# 2020 Toronto FC season

The 2020 Toronto FC season was the 14th season in the history of Toronto FC. The club entered the season as defending MLS Eastern Conference champions. They were scheduled to compete for the first time in the Leagues Cup, however it was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They participated in the MLS is Back Tournament, which was the beginning of the resumed season following the postponement of regular season matches due to the pandemic.
On September 11, 2020, Connecticut governor Ned Lamont announced that Toronto FC would finish their season's home matches at Pratt & Whitney Stadium due to travel restrictions outside the United States due to the pandemic.
On October 11, Toronto FC became the first MLS team to clinch a playoff berth following a 1–0 win over FC Cincinnati.

## Squad

As of October 14, 2020.
| No. | Name | Position(s) | Date of birth (age) | Signed in | Previous club |
| Goalkeepers |||||||
| 16 | Quentin Westberg | GK | (1986-04-25) April 25, 1986 (age 38) | 2019 | Auxerre |
| 25 | Alex Bono | GK | (1994-04-25) April 25, 1994 (age 30) | 2015 | Syracuse Orange |
| 90 | Kevin Silva | GK | (1998-01-05) January 5, 1998 (age 27) | 2020 | Toronto FC II |
| Defenders |||||||
| 2 | Justin Morrow | LB / LWB / CB | (1987-10-04) October 4, 1987 (age 37) | 2014 | San Jose Earthquakes |
| 3 | Eriq Zavaleta | CB | (1992-08-02) August 2, 1992 (age 32) | 2015 | Seattle Sounders FC |
| 5 | Julian Dunn | CB | (2000-07-11) July 11, 2000 (age 24) | 2018 | Toronto FC II |
| 6 | Tony Gallacher (loan) | LB | (1999-07-23) July 23, 1999 (age 25) | 2020 | Liverpool |
| 12 | Rocco Romeo (out on loan) | CB | (2000-03-25) March 25, 2000 (age 24) | 2020 | Toronto FC II |
| 22 | Richie Laryea | RB | (1995-01-07) January 7, 1995 (age 29) | 2019 | Orlando City SC |
| 23 | Chris Mavinga | CB / LB | (1991-05-26) May 26, 1991 (age 33) | 2017 | Rubin Kazan |
| 26 | Laurent Ciman | CB | (1985-08-05) August 5, 1985 (age 39) | 2018 | Dijon |
| 44 | Omar Gonzalez | CB | (1988-10-11) October 11, 1988 (age 36) | 2019 | Pachuca |
| 96 | Auro Jr. | RB / RWB | (1996-01-23) January 23, 1996 (age 28) | 2018 | São Paulo |
| Midfielders |||||||
| 4 | Michael Bradley | CM | (1987-07-31) July 31, 1987 (age 37) | 2014 | Roma |
| 8 | Marky Delgado | CM | (1995-05-16) May 16, 1995 (age 29) | 2015 | Chivas USA |
| 10 | Alejandro Pozuelo | AM | (1991-09-20) September 20, 1991 (age 33) | 2019 | Genk |
| 14 | Noble Okello (out on loan) | MF | (2000-07-20) July 20, 2000 (age 24) | 2019 | Toronto FC II |
| 18 | Nick DeLeon | RB / RM | (1990-07-17) July 17, 1990 (age 34) | 2018 | D.C. United |
| 21 | Jonathan Osorio | AM / CM | (1992-06-12) June 12, 1992 (age 32) | 2013 | SC Toronto |
| 27 | Liam Fraser | DM | (1998-02-13) February 13, 1998 (age 26) | 2018 | Toronto FC II |
| 31 | Tsubasa Endoh | MF | (1993-08-20) August 20, 1993 (age 31) | 2019 | Toronto FC II |
| 97 | Ralph Priso | MF | (2002-08-02) August 2, 2002 (age 22) | 2020 | Toronto FC II |
| Forwards |||||||
| 7 | Pablo Piatti | LW/RW | (1989-03-31) March 31, 1989 (age 35) | 2020 | Espanyol |
| 9 | Erickson Gallardo | RW | (1996-07-26) July 26, 1996 (age 28) | 2019 | Zamora |
| 13 | Patrick Mullins | FW | (1992-02-05) February 5, 1992 (age 32) | 2019 | Columbus Crew |
| 15 | Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty | FW | (2004-06-16) June 16, 2004 (age 20) | 2020 | Toronto FC II |
| 17 | Jozy Altidore | CF | (1989-11-06) November 6, 1989 (age 35) | 2015 | Sunderland |
| 19 | Griffin Dorsey | FW | (1999-03-05) March 5, 1999 (age 25) | 2019 | Indiana Hoosiers |
| 20 | Ayo Akinola | ST | (2000-01-20) January 20, 2000 (age 24) | 2018 | Toronto FC II |
| 24 | Jacob Shaffelburg | FW | (1999-11-26) November 26, 1999 (age 25) | 2019 | Toronto FC II |
| 80 | Jayden Nelson | FW | (2002-09-26) September 26, 2002 (age 22) | 2020 | Toronto FC II |
| 99 | Ifunanyachi Achara | FW | (1997-09-28) September 28, 1997 (age 27) | 2020 | Georgetown Hoyas |

### Roster slots

Toronto had eight International roster slots and three Designated Player slots available for use in the 2020 season.
International slots :
| Slot | Player | Nationality |
| 1 | Ifunanyachi Achara | Nigeria |
| 2 | Auro Jr. | Brazil |
| 3 | Tsubasa Endoh | Japan |
| 4 | Tony Gallacher | Scotland |
| 5 | Erickson Gallardo | Venezuela |
| 6 | Chris Mavinga | DR Congo |
| 7 | Pablo Piatti | Argentina |
| 8 | Alejandro Pozuelo | Spain |
Designated Player slots :
| Slot | Player |
| 1 | Jozy Altidore |
| 2 | Alejandro Pozuelo |
| 3 | Pablo Piatti |

## Transfers

    Note: All figures in United States dollars.

### In

| No. | Pos. | Player | From | Fee/notes | Date |
| 12 | CB | Rocco Romeo | Toronto FC II | Homegrown signing | January 21, 2020 |
| 15 | FW | Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty | Toronto FC II | Homegrown signing | January 22, 2020 |
| 80 | FW | Jayden Nelson | Toronto FC II | Homegrown signing | January 23, 2020 |
| 7 | FW | Pablo Piatti | Espanyol | Designated player | February 7, 2020 |
| 99 | FW | Ifunanyachi Achara | Georgetown Hoyas | Signed draft pick | February 21, 2020 |
| 90 | GK | Kevin Silva | Toronto FC II | Signed first team deal | July 3, 2020 |
| 97 | MF | Ralph Priso | Toronto FC II | Homegrown signing | October 14, 2020 |

#### Loaned in

| No. | Pos. | Player | Loaned from | Fee/notes | Date | Source |
| 6 | DF | Tony Gallacher | Liverpool | Season long loan | August 10, 2020 | |

#### Draft picks

The following players were selected by Toronto FC in the 2020 SuperDraft held on January 9.
| Pos. | Player | College | Overall |
| DF | Nyal Higgins | Syracuse | 19 |
| MF | Ifunanyachi Achara | Georgetown | 25 |
| Pos. | Player | College | Overall |
| DF | Malick Mbaye | Clemson | 33 |
| DF | Simon Waever | Indiana | 51 |

### Out
#### Transferred out

| No. | Pos. | Player | To | Fee/notes | Date |
| 14 | MF | Jay Chapman | Inter Miami CF | Traded for $100,000 in GAM | November 13, 2019 |
| 3 | CB | Drew Moor | Colorado Rapids | Out of contract | November 21, 2019 |
| 28 | GK | Caleb Patterson-Sewell | MLS Pool Goalkeeper | Option declined | November 21, 2019 |
| 5 | DF | Ashtone Morgan | Real Salt Lake | Option declined | November 21, 2019 |
| 55 | MF | Aidan Daniels | Colorado Springs Switchbacks | Option declined | November 21, 2019 |
| 54 | FW | Ryan Telfer | Nea Salamis | Option declined | November 21, 2019 |
| 11 | FW | Jon Bakero | Phoenix Rising | Option declined | November 21, 2019 |
| 7 | MF | Nicolas Benezet | Colorado Rapids | Traded for $50,000 in GAM | January 12, 2020 |

#### Loaned out

| No. | Pos. | Player | Loaned to | Fee/notes | Date |
| 5 | DF | Julian Dunn | Valour FC | Season long loan | August 10, 2020 |
| 12 | DF | Rocco Romeo | HB Køge | Year long loan until June 2021 | August 14, 2020 |
| 14 | MF | Noble Okello | HB Køge | Season long loan until December 2020 | September 25, 2020 |

## Pre-season

Toronto FC's pre-season officially began on January 18 when players and staff attended BMO Training Ground to undergo medical evaluations. Their first official training session of the season occurred on January 20 in Orlando, Florida as part of the team's preliminary training camp. The team resumed training camp on February 5 at the University of California, Irvine and played a series of friendly matches.

### Matches
## Competitions
### Major League Soccer
#### League tables

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | Pts | PPG |
| 1 | Philadelphia Union | 23 | 47 | 2.04 |
| 2 | Toronto FC | 23 | 44 | 1.91 |
| 3 | Columbus Crew SC (C) | 23 | 41 | 1.78 |
| 4 | Orlando City SC | 23 | 41 | 1.78 |
| 5 | New York City FC | 23 | 39 | 1.70 |
2020 MLS overall standings :
| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | Pts | PPG |
| 1 | Philadelphia Union (S) | 23 | 47 | 2.04 |
| 2 | Toronto FC (V) | 23 | 44 | 1.91 |
| 3 | Sporting Kansas City | 21 | 39 | 1.86 |
| 4 | Columbus Crew SC (C) | 23 | 41 | 1.78 |
| 5 | Orlando City SC | 23 | 41 | 1.78 |

#### Summary

| Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away |
Note: Table does not include three group matches of MLS is Back Tournament. (Pld 3, W 1, D 2, L 0, GF 6, GA 5, GD +1, Pts 5)

#### Results by round

| Round | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 |
| Ground | A | H | N | N | N | H | H | A | H | A | A | A | A | H | H | A | A | H | H | A | H | H | A |
| Result | D | W | D | W | D | W | W | W | L | L | W | D | W | W | W | W | W | D | W | L | L | W | L |
| Position | 5 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |

#### Matches

The 2020 Major League Soccer schedule was originally released in full on December 19, 2019, 12:00 PM ET. However, the season was suspended on March 12 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in the cancellation of matches. The season resumed in July with the MLS is Back Tournament, where the three group stage matches counted as regular season games. Following the tournament, the regular season continued; however, due to travel restrictions between the United States and Canada, the league's three Canadian teams played their next six matches against each other in Canada, with these matches also serving as the qualification process for the 2020 Canadian Championship.

### Canadian Championship
#### Qualification

As part of the MLS regular season, Canada's three Major League Soccer clubs played each other three times from August 18 to September 16. The team with the most points from this series, Toronto FC, qualified for the Canadian Championship.
| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Toronto FC | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 5 | +4 | 12 | 2020 Canadian Championship and 2021 CONCACAF Champions League |
| 2 | Montreal Impact | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 8 | +1 | 9 | |
| 3 | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 8 | 13 | −5 | 6 | |

#### Final

After being unable to be held in 2020, the match was initially postponed to early 2021 to occur at the beginning of the 2021 season. On March 11, 2021, it was announced that the match could not be completed in time for the start of CCL competition; a compromise was reached where Toronto FC would be named to the CCL slot, while Forge FC would be permitted to host the match once it was finally played. On March 25, 2021, Canada Soccer president Nick Bontis said that the final may end up taking place as late as July 2022. On March 2, 2022, it was announced that the final would take place on June 4, 2022 at Tim Hortons Field.

### Leagues Cup

Toronto FC was set to compete for the first time in the Leagues Cup after not qualifying the CONCACAF Champions League and finishing in fourth place in the Eastern Conference during the 2019 regular season. They were to host a club from Liga MX in Mexico and entered the draw as the fifth seeded MLS team. The tournament was cancelled on May 19, 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

### Group stage
#### Group C

Group C results :
| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Toronto FC | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 5 | +1 | 5 | Advanced to knockout stage |
| 2 | New England Revolution | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | +1 | 5 | Advanced to knockout stage |
| 3 | Montreal Impact | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 5 | −1 | 3 | Advanced to knockout stage |
| 4 | D.C. United | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | −1 | 2 | |

### Competitions summary

| Competition | Record | Record | Record | Record | Record | Record | Record | Record | First Match | Last Match | Final Position |
| Competition | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win % | First Match | Last Match | Final Position |
| MLS Regular Season | 23 | 14 | 5 | 4 | 44 | 20 | +24 | 060.87 | February 9, 2020 | November 8, 2020 | 2nd in Eastern Conference, 2nd Overall |
| MLS Cup Playoffs | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | −1 | 000.00 | November 24, 2020 | November 24, 2020 | First round |
| Canadian Championship | Postponed until 2022 | Postponed until 2022 | Postponed until 2022 | Postponed until 2022 | Postponed until 2022 | Postponed until 2022 | Postponed until 2022 | Postponed until 2022 | Postponed until 2022 | Postponed until 2022 | Postponed until 2022 |
| MLS is Back Knockout Stage | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | −2 | 000.00 | July 26, 2020 | July 26, 2020 | Round of 16 |
| Total | 25 | 14 | 5 | 6 | 45 | 24 | +21 | 056.00 | | | |
Updated to match played November 24, 2020 Source: Competitions

### Goals and assists

Goals :
| Rank | Nation | Name | Pos. | Major League Soccer | MLS Cup Playoffs | Canadian Championship | MLS is Back Knockout Stage | Total |
| 1 | | Ayo Akinola | FW | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| 1 | | Alejandro Pozuelo | MF | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| 3 | | Richie Laryea | DF | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 3 | | Pablo Piatti | FW | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 5 | | Jozy Altidore | FW | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 5 | | Patrick Mullins | FW | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 7 | | Ifunanyachi Achara | FW | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 7 | | Nick DeLeon | MF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 7 | | Tsubasa Endoh | FW | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 7 | | Jonathan Osorio | MF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Own goals | Own goals | Own goals | Own goals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Totals | Totals | Totals | Totals | 33 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 34 |
Assists :
| Rank | Nation | Name | Pos. | Major League Soccer | MLS Cup Playoffs | Canadian Championship | MLS is Back Knockout Stage | Total |
| 1 | | Alejandro Pozuelo | MF | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 2 | | Richie Laryea | DF | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 2 | | Pablo Piatti | FW | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 4 | | Jonathan Osorio | MF | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 5 | | Jozy Altidore | FW | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 5 | | Nick DeLeon | MF | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 7 | | Auro Jr. | DF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 7 | | Michael Bradley | MF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 7 | | Marky Delgado | MF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 7 | | Tony Gallacher | DF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 7 | | Chris Mavinga | DF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 7 | | Patrick Mullins | FW | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Totals | Totals | Totals | Totals | 30 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 31 |

### Shutouts

| Rank | Nation | Name | Pos. | Major League Soccer | MLS Cup Playoffs | Canadian Championship | MLS is Back Knockout Stage | Total |
| 1 | | Quentin Westberg | GK | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| 2 | | Alex Bono | GK | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Totals | Totals | Totals | Totals | 9 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 9 |
Updated to match played November 8, 2020 Source: Toronto FC

## Honours
### MLS Team of the Week

| Week | Starters | Bench | Coach | Opponent |
| 2 | Ifunanyachi Achara | | | New York City FC |
| MLS is Back – Round 1 | Ayo Akinola | Alejandro Pozuelo | | D.C. United |
| MLS is Back – Round 2 | Ayo Akinola Richie Laryea Alejandro Pozuelo | | | Montreal Impact |
| 6 | Pablo Piatti | Alejandro Pozuelo | | Vancouver Whitecaps FC |
| 7 & 8 | | Alejandro Pozuelo | | Montreal Impact |
| 13 | | Alex Bono | | New York City FC |
| 14 | Richie Laryea | | Greg Vanney | Columbus Crew |
| 15 | Alejandro Pozuelo | | | Philadelphia Union |
| 16 | | Ayo Akinola Alex Bono | | New England Revolution |
| 17 | Eriq Zavaleta | Patrick Mullins | | FC Cincinnati |
| 19 | Pablo Piatti | Richie Laryea | | Atlanta United FC |
| 22 | | Richie Laryea | | Inter Miami CF |

### MLS Player of the Week

| Week | Player | Opponent | Ref. |
| 14 | Richie Laryea | Columbus Crew | |

### MLS Goal of the Week

| Week | Player | Opponent | Ref. |
| 14 | Richie Laryea | Columbus Crew | |

### MLS Player of the Month

| Month | Player | Month's Statline | Ref. |
| September | Alejandro Pozuelo | 4 Goals, 2 Assists | |

### End of Season awards

| Award | Recipient(s) | Ref. |
| MLS MVP | Alejandro Pozuelo | |
| MLS Best XI | Alejandro Pozuelo | |