Toronto FC’s head honcho agrees Joe Saputo’s dairy industry is no laughing matter.

“He’s made a lot of money off cheese,” MLSE CEO Tim Leiweke said of the Montreal Impact owner.

“There’s no joking there,” he added with a smile.

In terms of running a soccer club, though, Saputo’s recent comments criticizing Toronto’s kid-in-a-candy store spending habits struck a nerve with the club’s top brass.

“I love the fact Joey (Saputo) is shooting at us,” Leiweke told the Toronto Sun during a round-table discussion with the team’s top suits on Tuesday.

“I think we have better young players (than Montreal). A better academy. A better focus on what (our staff) is trying to do with the young kids.”

In an interview with local reporters last week, Saputo referred to TFC spending close to $70 million on Jozy Altidore and Sebastian Giovinco as “crazy” and warned “it may hurt” Major League Soccer down the road.

The cheese tycoon’s comments come one year after Philadelphia Union CEO Nick Sakiewicz threw a pity party because of TFC’s decision to spend tens of millions for Michael Bradley and Jermain Defoe.

“The league is going through a debate — the haves versus the have nots,” Leiweke added.

“Are we going to count mints on the pillow and bring everyone down to the lowest common denominator? Or are we going to create a vision of what soccer can be in North America in the next five-to-10 years and challenge the system?

“That’s what we’re doing with our DPs. Our owners have spent what we’re spending at BMO.”

Along with Leiweke, general manager Tim Bezbatchenko and head coach Greg Vanney were also in the room on Tuesday to discuss the club’s transformational off-season — and how the Reds, despite Saputo’s claims, are more than just a few big-shot Designated Players.

Guys such as veteran French midfielder Benoit Cheyrou and centre back Damian Perquis — whom Vanney referred to as “men” — are expected to feature prominently this season.

Character guys such as Robbie Findley are expected to add to the togetherness that they admitted was absent last season.

“We didn’t even get the big (signings) right last year,” Bezbatchenko said. “You know, guys who are going to fit right on the field and not get into fights about who is going to take a free kick.”

Maybe more important are a few of the guys Toronto FC has drafted in recent years — players on low-budget numbers MLS clubs sometimes live and die by as the season wears on.

And that, according to Leiweke, is why Saputo’s recent remarks don’t hold much weight.

“It’s funny that in Montreal they’re upset with how we’ve spent money, but we’ve spent more time and energy on our draft picks and academy in the last 12 months than we ever did.

“Toronto needs Montreal and Montreal needs Toronto to dislike each other. That’s a good thing. I hope we have an even better rivalry. I think it’s good Joey adds fuel to the fire. I completely disagree with him.”

Meanwhile, the Impact, it seems, are slowly becoming the Limp-act — something Saputo himself recently revealed after his side finished dead last in the 2014 MLS table.

“The buzz is not (here) anymore,” Saputo said of his club’s falling attendance. “We saw what wasn’t working last year. We brought in 11 new players. The 12th player — our fans — is tougher to sign.”

Through it all — missing the playoffs for eight straight seasons, the coaching carousel, fan discontent — the Reds appear to be trending in the opposite direction less than a month before first kick.

Dave Hopkinson, MLSE’s chief commercial officer, expects the club to sign up 4,000 season-seat holders in addition to the a 90% season-seat renewal rate from last year. Leiweke said more than once during Tuesday’s chit chat that he expects Toronto FC to do more than $50 million in revenue in 2015, a number he claimed would be a North American soccer record.

“If TFC wins, they’re going to be just as relevant as the Jays and the Raptors,” Leiweke said. “We can do that here, but we have to win ... We know what will happen if we win here.”

The culture of losing, ironically, is why some players are buying in.

Experienced Europeans such as Cheyrou and Perquis wanted to be a part of something big, making it simpler than it seems to court players when you can offer them something that has never been done.

“It’s about us going out and having people in key places,” Bezbatchenko said, adding he asks veteran players a simple question: “What are people saying when they bring up your name in Toronto?”

“What (Cheyrou) hasn’t done is go where the future of soccer is and take a team that has never done something and win something.”

In other words, the Reds, despite their history, are doing the opposite of Saputo.

They’re using the club’s troubled past as a selling point for players who are looking to cement a legacy that won’t get lost mid-table somewhere in France — or on the bench in the Premier League.

At the same time, the culture of losing at Toronto FC can no longer be attributed to those who tried and failed before. There are no more stadium upgrades to boost excitement. No more DP slots left unfilled.

There’s nothing to fall back on if things go awry for a ninth straight time.

“The pressure here allows us to dream big,” Leiweke said. “The pressure will also bat us down and hit us with a two-by-four when we screw up.

“This only works if we win. So this is a miserable failure if we lose.”

It will also give Saputo another chance to get the last laugh following a long list of I-told-you-so’s.

“I’m glad he disagrees with the way we’re building a club,” Leiweke finished. “We look forward to playing them this year.”

SIMONIN IMPRESSES

The Reds are big on the guy “nobody knew.”

Not only is Toronto FC confident it will sign each of its 2015 draft picks to USL or MLS contracts, they’re also positive they got the steal of the draft with the ninth overall pick.

Toronto FC head coach Greg Vanney gave centre back Clement Simonin rave reviews on Tuesday.

That’s not to say the North Carolina State product is on the cusp of breaking into the lineup, but he’s certainly in the running to make the club’s opening-day roster.

“He was the one nobody knew about,” Vanney said. “Nobody was taking him at No. 9. He’s done a very good job in pre-season and is progressing quickly.

“All of the guys we’ve drafted are doing well. But if we are having to depend on them we’re not where we want to be.”

Simonin didn’t participate in the MLS Combine after taking part in a special combine TFC helped set up in Vegas a week earlier. Conspiracy theorists might go so far as to say certain clubs advised him not to take part in last month’s MLS-sponsored event to avoid being seen by other clubs higher up in the draft order.

The Reds entered the 2015 MLS SuperDraft with a massive advantage after their scouts watched clips of more than 250 NCAA games while attending 75 matches in person.

“To have a coach sit here and say he likes all 11 (draft picks and homegrown players) hasn’t been heard of in the history of Major League Soccer,” MLSE CEO Tim Leiweke said.

The Reds are back in Toronto following a short stay in Orlando. They’ll depart for Bradenton, Fla., later this week where the club’s younger players will have a final chance to compete for spots in an exhibition tournament prior to the season opening in Vancouver on March 7.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

*Michael Bradley was named TFC’s captain, replacing current captain Steven Caldwell in a somewhat controversial play by head coach Greg Vanney.

* Bradley confirmed Jozy Altidore’s hamstring injury isn’t as serious as feared. Altidore was subbed off during a U.S. friendly against Panama on Sunday in L.A.

*TFC is expected to drop a new season-ticket campaign late next week, asking loyal fans for one last chance to win them back.

*According to Vanney, Toronto FC had the talent in 2014 to make the MLS playoffs. What they didn’t have was the mentality.

*MLSE CEO Tim Leiweke said TFC received calls about signing Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard before other clubs in Major League Soccer. Lampard is set to begin play with New York City FC this season while Gerrard is set to join the L.A. Galaxy.

*Toronto FC released its official broadcast schedule on Tuesday, including game times for each of its 34 games.