The real MVP: Giovinco not just a hired gun for Toronto FC
The first thing you notice about Sebastian Giovinco is his smile. It's wide and it's common. Every time he scores a goal, he's just so happy.
During a year in which he's set a record for most combined goals (22) and assists (15) in a single Major League Soccer season, Giovinco has made the sport fun to watch in this city. His hat tricks, his slick touches, his little feints and nutmegs, and shots from afar - all of them make up a player who's not simply better than the competition but completely liberated.
There's nothing head coach Greg Vanney can do to change that. Giovinco speaks little English, and there's only so much a coach can say to an international star earning the second-highest salary in the league.
Related - VIDEOS: Sebastian Giovinco scores 9-minute hat-trick in breathtaking 1st half vs. New York City
Even before embarking from Rome early Wednesday morning - his exploits, after all, earned him a spot on the Italian national team for its final two Euro 2016 qualifiers - Giovinco called up Vanney and told him he wanted to play later that day in the potential playoff-clincher. He wasn't going to miss history, after a season of making so much of it. He wanted to be a part of it. He wanted to be right here in Toronto.
Here was a player who did everything he could to travel across the world in time and not only make it to the stadium but contribute his own share.
There is no pampering, no extra incentives, no unlimited flights and ostentatious accommodations for his family. The 28-year-old stays at the residences of the Four Seasons Hotel, walking his baby son around town, going to nearby Italian cafes and restaurants, enjoying his surroundings and embracing the new experience.
In Italy, even though he wasn't playing regularly for Juventus, he couldn't do any of that. Giovinco was not a guaranteed starter, and still the media and fans hounded him for quotes and autographs on a weekly basis. He was billed as the next-best thing on the peninsula, smaller but better than the rest. It didn't work out for anyone.
There's the best of both worlds at Toronto FC. The Italian is simply free, relatively anonymous off the field, and able to express himself to the fullest on it. He has recorded more shots (175) than any other MLS player this season. Only during his short stint with Parma between 2010-12 has Giovinco been this active on any pitch.
His latest addition to the highlight reel came on Wednesday night, jet lag be damned. Of course, he passed not one, not two, but three different New York Red Bulls on the way to scoring what could be the goal of the season - and the one that guaranteed TFC's first postseason appearance in nine years.
Related - VIDEO: Giovinco's dazzling goal clinches historic playoff spot for Toronto FC
"He picked up the ball and he had his back to goal to start with and he gets on a half turn and just starts weaving in and out of guys and faking shots and cutting guys," Vanney told reporters after the match. "It was almost like they didn't want to even be there."
No one really knows how to mark Giovinco. Even a defender like Orlando City's Aurelien Collin, who towers over Giovinco at more than 6 feet tall, couldn't handle the Atomic Ant. In one match in August, he twisted Collin this way and that on the way to a hat-trick performance.
It's the little deft moves that trick almost any opponent. He'll disappear into a crowd of defenders, as small as he is, and come out unscathed.
Then comes the celebration, stirring the pot as he runs away from the scene of the crime - a tribute to the Toronto Blue Jays, who are going on a playoff run of their own.
Giovinco is not just here to collect a hefty paycheque, he's in tune with this city and its fans. He's grateful to be part of a place that lets him be who he is.