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The celebration began on the frozen turf of BMO Field last December, moved to the dressing room and the noisy hallways and then onto the streets – seemingly for days.

Jubilation then, inquisition now for Toronto FC.

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“It feels like years ago,” said goalkeeper Alex Bono of the MLS Cup championship game. “This has definitely been a long year. After Champion’s League, it’s gone down and down and down and takes a lot out of you.”

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What happened?

“We could sit down for an afternoon, you know lunch and coffee, to really talk about this. And I think you’d still need more time. A lot more time. It’s a mixture of a lot of things. It’s tough when it goes like this. The fans start calling for coaches (to be fired). We don’t enjoy going out there and getting booed at BMO. We don’t enjoy the fans calling for our heads. We don’t enjoy this at all.”

This came almost out of nowhere, the demise of the Reds, a historical fall from grace: A year ago this time, and well into the fall, they were considered the best team in Major League Soccer. Some called them the best team ever. Last year, they lost one of 17 regular season games at home. This season, they’re lingering near the bottom of the Eastern Conference, near the bottom of the league they just dominated, with ony three wins in nine home games, one win in 10 road games. This isn’t just a fall, this has been a catastrophic collapse.