In early May when Toronto FC played its first game ― and earned its first win ― of the season at BMO Field, Greg Vanney wished the result would give credence to the club’s renascence after nearly a decade without success.

“It’s believable now,” the Reds coach said at the time. “I hope people will see that.”

In hindsight, that 1-0 win over eventual Supporters’ Shield winners FC Dallas was one signal of a season-long rebirth for Toronto.

By the time TFC played its last game at home for the season, losing to the Seattle Sounders on penalty kicks in the MLS Cup final Saturday night, people did see it. A crowd of 36,045 — a record for soccer at BMO Field — filled the stadium; eyes from across the city and country tuned in. And no one believed more than the Reds’ players.

“It just felt like we were in control of the game and it was meant to be that we would win,” goalkeeper Clint Irwin said after his side dominated for 120 minutes without scoring.

But in about six minutes ― the time it took Seattle Sounders to score five penalties to Toronto’s four ― the believable turned baffling. The Sounders, who didn’t manage one shot on target before penalties, lifted the cup.

The champagne Toronto refused to open after being crowned Eastern Conference champions remained corked and “what ifs” abounded as the dominant team on the night struggled to reconcile its desires with the cruelty of the shootout loss.

“We were so determined and wanted so badly to finish this season off in front of our fans in this stadium holding up that cup. To know how close we were to doing that and ultimately miss out, that’s not an easy one to swallow,” said captain Michael Bradley, who admitted letting down the fans made him sick to his stomach.

But underneath the disappointment was another glimmer of hope.

The core of the Toronto FC squad that made this the most successful season in club history is expected to return for pre-season in little more than six weeks, and they’ll do so spurred by the hurt, anger and frustration of knowing just how close they came to an MLS Cup victory.

“Ultimately the hope is that at some point . . . we’re able to use this as even more fuel for what we’re trying to do and use it to make us even more determined and make sure the group is able to use this in a way that means that not only are we coming back to this point but, when we do get back to this point, we’re better for it and we’re ready to take the next step,” Bradley said.

Vanney expects to make no more than three moves to his squad in the off-season, tweaks to further strengthen a team whose acquisitions from last winter were crucial to Toronto getting as far as it did in 2016.

The coach believes his squad has the talent to get back to the championship next year, with designated players Bradley, Jozy Altidore and Sebastian Giovinco in the prime of their careers.

“We’re just getting started,” Vanney said.

Altidore, a beast on the night as he was all through the playoffs already had eyes on next year’s prize ― and how to get there ― late Saturday night.

“We need to put a little bit more work in, a lot more work in, and come back stronger.”

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While there isn’t much time to rest and recover, both mentally and physically, between the end of this season and the onset of the next, veteran Drew Moor thinks the quick break could benefit the club.

“I think maybe the short off-season is a good thing for us because we can look to 2017 and look to build on what we were able to create here this season.”