I was at BMO Field in late June to watch Toronto FC's derby clash with the Montreal Impact. In town to observe Irish referee Alan Kelly and to try and gain an insight into how MLS officials prepare for assignments, I was consistently distracted once the game got underway.

I couldn't take my eyes off Sebastian Giovinco.

Just days before, I had been at Montreal’s Stade Saputo and watched the local side push past Orlando City SC largely thanks to the imperious defensive performance of Laurent Ciman – the Impact's astute off-season acquisition from Standard Liege. The Belgian international offered up a master class that evening – commanding, imposing, ferocious. Unforgiving and unrelenting, I expected another dominant display from him against TFC.

Instead, he was torn to shreds by the diminutive, fleet-footed Italian who ran him ragged. A constant menace, the former Juventus player set up Michael Bradley for Toronto's opener, delicately back-heeling the ball inside Ciman's challenge after beating him for pace. Later, Giovinco struck the base of the post from close range. Finally, he got his reward after being felled in the area late on, converting the resulting penalty to ensure both a 3-1 home win. It was a humbling experience for Ciman and his teammates.

And it's all been more than a little unusual for Toronto – a high-profile, celebrity signing that's worked. In his first season in MLS, Giovinco has dazzled. If you're into that sort of thing, his numbers are spectacular. In 23 games, he's scored 16 goals. He's added a further 11 assists. To break it down even further, that's a key contribution every 74 minutes he's played. But influence and impact goes further than that. There are the intangibles, too.

Nestled deep within the home supporters that night at BMO, a man sitting behind me had brought his girlfriend along to her very first TFC game. He dutifully pointed out each member of the team, giving some details of their position and what she should expect. When he reached Giovinco he paused and said, “Just watch what happens when this guy gets on the ball”.

When he's in possession, the Toronto crowd is whipped into a frenzy, not knowing what will happen next. There's an expectation that the 28-year-old will conjure a magic act - a drop of the shoulder here, a nutmeg there. His ability to accelerate, move through the gears at a rapid rate, is something to behold. His explosiveness, however, is complemented by a subtlety, an intelligence, a calmness under pressure.

But watching him up close, as he simultaneously seduced supporters and bemused defenders, an inevitable question came to mind: what's he doing here? At his peak, Giovinco has shunned the brighter leagues for a big paycheck. He'll make a guaranteed $7.1 million in salary this year while other bonuses will probably put his eventual earnings close to $10 million. It's a staggering amount for a player who, despite hinting at greatness many times, was never quite afforded permanent leading man status in Italy except during an excellent loan spell with Parma.

View photos Toronto FC forward Sebastian Giovinco, right, vies for the ball with Sporting Kansas City defender Kevin Ellis during the first half of an MLS soccer match in Toronto on Saturday, Aug. 8, 2015. (Frank Gunn /The Canadian Press via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT More

But at Toronto, Giovinco seems to be the grand facade. Since that win over Montreal, TFC have won twice from nine games. Most worryingly of all is the cavalier approach to defending that has seen them concede 22 goals in those fixtures. In six of them, they've shipped three or more goals. In back-to-back away assignments in Los Angeles and New York, they allowed eight goals. And as much as Giovinco racked up a famous 24-minute hat trick at Yankee Stadium, he couldn't paper over all the cracks.

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