TORONTO – And a Canadian shall lead them.

On a Toronto FC side littered with players from around the globe, it is hometown boy Jonathan Osorio who has been the MLS Cup champions’ best player this season.

Building upon a solid second half of the 2017 MLS campaign, the Canadian midfielder has been even better in 2018. Osorio is enjoying a career season with the Reds – he leads the team in league scoring with eight goals this term, and a team-high 14 in all competitions. Osorio played a starring role in TFC’s run to the CONCACAF Champions League final, as he was named to the tournament’s all-star team and finished tied with teammate Sebastian Giovinco as the competition’s top scorer with four goals.

Osorio has also proven to be incredibly durable for a Toronto team that has been ravaged by injuries. He ranks second on TFC in minutes played in MLS with 1,622 (behind only captain Michael Bradley, at 1,687) and has started in each of the 19 league matches he’s played. When you add in his appearances over both legs of the Canadian Championship semifinals against the Ottawa Fury (in which he scored twice), nobody has played as much and meant more to TFC this year than Osorio.

His future remains unclear, though, as he is in the final six months of his contract. Both coach Greg Vanney and general manager Tim Bezbatchenko have publicly stated they want to extend his deal, and Bezbatchenko has said he has been in talks with Osorio’s agent.

Osorio has previously expressed a desire to leave MLS in order to test himself abroad, and sources have told Sportsnet that clubs in Mexico and Europe are interested in the Canadian. But now, he’s not certain if it’s the right time to leave MLS.

“I don’t know it it’s going to be that simple that I wake up one morning and know that it’s the time [to go abroad]… If it comes, it will come when it’s supposed to,” Osorio told reporters this week.

He later added: “I don’t know what’s going to happen I just know I’m here now and I’m happy here in Toronto. So, we’ll see.”

If Osorio does stay, he’ll most certainly earn a bump in pay. According to the MLS Players Association website, Osorio will make $209,825 this season, a true bargain and a modest sum considering what he’s meant to TFC in 2018. Giving Osorio a substantial pay raise will prove difficult in a salary cap league such as MLS, but it’s not impossible. Toronto, of course, could also decide to cash in and sell him off, and rake in a respectable transfer fee.

But considering he’s playing the best soccer of his career, and the way his career is trending, re-signing Osorio has to be a top priority for TFC. At 26, he can become one of the cornerstones of this franchise for years to come if he re-signs.

What has stood out most this season about the Canadian is his composure in front of goal. In past years, he routinely snatched at shots, and scoring chances routinely went begging. This year, he’s playing with a high level of confidence, and you just feel as though that he can’t miss, and that he’s going to bury it whenever he breaks in on goal – like he did in Saturday’s 3-0 home win over the Chicago Fire.

With Jozy Altidore out injured most of the year and Giovinco not scoring with his usual regularity in MLS, Osorio has firmly established himself as TFC’s most dangerous attacking threat. He’s also become far more efficient with the ball at his feet, always looking to pass on to a teammate and keep the ball moving, rather than linger while in possession and trying to beat players on his own as he did so often before.

Credit must be given to both Vanney and former Canadian national team coach Octavio Zambrano, who pushed Osorio to add more defensive elements to his playing style so he can become more of a two-way midfielder.

Osorio accepted the challenge with good grace, and he has become a more well-rounded player because of it. There have also been far fewer lapses in concentration, and he no longer losses his cool – at himself and at others.

“I feel like I’ve grown; I’ve improved a lot this season. I’m playing consistently,” Osorio said.

Others have noticed the difference in the Canadian, most notably Bradley, who has never been one to suffer fools gladly, and is renowned for holding his teammates accountable.

“He’s been very good, there’s now two ways about that. The part that everybody sees is the goals, and he’s [scored] some very important goals for us, so that part has been great. But his continued growth and improvement has been great to see,” Bradley offered.

“He’s a guy who at different times over the last few years, it’s not always gone perfectly for him, it’s not always gone his way. But his mentality to keep at it, to keep working and to keep trying to improve himself has meant that he always comes out stronger for it.”