State of the union: TFC stuck in a rut after solid start to season

 If anybody needed a reminder of the stark reality of Toronto FC’s current situation – that this is very much a rebuilding season – they received it over the weekend. 

Hopes were high amongst the TFC faithful when the Reds went unbeaten through their opening three matches of the campaign and posted four clean sheets in their first five outings as they collected a very respectable 10 out of a possible 15 points. 

But things have gone somewhat off the rails in the last two weeks. An uninspiring 3-1 home loss to Sporting Kansas City prompted John Herdman to tell his players in a post-match huddle on the pitch that their performance wasn’t good enough and he never wanted to see anything like that ever happen again at BMO Field.  

The players responded, just not the way Herdman had hoped. The dismal display against Sporting was followed by a 4-0 spanking at the hands of the Vancouver Whitecaps on Saturday at BC Place, the team’s heaviest defeat under Herdman since he took over the coaching reins last October.