‘There’s no mistaking how important he is for our team’: Osorio just keeps getting better and better

There’s a legitimate argument to be made that Jonathan Osorio has been Toronto FC’s most important player this season. That was certainly the case on Tuesday night as the Canadian international once again rescued the Reds from a potentially embarrassing result against the second-last place team in the Canadian Premier League: HFX Wanderers.

The 86th minute winner in Tuesday night’s 2-1 Canadian Championship quarter-final victory, which was actually credited as an own-goal, is just the latest example of Osorio’s ability to rise to the big occasion.

If you include Tuesday’s strike, all four of Osorio’s goals this season have either salvaged a draw or held up as a game-winner. With Toronto FC trailing 1-0 away to FC Dallas, the 29-year-old midfielder scored the first goal of the season for the Reds, earning a point for his side.

Against D.C. United on Mar. 19, he put Toronto ahead in the 53rd minute with his 50th career goal for the club, which stood as the game-winner.

And, of course, on Saturday against D.C. once again – in his return from injury – Osorio came into the game in the 62nd minute before going on to score in the 89th minute, rescuing a point for TFC.

You can’t overstate how important Osorio has been to this team. In the three games that he hasn’t dressed for TFC, the club has lost three times. All three of those games the team hasn’t scored. In fact, Toronto have only scored twice all season without the Brampton, Ont., native on the pitch.

READ MORE: ‘He’s the face of Toronto FC’: Jacob Shaffelburg on Jonathan Osorio

When asked about the club’s goal-scoring troubles last week at the BMO Training Ground, head coach and sporting director Bob Bradley pointed to Osorio’s absence from the team as one of the reasons the team hasn’t been able to create as many high-danger scoring chances as they would’ve liked.

“Sharpness is decision making,” said Bradley. “Those are things that determine when you get advantages, whether you get a really good chance, whether you score, or whether it just goes away. When we look at our group right now, that level is not as high as it needs to be.

“… When [Osorio’s] healthy, and he’s sharp, and the ball moves quickly through the midfield like it does in most games … then we see some good things. We’ve scored some good goals. When Oso’s out, obviously we’re not quite as good at finding some of those moments.”

Osorio has contributed three goals and four assists in 10 regular-season games in his 10th season with the club. He’s re-found his scoring touch that made him so lethal in 2018 when he scored 10 goals and seven assists in 30 appearances. As it stands, he’s on pace to net nine goals and 12 assists by the end of the season if he stays healthy and keeps up this pace.

But the box-to-box midfielder’s ability to find the back of the net is just one aspect of the game that makes him so critical to this team. He’s evolved into the most versatile player on the team, capable of playing as a no. 6 beside Michael Bradley, as an 8, as a 10, or even as an inverted winger as we’ve seen in past years.

With Mark Delgado departing the club, he’s been asked to play deeper in the midfield, which Bob Bradley recognizes has helped the team move the ball quicker and penetrate easier through the middle of the park.

“Oso is a good player. When he’s not on the field, some of the things that we do well in the midfield are more difficult,” said the TFC head coach and sporting director following Tuesday’s win. “He’s versatile. He’s smart. He and Michael have a very good understanding. Every team that we play tries to have a guy follow Michael because they know that the way we build often starts from the defenders going through him. And Michael knows that when he's playing with Oso that if he moves a little bit and draws his marker, Oso will see the space that's been left, find himself in a spot, get the ball and in those moments, our ability to be a little bit more fluid is there, so that's important.

“… there’s no mistaking how important he is for our team.”

READ MORE: Build the Statue: Jonathan Osorio’s legacy with club, country is like no other

The first Canadian to climb through the ranks of Toronto FC, Osorio is the franchise-leader in appearances made with 303 to his name. But even beyond all of the accolades and stats that cement Osorio as a certified club legend, the 29-year-old has developed into a true leader for his hometown team – on and off the pitch. His day-to-day impact is something that words or analytics will never be able to do justice.

“I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to pay [Osorio] back for everything that he’s done for me,” Jacob Shaffelburg told The Parleh earlier this year. “He’s been one of those guys to help me, bring me underneath his wing and just help me on every little thing possible – whether it’s yelling at me on the field for something or pushing me to be better. It’s just every little thing he’s been so helpful for me … he’ll forever be a big part of my career."

In about three weeks, Osorio will turn 30, but he seems to just keep getting better and better with each passing year, aging nicely like a fine wine. He’ll be out of contract at the end of the season, and will be eligible to sign a free transfer overseas as soon as July 1.

Back in March, Osorio told The Parleh that contract discussions between him and the club have yet to begin and that he was keeping every door open. In the past, he has voiced his desire to challenge himself at a higher level, alluding to the possibility that he makes the move to Europe at the end of this year.

READ MORE: Exclusive: Pending free agent Jonathan Osorio on his contract negotiations with Toronto FC

But if there is a number that works for Osorio to stay put, truthfully, it’ll be a tricky situation for President Bill Manning and Bob Bradley to navigate through. According to the MLSPA, Osorio is making $1,026,250.00 in guaranteed compensation this season – roughly $600,000 less than the maximum you can pay a non-designated player in Major League Soccer.

Assuming he finishes this season strong, Osorio will likely command a raise and term. Sentimentally, you sign Osorio to a lifetime contract in a heartbeat and get ready to build the statute. But remove sentiment from the equation, will Osorio, at age 33 in 2025, be worth say $1.625 million in a salary-budget league? Giving a pay raise and term to key players on the wrong side of 30 haven’t worked out well for the club in the past (see: Jozy Altidore).

Toronto FC’s management in 2022 have shown that they are willing to make tough decisions, but given what he means to the club, this one may just be their toughest yet.

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