When Tim Bezbatchenko left Toronto FC for the Columbus Crew following the 2018 season, many couldn't fathom the decision. Why would the former Reds general manager choose to leave what had become one of the biggest clubs in Major League Soccer with a plethora of resources for a team that had been on the brink of relocation? The answer proved to be simple. He wanted to return home.
Bezbatchenko's parents had been Crew season ticket holders since the club's inception and he had the opportunity to rebuild his hometown club as the president and general manager of the team. “It’s a tough one because we really settled in Toronto,” Bezbatchenko said in an interview at the time. “We fell in love with the city and we weren’t going to leave for any other place.”
Bezbatchenko watched on
