opponent who is now unbeaten in 13 consecutive league home games. Bank of America Stadium is one of the toughest places to play in MLS for visiting teams, and the Reds showed great spirit in battling back when they were down against Charlotte.

"[It's] is a tough place to come to, so to score two goals [on the road] and not come away with something, I was really disappointed. But I was proud of the work that was put in, I was proud of how we were able to take momentum at big parts in the game,” Herdman said.

He later added: “[A] massive amount of pride, as I said to them. I'll go to war with that team every week if that's who we are, tactically disciplined and taking on the front foot at times in a tough environment.”