Canada 150: Toronto FC finally setting the right standard for Canadian talent

U.S. captain Michael Bradley lifting the Voyageurs Cup may have been an odd sight, but don't mistake Toronto FC's prominent American contingent as a lack of commitment to Canada; the club has never fostered a better environment for youth development, and has finally set the right standard for Canadian talent.

This week, Canada turns 150 years old and Toronto FC fans celebrate a sixth Canadian Championship title. There's plenty of pride on display in Toronto, and for good reason: the Reds sit first in MLS, and in Jordan Hamilton, Jay Chapman, Jonathan Osorio, Tosaint Ricketts, and Raheem Edwards, head coach Greg Vanney has assembled Toronto's finest crop of Canucks to date.

Toronto FC has never shied away from embracing its Canadian roots; its early heroes included Jim Brennan, Dwayne De Rosario, Julian de Guzman, Adrian Serioux, and other Canadian national team figures. De Rosario, in particular, is a case study in how one player can shape a club's identity. But their signings were born of necessity; the league's domestic policy was stricter, and the earlier iterations of Toronto FC struggled to attract and keep foreign talent. It's why De Guzman became the Reds' first Designated Player signing, too.

Muddied in coaching turmoil and with a playoff berth ever eluding these Reds, this Canadian contingent didn't last. In the years that followed, and especially under Aron Winter - who worked to promote youth in his 4-3-3 system - Toronto's Canadian core skewed significantly younger. The signings of Oscar Cordon, Keith Makubuya, Matt Stinson, and Ashtone Morgan also helped to appease an increasingly frustrated fan base, and to perhaps show that investments in the TFC Academy were bearing fruit. While this new direction was received enthusiastically by fans, it did not pay dividends.

When Ryan Nelsen took over in 2013, it was clear Toronto was a hotbed for talent, but the club could not hold on to it. TFC Academy standouts like Michael Petrasso, Ricardo Ferreira, Keven Aleman, and Dylan Carreiro had opted to head to Europe. To mitigate this, Nelsen drafted Kyle Bekker and Emery Welshman, but that didn't pay off, either. Only one player of note emerged from the youth ranks - Doneil Henry, who later joined West Ham.

Under Tim Bezbatchenko and with Vanney's guiding hand at the academy level, the club improved its infrastructure, creating Toronto FC II. Subsequently, senior-team spots grew scarcer, with heightened levels of competition. As of 2017, it has never been more difficult for a young Canadian talent to break into the first team, but the quality of players who do make it is much improved for it.

Keeping that spot is also harder. For new players like Sergio Camargo, the window of opportunity is narrower, and mistakes are magnified tenfold.

They must offer something more.

Justin Morrow made the left wing-back role his own by scoring regularly, but Edwards gives Vanney a different weapon out wide; he is adept at delivering the final pass, and in limited minutes has five league assists for his efforts. The same can be said of Ricketts and Hamilton, who score in ways Jozy Altidore doesn't, while Osorio and Chapman offer different archetypal roles in midfield. To keep their spots, these players must make an impact.

All of this is ideal for MLS clubs; academy products must be insatiably hungry and talented to earn a spot, and must work tirelessly to keep it. This presents a bit of a problem for the national team, however. While some players come out ready to contribute right away, most need consistent playing time to truly thrive.

Here's the inconvenient truth: Toronto FC isn't obligated to make Canada a better national team, but as most TFC fans are also likely Canada fans, those lines tend to be blurred. Chapman and Hamilton probably need to be playing more ... but that time is earned, not given, and so they must work for it.

A gap exists in Canada's soccer pyramid, and for those who find opportunities hard to come by, the newly formed Canadian Premier League will serve to address that void. In this new league, players are afforded a chance to grow and earn minutes - and maybe show TFC what they gave up on, too.

But in creating an environment where only the best don the red shirt, Toronto FC has set a high bar to work toward, and the quality of its talent grew with it. The Vancouver Whitecaps and Montreal Impact are setting similar standards.

Joining your local club should be difficult. Displacing Sebastian Giovinco from the starting XI should be the dream. And so you work for it every single day. The club's only obligation is to also work tirelessly to make that dream a reality.

The rest is up to you.

(Photos courtesy: Action Images)