Most people thought it was impossible, but Toronto FC had an even more exciting offseason than last year. 2014 provided us with the arrival of USMNT midfielder Michael Bradley, and England international Jermaine Defoe. Arriving from AS Roma and Tottenham, promises of a first ever playoff appearance for Toronto FC were brought along with. However, much to the dismay of Toronto FC supporters, the Reds fell just short of their goal when the regular season came to an end. To add salt to the wounds of supporters, rumors of the departure of Jermaine Defoe were already swirling.

For those who don't know, the rumors were true and Defoe has left the club. But that's not to say Toronto didn't get anything in return. The club was able to strike a deal with Sunderland for a straight swap of the two strikers. It seemed like a deal players were happy about. USMNT striker Jozy Altidore came in return, and he was in desperate need of playing time as he was buried on the Sunderland bench week after week. Altidore will be returning to the league he started in. He started his career with the New York Red Bulls in 2006, where after a hot start to his young career, signed to Villarreal in 2008.

If the Altidore signing wasn't exciting enough for fans, Toronto FC just completed arguably the most important signing in MLS history: Sebastian Giovinco. The 5'5" Italian may be short in stature, but he's made the biggest news in MLS this season. The 27-year-old Giovinci arrives by way of Italian giants, Juventus, where he has been under contract his entire career with loan spells to Empoli and Parma. Toronto dropped a whopping 5 year, $7 million contract on Giovinco, making him the second highest player in MLS behind Orlando City SC striker, Kaka.

Before all of the excitement over Altidore and Giovinco, Toronto made some moves that both bolstered and hindered their roster. With the 14th pick in the Chivas USA dispersal draft, the Reds selected midfielder Marco Delgado. Delgado is a promising young talent who was first signed to the league as a Chivas USA homegrown player in 2012. Only 19 years of age, Delgado has 37 appearances for Chivas USA, and a handful of USYNT caps.

In the re-entry draft, Toronto FC selected Real Salt Lake striker Robbie Findley. The veteran striker will add nice depth to the striker position, but will be taking a backseat to Altidore when the season starts. Findley has 38 goals in his six years in MLS with the Los Angeles Galaxy and and RSL, and bagged three more in 25 appearances for English side Nottingham Forest.

Along with declining contract options of Andrew Wiedeman and Jeremy Hall, Toronto also declined the option of Dwayne De Rosario. De Rosario is an MLS and Canadian national team legend. The 36 year old midfielder is Canada's all-time leading scorer, 2011 MLS MVP, and four-time MLS Cup champion. De Rosario first arrived in Toronto in 2008 via trade, and two years later was named as the team's second ever captain. He not only holds the record for most goals scored in a season for Toronto (15) but also is the Red's all-time leading goal scorer by a wide margin. If Altidore finds his AZ Alkmaar form, we could finally see those records broken. De Rosario became an MLS journeyman when he was traded around to his fourth and fifth MLS clubs, New York Red Bulls and DC United. After resigning with Toronto in 2014, we sit here one year later with the veteran looking for a new home.

With their first pick in the 2014 MLS SuperDraft, Toronto FC selected young USMNT goalkeeper Alex Bono. He has seven caps with the U20's, and played his collegiate soccer at Syracuse University, as well as time at PDL side Reading United. It's unlikely he'll become the Red's starter right away, but if history of USMNT goal keepers in MLS is anything to go by, Bono will be an exciting young prospect. Also in the draft, Toronto FC selected Canadian center back Skylar Thomas, who could compete for a starting job early in the season.

Key Additions

- Jozy Altidore

- Sebastian Giovinco

- Marco Delgado

- Robbie Findley

- Alex Bono

Key Losses

- Jermaine Defoe

- Dwayne De Rosario

- Doneil Henry