Now, there are a lot of factors to why the 2016 game did better than 2017; cord-cutters, the move to an afternoon game and the fact that 2016’s game was one of most boring things ever, maybe that scared a fraction of the audience away for 2017 (“fool me once, shame on me, fool me twice, shame on you”). The fact that Toronto FC put up one of the most incredible seasons in MLS history didn't help increase the reach of the big game.  

Based on the run of play, the chances created, the scoreline should have been far more severe than 2-0. Really, 6-0 or 7-0 would have been fair.

The truth is, 2018 will be a low point for men’s soccer in Canada. Boy, is it going to suck. It will be ultimate in lame-duck years. Canadian jobs will dwindle. We’ll have fewer teams to support. And even in TFC beats Seattle 10-0 on Saturday, that’s not going to change a thing.

Back in the day, when Toronto FC was a brand-spankin’ new team, it developed a rivalry with, of all teams, the Columbus Crew. There was no rhyme or reason for it; if you look in the history books, there is no mention of the great Columbus/Toronto war.

And this is exactly what MLS needs. It needs Toronto FC to be the foil. That’s the thing with MLS. With central control of contracts, with all franchises trotted out in Adidas gear, it’s always had the feel of a bunch of branch plants playing each other. What MLS needs is a New York Yankees, a Manchester United, a New England Patriots or Dallas Cowboys, a super-team that, outside of its fan base, is absolutely loathed.

To say that the first leg of the Eastern Conference semifinal was an ugly affair would be an insult to the word ugly. No, it wasn’t quite 2016 MLS Cup bad in terms of anti-football, but it definitely made you wonder why you weren’t spending Tuesday evening watching The Flash, instead.

In the game, though, both players continued what has been a troubling pattern with Toronto FC this season. In the first half, after not getting a call, Giovinco came at Penso from behind and grabbed the referee by both shoulders in attempt to spin him around and yell in his face. And he got nothing for it. Penso took it.

Toronto’s playoff campaign began Monday in New York, er, New Jersey – and the Reds did not show indications that they would become just another historical footnote.

But, where MLS has truly stumbled in Canada is in making itself a national concern. Basically, in this country, interest in the league is restricted to the three metro areas that have teams. The three Canadian MLS clubs have virtually no presence in the rest of Canada.

But, in TFC’s case, there should be some cause for concern. The Reds’ affiliate is just under 400 minutes per game. TFCII has played 15 games already. So, to get to the 540-minute average by the end of the season, the team will need to give Canadians an average of about 700 minutes per game over the final 17 matches of the season.