Aug 6, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto FC forward Sebastian Giovinco (10) celebrates after scoring a penalty during the second half in a game against the New England Revolution at BMO Field. Toronto FC won 4-1. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports

Very quietly, Toronto FC’s Sebastian Giovinco has blossomed into a superstar, but with minimal attention, are Toronto sports fans taking him for granted?

For any Toronto sports fans who haven’t done already, please take note of the talent Sebastian Giovinco. Despite being only 5-foot-4 and 140 pounds, the Toronto FC star stands above the rest, when it comes to his dominance over MLS and his fellow Toronto athletes – and yet, he remains an unknown, an enigma.

Think of this as my shout out, my public service announcement to all of Toronto: do yourself a favour and check out a TFC game. Even if you aren’t a fan of MLS, or even soccer in general, take 90 minutes to watch the magical little superstar that is Giovinco.

Without a doubt in my mind, the Italian is the most underappreciated athlete when you look at all the Toronto sports teams. Since joining Toronto FC, he has put himself in the conversation for the best player in MLS history and continues to reiterate that fact with highlight level plays in virtually every match.

In addition, the stadium and the supporters are world-class as well. Other than the Toronto Blue Jays, TFC continues to provide an electric atmosphere during the summer months, with another playoff berth around the corner.

While I consider myself a soccer fan in general, I often find myself sticking to watching the Premier League, La Liga, Champions League, Serie A, or other major tournaments such as the World Cup, Euros, and Copa America. I watch these leagues and competitions, because it is soccer at the highest of levels.

The history, passion, energy, and the quality of soccer is the reason I watch. Unfortunately for MLS, it is tough to put them in the same category.

While the league has done a fine job of improving over the past couple of years, there was never the high-end talent that would peak my interest. On Saturday August 6th, I changed my mind.

In Major League Soccer there is a salary cap, which restricts player spending for the rich clubs to the top four or five players. Also, teams are limited to three imported players on their roster.

I knew Toronto FC was one of the bigger clubs, and was aware of some of their big name players, such as Michael Bradley, Jozy Altidore, and Giovinco. However, I had never truly realized the talent they had, until I watched a full 90 minute game against the New England Revolution.

I noticed right off the bat that No. 10 in red was something special. Giovinco was already a name that I had heard of, especially since he won the League MVP in 2015, but I never had the pleasure of watching him play.

What a time to tune in for my first match – not only was it a blowout win for TFC, but Giovinco was an absolute wizard, scoring three beautiful goals and assisting on the fourth. On top of that, the crowd was loud and energetic throughout the match.

This made me wonder why have I not heard more about TFC in the Toronto media? Why isn’t there more talk about the dominance of Giovinco and the potential title run for Toronto FC?

Are we taking for granted the best player in league history? In my humble opinion, we are.

Since its inception 11 years ago, Toronto FC has enjoyed incredible support from its fans. However, they fell off the radar, in large part due to not making the playoffs until last season.

Many radio shows, TV networks, and newspapers do not provide long featured pieces about TFC like they do with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Toronto Raptors and Blue Jays. This is mainly due to the small demand for Toronto FC content.

Ownership and management failed the team, the fans and the media by taking for granted their incredible supporters and the initial boom of interest, and, sadly, interest has not rebounded the way it should. This is something MLSE has been trying to do the past couple of seasons by bringing in a player like Giovinco, and with the big expansion made to BMO Field.

Since 2013, nearly $200 Million has been pumped into the club in terms of player spending, training grounds, and an incredible upgraded stadium. No longer is this club one of the afterthoughts.

They are now being lauded as one of the premier clubs in all of Major League Soccer. They are spoken of in the same echelon as the LA Galaxy, Seattle Sounders, New York Red Bulls, Portland Timbers and Sporting Kansas City.

This is now a club who should maintain its place among the league’s elite for a long time. This is especially the case, when you consider their transfer/wage budget, big market, impressive stadium and the aforementioned superstar, Giovinco.

The time is now for TFC to legitimately be viewed as a title contender year-in and year-out. You can no longer take this team, or Giovinco, for granted.

This league has never seen a talent like No. 10 in red. He is averaging 1.21 goals and assists per 90 minutes while Robbie Keane, one of the most recognizable stars and one of the more dominant players in the league, sits second at 1.08 goals.

So what can be done to draw more attention to TFC?

Winning in the playoffs would be a start for them, as they lost their only playoff game to the Montreal Impact. The other is to find a better way to market a star player like Giovinco, a tough task considering he does not speak English very well

However, when you look back at the marketing campaign for Jermaine Defoe when he was brought in, it appears TFC has not done enough with Giovinco. At some point it could end up being the story that dominates his tenure in Toronto: a superstar that was not always treated as one, one that was taken for granted.