TORONTO—Holding aloft the inaugural Landon Donovan MVP, Toronto FC forward Sebastian Giovinco wasted no time in looking ahead to next season.
“It was my best season, for sure,” Giovinco said. “[But] soccer is a team sport. Too bad that [we] couldn't win as a team, but next year we will try to win the championship. [I] will be happy to share the trophy with the team.”
Giovinco's signing was announced back in January, and Toronto FC GM Tim Bezbatchenko knew then he had a great talent.
"Sometimes it takes players time to acclimate to our league, with all the travel, the cities, the conferences, the playoffs," Bezbatchenko said. "Seba, from the moment he stepped off the plane, has shown that he was truly special.”
As it turned out, Giovinco suffered none of the early struggles that have afflicted many a player – Steven Gerrard, Thierry Henry, David Beckham to name but a few – making the leap across the pond. Even Bezbatchenko admitted surprise at how well his marquee addition withstood the test of this first year in MLS; Giovinco appeared in 34 of Toronto's 35 regular-season and playoff matches.
“A lot of players get injured due to the amount of travel, but it's a credit to our medical staff, trainers and [head coach] Greg Vanney, for managing his minutes,” Bezbatchenko said, commending “Sebastian's commitment to maintaining his fitness. "[He's] an example for all the young kids out there.”
The on-field transition wasn't Giovinco's only challenge: he also had to adapt to what Vanney acknowledged, that he would become the focal point of the team.
“He's a quiet guy," Vanney said. "Coming from Juventus, where he didn't have to say too much, he didn't have as great appreciation for the value of his message. If Sebastian has anything to say to the group, it carries that much more weight.
"That's one of my challenges for him. He doesn't have a ton of ways to continue to grow as a player, but assuming, from a leadership standpoint, and understanding the power of his voice is a next step for him.”
Giovinco's time in Europe never allowed him the freedom to flourish. It would be easy to assume that a lack of playing time or recognition might have grown into frustration, something perhaps evident in the ferocity with which Giovinco took to MLS pitches, but he dismissed such negativity.
“When you play with fun, it's easy to achieve your goal,” Giovinco said.
The season he composed in MLS drew notice on each side of the Atlantic, with reported Barcelona interest in the 28-year-old's services.
“A player who scored 22 goals and has 16 assists is always going to have interest abroad,” Bezbatchenko said. “It's flattering to know one of the top clubs in the world has an interest in Sebastian. If something comes in, we'll politely decline.
"We're an ambitious club. We need stars: players that will take the game on their back and score that winning goal. That, for us, is Sebastian Giovinco.”
The Italian international also earned a callup to Gli Azzuri, prompting some to fret that Giovinco won't be available for his club during next summer's UEFA European Championship in France.
“[We] anticipate losing him for the Euros next year. The way he has played, he's earned the right to be called,” Bezbatchenko said. “I expect him to play a starring role. We have to plan for the worst, expect him to be gone.”
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Dissatisfied with solely personal recognition, for Giovinco, the playoff defeat in Montreal left a sour taste to the season – Vanney: “(Sebastian) did not take that well; he exploded, and the locker room felt it, (especially) some of the chairs. He's passionate about winning, that's why he came.”
“Now this is the past. [We] will be ready for next year and, hopefully, will make it [to the playoffs] again and win the Cup,” Giovinco said, through his translator.
“I would like to win more,” warned Giovinco – in English, ensuring everyone understood: This award was not the apex. He's coming for the Cup.
