2014 Toronto FC season
The 2014 Toronto FC season was the eighth season in club history. During the off-season, Toronto FC agreed to a one-year partnership with USL outfit Wilmington Hammerheads. Jackson, Justin Morrow, Dwayne De Rosario, Gilberto, Michael Bradley, Jermain Defoe, Bradley Orr, Collen Warner, Luke Moore, Dominic Oduro, Warren Creavalle and Júlio César came to Toronto.
Toronto opened pre-season on January 24. Toronto will start the season on March 15 against the Seattle Sounders FC and finish on October 25 against the New England Revolution.
Background
Background information
During the 2013 season, Toronto FC finished second from bottom of the Eastern Conference. They had finished 19th out of 19 teams in the 2012 season. Toronto held off renewal of season tickets "months later than normal — hoping that off-season moves have given ticket-holders a reason to get back on board." Toronto FC agreed to a one-year partnership with USL outfit Wilmington Hammerheads on January 22. In the deal, will receive a minimum of four Toronto FC reserve team players. Also included in the deal is invitation for the Wilmington Hammerheads to attend the club's pre–season training camp in Florida, the club's coaching curriculum, and an MLS club's professional environment which includes a business relationship and a friendly.During the off-season, Toronto acquired Jackson, Issey Nakajima-Farran, Justin Morrow, and Dwayne De Rosario. Gilberto signed as a designated player. Gilberto had "turned down deals in Mexico, Germany, and other countries." In addition to Gilberto, Michael Bradley and Jermain Defoe joined the club as designated players. Defoe was due to join Toronto on February 28 from Tottenham Hotspur. However, Defoe didn't join Toronto until March 9 due to International duty with England. Bradley Orr and Júlio César joined Toronto on loan.
The options on Gale Agbossoumonde, Joe Bendik, Mark Bloom, Bright Dike, Jeremy Hall, Chris Konopka, Reggie Lambe, Ryan Richter, Quillan Roberts, Emery Welshman, and Andrew Wiedeman were exercised. Joe Bendik signed a new contract. Greg Vanney was hired as Assistant General Manager and the Academy Director on December 11.
Tim Bezbatchenko confirmed that Darel Russell, Michael Thomas, Stefan Frei, Justin Braun, and Danny Koevermans would not return to the club in 2014 after their contracts expired or their options were declined. The right to sign Stefan Frei was traded to the Seattle Sounders FC. Stefan Frei was the longest-serving player at the club at the time of the trade. Richard Eckersley and Matías Laba were traded. Jonas Elmer and Toronto FC "mutually agreed to part ways." Emery Welshman and Reggie Lambe were placed on waivers.
Robert Earnshaw and Bobby Convey
and Bobby Convey options were also declined. Bobby Convey had expected to return to the club. However, Toronto FC General Manager Tim Bezbatchenko stated that he wanted Bobby Convey back at the club and stated that he "could be an important piece." The club are "attempting to make the veteran's salary cap hit match his on-field production." Tim Bezbatchenko also stated that he wanted Robert Earnshaw back at the club. The rights to Bobby Convey were traded to the New York Red Bulls.Designated player search
The club was in the process of a "lengthy search" for a "marquee-designated player". MLSE President Tim Leiweke, Club General Manager Tim Bezbatchenko, and Head Coach Ryan Nelsen traveled to Europe in October 2013 to search for such a player. Leiweke was quoted, stating, that "the days of us putting our toe in the water and trying to find a cheap DP are over. We're going to go swing for the fences." The club wanted to sign two strikers in the January transfer window and were at the "top of the list." The attention was on clubs in the Premier League and Serie A. Jermain Defoe, Alberto Gilardino Samuel Eto'o and Fabio Quagliarella were rumoured to join Toronto FC. The club denied the report about signing Defoe, but Bezbatchenko stated that "it's obvious the public "knows" who the targets are." Bezbatchenko also stated that "We've identified 3–5 that would fit the role" and that "We're really on two." Another name in the media was Gilberto. Toronto FC was in competition with clubs in La Liga, Liga MX, Serie A, and Bundesliga for Gilberto's signature. Gilberto was in Toronto and was at the Toronto Raptors game on December 10. Gilberto signed for the club on December 14. Michael Bradley and Defoe joined Gilberto as designated players. Defoe joined Toronto on February 28. Defoe was part of a marketing campaign with the club. The club put together a television advertisement stating that it's a "bloody big deal" that Defoe is coming to Toronto FC. The ad was also online and had close to 60,000 views in a day. The ads were running on The Sports Network and Sportsnet with Toronto being the main focus of the marketing campaign. Even though MLSE was using Defoe in their marketing campaigns, British newspaper The Guardian stated "The money may be good but the club are woeful and playing in Canada may end the striker's World Cup hopes."Transactions
In
| Date | Player | Position | Previous Club | Fee/Notes | Ref |
| December 9 |  Jackson | MF |  FC Dallas | Traded for allocation cash and a conditional second-round pick. | |
| December 14 | Gilberto | FW | Internacional | Signed as a designated player. | |
| December 17 | Justin Morrow | DF | San Jose Earthquakes | Acquired in a trade with San Jose Earthquakes for allocation money | |
| December 18 |  Dwayne De Rosario | MF | D.C. United | Selected in the second round of the Re-Entry Draft from D.C. United | |
| January 9 | Jordan Hamilton | FW | TFC Academy | Graduated from Academy. | |
| January 13 | Michael Bradley | MF |  Roma | $10 million; signed as designated player. | |
| January 24 |  Bradley Orr | DF | Blackburn Rovers | Loan deal until December 2014. | |
| February 14 | Júlio César | GK | Queens Park Rangers | Signed on loan. | |
| February 28 | Jermain Defoe | FW | Tottenham Hotspur | $10 million, signed as a designated player | |
| March 28 | Issey Nakajima-Farran | MF |  AEK Larnaca | Signed on free transfer | |
| May 8 | Luke Moore | FW | Chivas USA | Acquired in three team trade which sent Gale Agbossoumonde to the Colorado Rapids. | |
| May 16 | Collen Warner | MF | Montreal Impact | Acquired in trade which sent Issey Nakajima-Farran and allocation money to the Montreal Impact. | |
| June 6 |  Dominic Oduro | MF | Columbus Crew | Acquired in trade that sent Álvaro Rey to the Columbus Crew. | |
| July 23 | Warren Creavalle | MF/DF | Houston Dynamo | Acquired in trade with the #14 allocation spot which sent allocation money and the #1 allocation spot to the Houston Dynamo. | |
| September 15 | Chris Mannella | MF | TFC Academy | Graduated from academy. |
Out
| Date | Player | Position | Destination Club | Fee/Notes | Ref |
| November 29 |  Robert Earnshaw | FW | Blackpool | Option declined | |
| November 29 | Bobby Convey | MF | New York Red Bulls | Option declined; the rights and a second round pick in the 2014 MLS SuperDraft was traded to New York Red Bulls for a first round pick in the 2014 MLS SuperDraft and a third round pick in the 2016 MLS SuperDraft. | |
| November 29 | Darel Russell | MF | Tampa Bay Rowdies | Option declined | |
| November 29 | Michael Thomas | MF | Oklahoma City Energy | Option declined | |
| November 29 | Justin Braun | FW | Sacramento Republic | Out of contract. | |
| November 29 |  Stefan Frei | GK | Seattle Sounders FC | Out of contract; rights traded for a conditional 2015 MLS SuperDraft first round pick. | |
| November 29 |  Danny Koevermans | FW | Utrecht | Out of contract. | |
| January 27 | Richard Eckersley | DF | New York Red Bulls | Traded for a fourth-round pick in the 2017 MLS SuperDraft. | |
| February 7 |  Jonas Elmer | DF | FC Winterthur | Elmer and Toronto FC "mutually agreed to part ways." | |
| February 25 | Emery Welshman | FW | Sigma FC | Placed on waivers. | |
| February 26 |  Matías Laba | MF | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | Traded for future considerations. | |
| March 5 |  Reggie Lambe | MF |  Nyköpings BIS | Placed on waivers. | |
| May 8 | Gale Agbossoumonde | DF | Colorado Rapids | Traded for Luke Moore. | |
| May 16 | Issey Nakajima-Farran | MF | Montreal Impact | Traded with allocation money to the Montreal Impact for Collen Warner. | |
| June 6 |  Álvaro Rey | MF | Columbus Crew | Traded for Dominic Oduro. | |
| July 25 | Júlio César | GK | Queens Park Rangers | Recalled from loan. |
Pre–season
Review
Toronto Opened pre–season on January 24 and left for a training camp in Florida on January 27. The expectations are "sky high" coming into pre–season. During pre–season training camp in Florida, Toronto defeated D.C. United 1–0 before returning to Toronto on February 7. However, Toronto returned to Florida to play in the Walt Disney World Pro Soccer Classic in Orlando, Florida. During the tournament, Toronto lost to Columbus Crew 3–1, tied Orlando City 1–1, tied Philadelphia Union 0–0, lost to Fluminense FC U23 team 4–2. During pre–season, Bright Dike injured his leg and will be out for six months. Doneil Henry trained with West Ham United during West Ham United for two and a half weeks.Pre–season results
;Walt Disney World Pro Soccer ClassicMajor League Soccer
Regular season
Review
March–April
Toronto faced Seattle Sounders FC on March 15 in their season opener after having a bye–week during the opening weekend in the Major League Soccer season. Toronto won the match 2–1. Jermain Defoe scored both goals for Toronto and Clint Dempsey scored for Seattle. Gilberto didn't travel with the team to Seattle due to an injury. Gilberto suffered a hip flexor injury during pre–season. Bright Dike is out long–term. Michael Bradley, Justin Morrow, Bradley Orr, and Álvaro Rey were "questionable" for the game. Bradley, Morrow, and Rey started the match and Orr came on as a substitute in the 65th minute. Doneil Henry started the match and made his 50th league appearance. Dempsey got a two-game suspension for "violent conduct" from an incident with Mark Bloom. Dempsey had hit Bloom in the groin. Toronto's first home game is against D.C. United on March 22. Toronto won 1–0 with a goal from Jermain Defoe. This is the first time that Toronto won the first two games of the season. Toronto faced Real Salt Lake on March 29. Real Salt Lake won 3–0 with goals from Álvaro Saborío and Luis Gil. Jackson was suspended for the match.Toronto starts April with a 2–0 win against the Columbus Crew on April 5. Steven Caldwell was suspended for the match.