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When Toronto FC made history in the past, it was usually all bad.

Manager Ryan Nelsen complained in 2013 of inheriting "probably the worst put-together squad in the history of the league." Then there was star striker Danny Koevermans who lamented being part of "setting a record for the worst team in the world" as Toronto opened the 2012 MLS season with a record-setting nine straight losses.

Koevermans, to his credit, scored the goal that finally ended the record slide. But the franchise finished the 2012 season from hell on a 13-game winless streak, bumbling to a franchise-worst 5-21-8 record.

"A lot of times … the players were just like laughing after the game. You lose the games and they don't care," goalkeeper Milos Kocic said bitterly.

Toronto was so bad that year that in order to prevent season ticket-holders from abandoning ship in 2013, it rolled back prices to 2007 inaugural-season levels. For owner Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment Ltd., it must have been like swallowing a bowling ball.

Remember this is a franchise that took five years to win its 10th game on the road. A team that once sold a defender to a team in Cyprus only to immediately take him back on loan and not tell anyone of the transaction for six months.

"We thought it would be more of a distraction than anything," GM Tim Bezbatchenko offered somewhat lamely at the time.

But now the former MLS doormat is making news for all the right reasons. On Wednesday, Toronto players and fans celebrated in front of the south stand at BMO Field, banging drums and doing the Iceland clap in the wake of Toronto's first ever postseason win – a 3-1 decision over Philadelphia.

Its only other foray in the playoffs was a humiliating 3-0 defeat in Montreal last year.

For captain Michael Bradley, Wednesday night's win was a taste of things to come for players and fans alike.

"We leave everything on the field for the badge and for the club and for you guys," he said, referring to the team's supporters. "You guys, as we've said, make an atmosphere that makes a difference for us. And if you continue to help us and we continue to leave everything on the field for you guys, then it's only going to get more fun."

The Philadelphia Union are not exactly Barcelona and one playoff win does not a dynasty make. Tougher challenges await in the playoffs, starting with New York City FC this Sunday. The Eastern Conference-leading New York Red Bulls likely lie in wait down the line – and that's just to get out of the East.

But let's take a second to celebrate a special moment in a franchise that has had far too few.

It has taken 324 regular-season matches and nine managers to get here. Not to mention a few players.

Over the years, the Toronto shirt has been worn by players from Canada, Argentina, Bermuda, Brazil, Cameroon, Chile, Curacao, Ecuador, England, France, Gambia, Ghana, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Iran, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Latvia, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Panama, Puerto Rica, Russia, Serbia, Scotland, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, the United States and Wales.

That roster has stretched from Miguel Aceval to Gianluca Zavarise and 5-foot-2 Joao Plata to 6-foot-5 Andy Iro.

Who could forget – or remember – Mista, the Spanish forward/designated who managed one assist in nine anonymous games?

Today Toronto has the best designated players (DPs) money can buy – Bradley, Sebastian Giovinco and Jozy Altidore will earn a combined $18.48-million (U.S.) this season according to figures released by the MLS Players Union. All three are game-changers, with Giovinco – a diminutive magician with a deep bag of tricks – dazzling on a weekly basis.

They, in turn, have drawn other talent north of the border, leading to a playoff party that has finally begun.

"It's fun to watch, I'll tell you that much," veteran defender Drew Moor said of Toronto's DPs. "I can't watch too much of it because I have to be organizing behind the ball. But it's one of the main reasons I came here – to play with guys like Sebastian Giovinco and Jozy Altidore and Michael Bradley. That's just a short list of the great players on this team.

"When your big players turn in performances like that and all the role players step up as well, we're going to be a difficult team to beat."

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