Who'll be the next TFC 2 players to move to the senior team?

Toronto FC failed to make the playoffs for a second straight season in 2022, but a playoff game did take place at BMO Field this year.

TFC 2 defeated Philadelphia Union 2 in the first round of the MLS NEXT Pro playoffs, before succumbing to eventual league champions Columbus Crew 2 in the Eastern Conference finals in a heartbreaking end to what was a historical campaign for the junior Reds.

TFC 2 had struggled since its first campaign in 2015, and they never came close to qualifying for the playoffs when they competed in the USL and USL League One. But the MLS NEXT Pro's inaugural season in 2022 saw the team come of age, as it won the Northeast Division and finished second in the Eastern Conference with a 12-9-3 record. At one point, TFC 2 went on a franchise-high 10-game unbeaten run under first-year coach Gianni Cimini, including seven wins. Toronto also set new club records for wins (12), highest point total (41), most goals scored (44), highest goal differential (+6), and most road wins (six).

Toronto FC senior players helped during the regular season, with Themi Antonoglou (four goals), Jordan Perruzza (two) and Kadin Chung (one) all contributing to the attack while on loan to the club. But it was the regular TFC 2 players who made the difference, with MLS SuperDraft picks Paul Rothrock and Reshaun Walkes, and youth academy graduate Julian Altobelli combining for 18 goals to power the third-best attack in the East.

Toronto-based journalist James Grossi is the foremost authority on TFC 2, having covered the team in an in-depth fashion for several years. In this one-on-one interview with TFC Republic, Grossi discusses the season that was for TFC 2, evaluates how Cimini did in his first season in charge, looks at which players could move to the senior team next year, and much more.