NEWARK — Like most people, head coach Greg Vanney referred to Toronto FC as a contender last season. Who could blame him?

Following a come-from-behind win at D.C. United in June, the Reds — riding a three-game early-season winning streak — appeared capable of winning the East.

As TFC fans know, though, things aren’t always as they seem. And the Reds went on to win just three of their next 11.

Everyone remembers how the season ended — a jaw-dropping 3-0 playoff loss at Montreal’s Saputo Stadium.

“We’ve talked about (that loss) as a group,” Vanney told the Toronto Sun in an exclusive sit-down interview prior to Sunday’s season opener against the New York Red Bulls.

“As a group we weren’t ready quite yet to go deeper in the playoffs. In that way it will serve as motivation, a lesson. For us, that game told us that we weren’t quite ready yet.”

Toronto’s holes were exposed in one of the worst ways imaginable that night in Quebec.

The club believes they’ve filled them.

Out with Kantari. In with centre-back Drew Moor.

Out with Jackson. In with fullback Steven Beitashour.

Goalkeeper Clint Irwin and midfield engine Will Johnson are expected to play massive roles, too.

“We have a better sense of what our group looks like heading into this season,” Vanney said. “I feel good about the group. The guys we have added are experienced MLS guys.”

They’re guys who have experienced playing at Red Bull Arena many times before. They know what it takes to win on the road.

“Guys who have won big games in this league, they’ve won championships,” Vanney added. “It’s the start of a season — that has a special feeling — but it will be just another game for them. They have 200 and 300 games under their belts.”

In terms of early season tests, there aren’t any bigger in the Eastern Conference.

Historically speaking, the Red Bulls have owned Toronto FC in New Jersey.

Not to rehash old memories, but Toronto’s 3-0 loss here late last season was beyond convincing. It was just as embarrassing as Toronto’s soul-sucking playoff defeat.

“It became us being under pressure. Us not having guys in the right areas of the field to get out of the pressure,” Vanney recalled the last time the Reds played here in Jersey. “It became us not being able to get pressure on them in advanced areas of the field.”

“Them” — meaning the Red Bulls — haven’t really changed. The revamped Reds know what to expect at Red Bull Arena heading into Major League Soccer’s opening day.

But what should fans expect from these first arduous two months of the season?

The Reds won’t play a home date until early May. Expectations must be tempered.

“I know what’s out there but I spend time focusing on the game that’s coming,” Vanney said. “The first half of the season is a real challenge for us with the eight road games and then we start to hit the summer and lose guys for international games.

“But it’s an opportunity for us to learn to grind as a group and really how to defend as a group … That was one of our challenges last year. We need to defensively grind a little bit better and be comfortable in some of those games that were goalless.”

The Reds believe they’ve addressed most of their needs after re-examining what went wrong during portions of last season.

Moor and Damien Perquis are expected to shore up Toronto’s leaky defence. Johnson makes an already crowded midfield that much better.

In goal, Irwin is expected to help cut down on the number of goals conceded.

It will be impossible to fully judge all of these additions until the Reds play a home fixture.

But as Vanney — along with everyone else — learned last year, evaluation in this league can only come at the end of the season.

Early — and mid-season results are of little consequence come September, October and November, when the real contenders begin to emerge closer to the post-season.

The Reds don’t expect to come out completely unscathed from this exhausting opening road trip.

They do, however, expect to be there in the end rather than having one of their biggest highlights be a come-from-behind victory against a non-playoff team.

Take whatever happens Sunday with a grain of salt. It’s early.

5 BOLD TFC PREDICTIONS

1. TFC WILL BE OUTSIDE THE PLAYOFF PICTURE ON JUNE 1

Casual fans will gasp. But those familiar with Major League Soccer realize the first three months will be a slog.

BMO Field renovations have forced Toronto FC into eight straight away dates to start the season.

The Reds can’t be expected to pick up more than three or four wins before returning home in early May.

Once home, another stumbling block will interrupt Toronto FC’s complicated season.

Expect Jozy Altidore, Michael Bradley and Sebastian Giovinco to miss significant time due to international duty come June.

We might not even know how good — or bad — this team is until mid-July.

And there’s a decent chance Toronto could fall behind in the East for some time.

2) TFC DRAFT PICK ENDOH WILL BE ROBBED OF MLS roy

Major League Soccer’s top rookie award often comes down to playing time.

Expect TFC draft pick Tsubasa Endoh to see plenty of it this season.

Endoh, a 22-year-old Japanese attacker, was a first-team fixture during pre-season. He could start Sunday’s match at Red Bull Arena.

Furthermore, feeding guys like Michael Bradley, Sebastian Giovinco and Jozy Altidore means he could rack up quite a few assists throughout the season.

That said, Seattle Sounders striker Jordan Morris already is being hyped to epic proportions.

The U.S. international — a standout at Stanford — has already been pegged as America’s next big thing.

It likely won’t matter how good Endoh is. In the end, Morris will win the award if he has anything close to a solid season.

3. GIOVINCO WON’T WIN CONSECUTIVE MVP AWARDS

He’ll come close. But the Atomic Ant won’t become the first MLSer to win back-to-back MVP awards.

Quite frankly, I don’t think he’s going to score enough goals in Toronto’s new attacking setup.

Head coach Greg Vanney has opted to shift Giovinco to the left side of TFC’s 4-3-3 attack philosophy, meaning Altidore will play more centrally.

That rids Giovinco of his unpredictability.

Last season — one in which Giovinco scored 22 times — the Italian international was free to endlessly roam in front of opposing defences. It terrorized uncertain centre-backs who couldn’t keep track of him.

That’s not to say Giovinco won’t produce on the left side of TFC’s attack. It will, however, be easier for opposing teams to double down — using an outside midfielder — and pin Giovinco against the touch line and corner of the penalty area.

4. VANNEY WILL MAKE IT THROUGH TWO FULL SEASONS

New Toronto FC president Bill Manning had the opportunity to make a change this past off-season. He didn’t.

That means the club’s new head honcho has to live with his decision.

Simply put: The Reds have a roster that’s too good to not make the post-season.

Considering 10 or TFC’s final 15 matches are at BMO Field this season, expect head coach Greg Vanney to point to TFC’s back-loaded home schedule if things quickly go awry in 2016.

Manning won’t want to make any rash decisions early in his tenure. He’s not yet on the hook for any prior hirings.

Unless things go horribly wrong — like, Aron Winter-era wrong — expect Toronto’s current front office to stay intact for the foreseeable future.

5) TFC WILL have BEST HOME RECORD IN THE EAST

The Reds will play four straight at home on three separate occasions this year — a hidden benefit of playing a significant number of away games to begin the season.

As a result, it won’t take the Reds long to close any existing gap between themselves and the top of the table.

The club is hoping to make the new BMO Field a fortress down the stretch in 2016.

An improved roster should see TFC dominate its home dates like we’ve never seen.

If the Reds can survive losing their international stars for four to six games this season they could push for a top three finish that would allow them to finally host a playoff game.