Toronto FC ride Lorenzo Insigne “magic” to first win of Herdman era

Johnson in particular stepped up, most notably with a finger-tip save to deny Matt Polster’s goal-bound equalizer in stoppage time.

“Saves like that from Sean Johnson are gonna keep us there,” Herdman said of the former MLS Cup champion with New York City FC, who has two straight clean sheets to start the season. “He made some good saves last week and he’ll continue to make good saves – that’s what teams that win championships do.”

On that note, Herdman added that Insigne, Johnson, Bernardeschi and TFC’s supporting cast can not only rise from the depths of the Eastern Conference, but compete with the league’s elite.

“For us, our big players are coming big,” Herdman declared. “And that’ll need to last throughout the whole season if we’re gonna push.”