TORONTO

Imagine Saturday night’s match mattered.

Imagine Toronto FC was, as many hoped, playing for an Eastern Conference playoff spot in New England.

There would have been far more chaos in the aftermath of Saturday’s 1-0 loss than anytime during Jermain Defoe’s mid-season madness.

Chaos ensued 10 minutes before the break at Gillette Stadium when New England’s Chris Tierney, who was in an obvious offside position, was chipped in behind Toronto FC’s defence.

When the assistant appeared to put his flag up to signal offside, TFC’s players stopped in anticipation of the call.

“You expect what should happen, which is a competent call,” head coach Greg Vanney said post-game.

Tierney, though, did not stop. The Revs’ fullback skipped into the area before cutting a pass back to Lee Nguyen to finish in traffic.

By that time, the assistant, who appeared to signal for offside, had inexplicably lowered his flag and moved up the line.

When referee Ricardo Salazar pointed to the centre circle to signal a goal, Vanney erupted along the touch line.

“It’s unfortunate ... The guy was clearly two yards offside,” Vanney added. “The (referee) told him to put the flag down.

Toronto’s players looked bewildered while pleading with the officiating crew for an explanation that, if it did arrive, likely didn’t make and sense.

“The fourth official told me the centre waved off the assistant,” Vanney explained. “I couldn’t wrap my head around it as it didn’t make any sense.”

It brought back shades of the screw job the Reds received from referee David Gantar in Chicago last month — a match that saw Gilberto’s would-be game-winner waved off late on.

Unlike that match, however, Saturday night’s fixture was meaningless, allowing the league’s front office to escape having to apologize for another egregious decision against TFC from its embattled referees. The Reds were eliminated from playoff contention last week while New England was already locked into the East’s No. 2 playoff position.

“Before refs decided to get involved, we were excellent,” Vanney said. “Our organization was good. They had very little solutions for how to deal with us. We could have been a little tighter, but for being on the road I thought we were very good in the first 35 minutes.”

Toronto FC did have its fair share of moments in a match that was a mere formality.

Gilberto put his stunning scissor kick off the cross bar just before the game reached 10 minutes.

But the same problems persisted prior to Nguyen’s eventual — and controversial — game-winner.

In Vanney’s 4-5-1, the Reds had an obvious void in the middle. There’s nobody to play as a No. 10 behind Gilberto with Michael Bradley playing in a holding midfield role.

Until that player is found, this club won’t be a true contender.

Then there’s the problem with the back four. Henry, who may or may not be back next season after being sold to a Cypriot club, was a pylon in too many instances.

He stepped forward when he should have retreated in the 71st minute when a long diagonal beat TFC’s entire back four and led to New England’s Kelyn Rowe scuttling a breakaway.

After TFC’s Luke Moore saw his header saved by Bobby Shuttleworth with a quarter-hour remaining, Henry was again the culprit on a lax defensive play that saw him misplay a tackle inside the area with five minutes remaining.

That allowed New England’s Diego Fagundez to walk in on Joe Bendik before putting his effort wide of frame, cementing the final scoreline at 1-0.

And with that, Toronto FC heads off into another off-season after failing to make good on their top bosses’ promises to finally make the post-season.

“I don’t stop working,” Vanney said. “I have lots of work I need to do. I need to meet with my players and talk to them.

“I want to make sure each of our guys wants to be part of that. It’s about having guys that want to be here.”

Things will be dissected in the weeks to come. Toronto’s players and staff will be on the hot seat when they debrief with the press midweek.

They’ll have to answer questions pertaining to why Saturday night’s screw job didn’t really matter.

Any anger towards the referees is simply misplaced.

The Reds are in this position because they failed to pick up enough points through 34 games.

The club’s front office has taken enough heat. It’s time for the players to also hold their hands this week.

“We’re going to win and we’re going to be successful,” Vanney finished. “We’ll do whatever it takes to get there.”

THE GOOD, BAD AND UGLY

GOOD: Toronto FC looked like a solid road team through the first half-hour, beginning with Gilberto’s flying side volley 10 minutes in, an effort that rattled the crossbar. The Brazilian was good most of the night and showed in flashes what he’s capable of producing if provided service. The club’s off-season shopping list includes a player to help get the ball to Gilberto in good places. The guy hasn’t had a strike partner to play with most of the season. He showed in flashes why he could be a big time player in what will be his second season.

BAD: Steven Caldwell’s bizarre tactics inside the area in the 69th minute should have seen Toronto FC concede a second-half penalty. When the ball rolled to A.J. Soares with 20 minutes remaining, the New England defender blasted a shot right at Caldwell, who had both arms extended out in an effort to get big. But as Caldwell attempted to bring his arms back down to his side, the ball struck his right hand — a clear penalty and a clear makeup call from referee Ricardo Salazar.

UGLY: The gridiron lines were abundantly clear at Gillette Stadium Saturday night, reminding those of us who have followed Major League Soccer since 1996 that at least one Original 10 franchise has yet to put its big boy pants on. I’m sure Gilberto, Toronto’s Brazilian Designated Player, was confused as hell to see so many lines on the pitch. This is nothing new, though. New England Patriots owner Bob Kraft, who also owns the New England Revolution, is the only MLS owner who hasn’t shown the slightest interest in building a proper, 25,000-seat MLS venue. The Revs had a solid crowd on hand Saturday night. Imagine the support they’d get if they built a brand new venue in Boston.