What once looked like a stellar signing now looks like an unmitigated disaster, headlined by one of the biggest busts in MLS history
At the time of their arrival, it felt hard to overstate just how wild it was that Lorenzo Insigne and Federico Insigne would continue their careers at Toronto FC. It was a club that was used to taking big swings, of course, including on their countryman Sebastian Giovinco, but there was something about Insigne and Bernardeschi's arrival that just felt different
Here was Insigne, a prince at Napoli fresh off winning the Euros with Italy. And Bernardeschi, an in-his-prime forward who, like Giovinco before him, made the leap straight from Juventus to MLS.
And now, less than two years later, it feels hard to overstate just how much of a disaster this has been. That's the only way to describe it all: a complete and utter disaster.
It all came to a head recently when Insigne, who has been a total non-factor on the field, was seen arguing with and cursing at one of his own supporters. A bad look, for sure, and one that is symbolic of just how wrong this has all gone.
Heading into the final weeks of the MLS season, Toronto FC find themselves dead last in MLS. One coach, Bob Bradley, an MLS legend, already paid with his job. A new one, ex-Canada boss John Herdman, has been brought in to rebuild a broken culture that has been totally centered around the two big-money Italian stars.
But what happened? How did Toronto FC spend a record-breaking amount of money on two players and get it this wrong? And how did Insigne, a player who is so beloved in Naples, become one of Toronto's biggest villains in just a year-and-a-half?
Getty ImagesA history of big swings
Few clubs in MLS have been able to match the pure ambition of Toronto FC, who have never been afraid to take a chance.
It began nearly a decade ago with the "bloody big" signing of Jermain Defoe, who was joined by U.S. men's national team star Michael Bradley in 2014. Defoe's arrival was a mess, and he was soon moved back to England in exchange for Jozy Altidore, who was eventually joined by Italian star Giovinco.
With Giovinco, Bradley and Altidore leading the charge under coach Greg Vanney, TFC established themselves as one of the best teams MLS has ever seen. The club won the MLS Cup and Supporters' Shield double in 2017 while also making it to the big game in 2016 and 2019.
After a few tough seasons, though, as that trio aged out, the club took another big swing in 2022, signing two Italian stars to usher in a new generation of TFC.
AdvertisementGOALThe Italians arrive
It's hard to explain what Insigne meant, and still means, to Napoli. He'd spent the entirety of his adult live a Napoli player, having joined the club all the way back in 2006. Through the club's highs and lows, Insigne was a constant, putting him in their pantheon of great players – one that includes Diego Maradona himself.
So when he arrived in MLS, it was a stunning signing as Insigne was handed a record-breaking deal. He was paid a reported $14 million (£11m) in his first season, making him the highest-paid player in MLS history with nearly twice the annual salary of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who was next on the list. This season, he has seen that salary slashed, with the MLS Players' Union saying Insigne will make a total of $7.5 million (£6m) in 2023, still good for second in the league behind only the Chicago Fire's Xherdan Shaqiri.
Bernardeschi, too, was compensated handsomely for his services. The ex-Juve man makes around $6.25 million (£5m) a year with his Toronto FC contract. In total, Toronto FC has the highest salary spend of every MLS team, with Insigne and Bernardeschi alone making up for more than 12 MLS teams' whole roster.
However, as TFC have found out, spending does not always lead to success, especially this season.
GettyBradley pays the price, a Drake collaboration & vaping
The 2022 campaign was moderately successful for the two Italians, with Insigne netting six goals in 12 appearances and Bernadeschi adding eight in 14, but they arrived too late to guide the team into the postseason.
After a rough start to the 2023 season, it all came to a head, though, and Bradley became the first to go.
A report fromback in May revealed a toxic atmosphere behind the scenes, with all of the major players involved. Michael Bradley, the coach's son, captain and one of the few remaining links to the past, had reportedly lost the trust of the locker room due to his relationship with the boss. A problem, yes, but that was just the start.
At the end of the 2022 season, Insigne reportedly told team-mates he would not play for the team if Bradley remained head coach. He reiterated his complaint in the early weeks of the 2023 season as well as TFC sputtered.
Bernardeschi, meanwhile, simply did not get along with his fellow Italian international, with the report from adding that the ex-Juve man was often jealous of his team-mate. Bernardeschi was upset that Insigne was chosen for a jacket collaboration with Drake and chosen to attend MLS media day ahead of the season.
Meanwhile, Bernadeschi was subject to his own disciplinary issues. The report says that he was admonished multiple times for vaping, including at the practice facility, in the training room, and on the team plane.
All of this inevitably did spill over as Bradley was let go midseason, but the off-field issues have set the stage for a disastrous on-field effort as well.
Getty ImagesOn-field struggles
It doesn't take much knowledge to call this season a complete failure for Toronto FC. One only has to look at the table to figure that out.
As thing stand, Toronto sit dead last in MLS with just 22 points from 32 games. That's 11 fewer than the second-worst team in the East, Lionel Messi's Inter Miami, and four worse than the worst team in the West, the Colorado Rapids. The difference is that the Rapids' salary spend this season is just about half of what TFC is paying out.
Bernardeschi, to his credit, has been available for Toronto FC, playing in 29 of the club's matches. However, he has just five goals and four assists, nowhere near the contribution needed from a player of his paygrade.
Insigne, has played just 19 games, scoring four goals and adding five assists. After an incident in the season's final weeks, though, there's almost certainly no coming back for the ex-Napoli star.