Toronto FC’s dirty laundry has been aired out.

After criticizing Jermain Defoe late last week, MLSE CEO Tim Leiweke says he’s “cleared the air” ahead of the Englishman’s imminent return.

“He absolutely understands his job is to come help us by scoring goals and giving us a chance at the playoffs,” Leiweke told the Toronto Sun exclusively on Thursday night.

“We’re a better team with Jermain Defoe,” he said. “Our chances of making the playoffs are a lot better with him.”

The Reds haven’t had their leading scorer for close to a month because of a lingering groin injury.

Since then, he’s been laying low in England as reports swirl he is interested in a move back to the Premier League — a possibility Leiweke hasn’t shied away from.

He told a group of Ryerson MBA students late last week that Defoe can “get the hell out of our way” if he doesn’t want to remain in Toronto.

Defoe will address the media in the days following his scheduled return on Monday.

Head coach Greg Vanney has targeted an away date at L.A., two weeks from now, as Defoe’s potential return fixture.

“We agreed to leave the rest of it until after the season is over,” Leiweke said of any potential off-season transfer.

“Wherever we go, it will be a far better path if we put TFC in a position to make the playoffs this year. Everybody will be a lot happier.”

Sunday’s match at BMO Field isn’t a must-win, but it’s close.

The Reds host Chivas USA in a match they simply must win if the club’s pre-season playoff promise is to be met.

“I think we have to get everyone fighting to get into the playoffs,” Leiweke said.

Last week, Toronto FC’s top boss also sent shockwaves throughout the city when he commented on the amount of commitment inside the team’s dressing room. Leiweke pinpointed only Vanney and Michael Bradley as being committed to the cause, drawing the ire of some fans.

“It was meant to be a one-on-one session with a bunch of MBA students,” he said of the comments made at Ryerson. “I like talking to kids and being involved in their education. I thought I was trying to do something to help further their careers.

“Ironically, the last 10 minutes of the game (in Chicago) the other night I saw a fight and character within the team that gave me confidence we have a shot here to finish the season the right way.

'LOT OF FIGHT'

“It wasn’t just Michael,” Leiweke continued. “It was DeRo and the team as a whole. They showed a lot of fight and a lot of character.

“It was not meant to be a standalone assessment of lack of character or a disappointment in the team. I want to do everything we can to win. All that matters to me: How do we get into the playoffs?”

He backs Vanney as the man who gives Toronto FC the best chance, despite reports indicating the Reds might be set to go in a different direction at the end of the season. A weekend report in a Toronto paper indicated MLSE might approach former U.S. manager Bob Bradley this winter.

“I know Bob Bradley. I like Bob Bradley,” Leiweke said. “I’d have no issues reaching out to Bob Bradley if I wanted to reach out to Bob Bradley or help Tim (Bezbatchenko) reach out to Bob Bradley. Not true.”

“We’re not thinking about anybody but Greg Vanney right now. I’m a big fan of Greg Vanney. I don’t think there’s any secret.

“We’re trying to get everyone on the same page here once and for all.”

That’s the focus from now until November. A win Sunday could get fans back onside, as well.

A loss, though, will make Defoe’s return a bit more unceremonious.

The Reds — and Defoe, for that matter — have a chance to rescue the season.

Otherwise that freshly cleared air will be borderline unbreathable.

ARGOS REMAIN IN BMO FIELD PLANS

BMO Field will once again be one of the best places to play in Major League Soccer, MLSE CEO Tim Leiweke said.

But that doesn’t mean expansion plans won’t include the Toronto Argonauts one day.

“That’s a commitment that is a legal obligation to the city and the province,” Leiweke said of the CFL possibly coming to BMO Field. “We will honour that commitment.”

MLSE will be hosting a ground-breaking ceremony of sorts on Tuesday as construction to upgrade BMO Field is already under way.

“If you want to see a testament to the growth of MLS, go look at what our stadium was when it opened to what it is today,” Leiweke said. “We’ve fallen so far behind it’s shocking.”

MLS COMMISH SIDES WITH REDS

Major League Soccer Commissioner Don Garber “sympathized” with Toronto FC on Thursday.

Garber admitted at an MLS logo unveiling in New York that referee David Gantar “did not get it right in that game.”

He was referring to a controversial, last-minute call that denied TFC’s Gilberto a game-winning goal.

“A goal like that is what turns you around,” MLSE CEO Tim Leiweke told the Toronto Sun after hearing of Garber’s statement. “A lot of teams have been through that.”

“I think the whole team now is in a better place. I think that game helped us to vent our frustration.”

Garber also said the league is looking at whether or not to discipline TFC’s Michael Bradley, who went on an epic anti-referee rant in the locker room post-game.