Taking a little bit of a pass on the standard Soccer Saturday column this weekend as I’m waiting to see what other moves Toronto FC make ahead of their February 22 Major League Soccer opener at DC United.

Some thoughts on topics from the past week.

It looks like Lorenzo Insigne is staying and either just sitting or coming off the bench, until a buyout agreement or other option is found.

While we can all agree it’s time to move on from the Insigne experiment, the way the team is handling the situation is weak.

Don’t try to put all the blame on the player who signed the contract you gave him. He’s entitled to the agreement you made. Yes, it’s been unfortunate as injuries, a lack of effort at times, and only flashes of brilliance came to pass for the second biggest salary in the MLS (Lionel Messi is obviously first).

The three teams rumoured to be willing to take him on were never going to appeal to Insigne.

Buy him out, take the financial hit, and move forward.

Even though GM Jason Hernandez insinuated on multiple occasions they would listen to offers for any player, it’s quite unlikely that Federico Bernadeschi was being moved for anything less than a huge, huge deal.

He was always part of the plans this year and likely next, based on all the marketing being done around TFC’s best player, who gives the passion and effort we all want to see week in and week out. Now, he just needs to keep from those outbursts that pile up silly yellow and red cards.

Time to add maturity to the leadership set of skill and work ethic. Still, I really like Fede on TFC – and not just because he’s Italian. He has shown a love for the city, a willingness to learn English to communicate with the media, and a desire to take on more responsibility with the team.

It’s what you want from a Designated Player of his calibre.

The new jerseys, a return to the all-red, are fantastic.

Still waiting on my member’s scarf and I’ll do a reveal video like last year.

Rumours swirling about a new Norwegian striker being signed. If it’s true, the youngster could be a quality pick-up for the new head office regime.

Still waiting to see if we add the midfielder and defender as promised.

Also, doing a separate post about matches of the weekend, so check that out too!

Ciao for Now!

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