As Toronto FC struggled to handle the visiting Montreal Impact Saturday afternoon, there was suddenly a commotion in the stands at BMO Field.

Security guards rushed over to a group of fans who’d just unfurled a banner and forced them to take it down. The message on the handcrafted display, which included a London-style double-decker bus? “It’s a bloody big joke.”

The phrase seemed to sum up the sentiment of many long-time TFC fans and season-ticket holders with the MLS playoffs out of reach once again. Needing to win their final two games and have fifth-place Columbus lose theirs, the Reds instead tied the worst team in the league, 1-1. While attendance was officially announced at 18,329 fans, many seats were empty throughout.

For Eli Zeldin, who created the contraband banner with a group of friends and fellow fans, falling short of the team’s first playoff berth despite a $100-million off-season makeover was almost too much to take.

“It started with such high hopes. I remember sitting on that double-decker bus MLSE rented to bring everybody to the press conference,” said Zeldin, referring to the day TFC introduced star English Premier League striker Jermain Defoe and U.S. national team midfielder Michael Bradley as the key pieces of the makeover designed to end the team’s history of futility. He was one of the happy fans chanting and disrupting the press conference so much that Defoe and Bradley could only look on and smile.

It was supposed to be the dawn of a new era for a franchise which has never reached the playoffs. International stars, a new slogan — “It’s a bloody big deal” — and a bold, brash executive promising a brighter future.

Now, the playoffs are out of reach, Defoe’s injured again and the executive, MLSE president Tim Leiweke, is on his way out of town. (Bradley was also out of action for Saturday’s match, sitting out a suspension after collecting two yellow cards.)

Part of the collapse, suggested Zeldin with tongue only partly in cheek, is Leiweke’s fault. Months before signing Defoe and Bradley and just a short while after having taken over MLSE, Leiweke had said TFC was the easiest of the company’s teams to turn around.

“We’ll make the playoffs next year. Write it down,” he told a group of Toronto-area business leaders last October.

Whether it was tempting fate or just plain old cockiness, Leiweke shouldn’t have said it, Zeldin said.

“I just cringed when Leiweke said that. For an executive of a Toronto sports team to promise that they’ll make the playoffs, that almost guarantees that they won’t.”

For longtime fan Mike Charette, who’d upgraded to more expensive season tickets this year, the fact the team had the most wins in franchise history and a few more points than last season doesn’t matter much.

“Ugliness and instability (the TFC way) reared its ugly head once again. Had the year gone by drama free and steps forward were actually being made, I wouldn’t be as pissed off as I am today,” said Charette.

Drama? Head coach Ryan Nelsen getting fired mid-season after a public spat with GM Tim Bezbatchenko; Defoe getting injured several times, followed by transfer deadline rumours that he wanted out of town. It’s all left Charette shaking his head and wondering whether he’ll be buying season tickets again. When he emailed the ticket office this week asking for five good reasons why he should order again, his message bounced back.

“It was amusing to me as I saw it (that) their email servers are as dysfunctional as the team is,” Charette said.

In the funereal atmosphere of the TFC dressing room after their final home game of the season, players begged fans not to give up on the team. Reds goalie Joe Bendik, looking at times as though he was on the verge of tears, said he feels their pain.

“I know it’s difficult. It always is. I’m an Atlanta Braves supporter and they win the pennant all the time and can’t do anything in the playoffs, so it’s difficult. But you support who you support for a reason,” said Bendik, whose thoughts were echoed by team captain Steven Caldwell.

“I would say, stick with it. That’s what a supporter is, somebody who follows a team through thick and thin. Obviously there has been a lot of disappointments in the life and career of a TFC supporter but I’d just like to say that as long as I am here I’ll be giving 100 per cent and hoping that I can get this team to the playoffs and challenging for major trophies,” said Caldwell.

As painful as it was for his players to miss out on the post-season in a year when they were expected to be contenders, head coach Greg Vanney told them after the game that they needed to remember the experience.

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“I said, ‘Take this feeling in, because for me, we should never ever have this feeling again.’ This should be the last time. This will be the last time we don’t make the playoffs.’ That mentality needs to start immediately,” said Vanney.

Even if they don’t live up to Vanney’s goal, at least one disgruntled fan will be back.

“I’ll be back because I’m a sadomasochist of some kind,” said Zeldin. “I’m not a glory hunter. I support Tottenham, the Maple Leafs, the Blue Jays, the Raptors, and TFC.”

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