Toronto FC's Federico Bernardeschi left out of Matchday 15 squad

Toronto FC forward and designated player Federico Bernardeschi has been left out of their Matchday 15 squad vs D.C. United due to a "coach's decision" from Bob Bradley.

The decision to drop Bernardeschi comes after his post-game rant following their 1-0 road loss to Austin FC. The former Juventus player made his thoughts known regarding TFC head coach and sporting director Bradley's approach to games.

"Sincerely, this team, this city, the fans, everybody don't deserve this, and I think maybe we need to change something," he asserted.

"We need to [have] a little bit more tactics. We need an idea of how we play because this is the real problem for me. It's impossible to play like this when we play without [an] idea. This is the big problem for me."

Bernardeschi, the fourth-highest paid player in the league, has scored three goals and assisted three times this season.

Bradley remarked on Bernardeschi's comments saying they were "out of line."

Toronto FC have experienced one of their worst starts in club history as they sit at the bottom of the Eastern Conference with 13 points after 14 games played. TFC have won just twice this season with Bernardeschi and fellow Italian Lorenzo Insigne leading the line.

The Eastern Conference team has been dealt injury blows left and right this season and face a tough task against the streaking D.C. United without their designated player. TFC aims to climb back up the Eastern Conference table to return to the MLS playoffs for the first time since 2020.

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