Will the real Michael Bradley and Jozy Altidore please stand up?

Over the course of several weeks in June and July, observers of Toronto FC lamented the absence of the team's American stars, as both players missed a significant amount of time for their club while representing their country. Altidore was actually out earlier, as a hamstring injury felled the big striker in mid May and kept him out of action until just before the CONCACAF Gold Cup.

Both players left to take part in the continental championship, and TFC strived on, thanks in massive part to the sublime talents of Sebastian Giovinco. Still, everyone just knew that the team was incomplete without Bradley and Altidore, and once those two got back into the fold there would be no stopping Toronto as it steamrolled its way into the playoffs.

Of course, that's not exactly how things have gone so far.

Altidore returned from the Gold Cup early, his match fitness not up to snuff for Jurgen Klinsmann. Bradley, the new captain of the United States national team, lasted the length of his side's run, playing every minute that the USA was involved in.

Neither returned from the Gold Cup as quite the same player.

Altidore — deemed match fit by Greg Vanney — slotted right back into TFC's starting lineup, but questions about his health lingered. Increasingly, observers called into question the striker's mental state following his unceremonious exit from the U.S. national team, and the inquiries grew louder when the 25-year-old drew a straight red card for a retaliatory challenge on New England defender Jose Gonçalves at the beginning of August.

Something was just off about Altidore, especially after he had combined so well with Giovinco over the first two months of the season. Runs weren't being made, the trademark swagger wasn't on display and, most importantly, Altidore was missing chances in front of goal that he'd normally bury with ease.

As for Bradley, the 'General' finally showed signs of being human after a great start to the year. Unfortunately for TFC, it was immediately after he had put in an insane amount of mileage on his legs while wearing the Red, White and Blue, leading to an ill-timed calf strain. And while he scored a beauty of a goal upon his return to the TFC lineup last week, his overall play has been below the sky-high standard we've all become accustomed to.

Like his good buddy Altidore, there's just something off about Bradley's play. And that's not good enough.

It may come across as harsh, especially given what we know the two Jersey boys can do when at their best, but Toronto needs both Bradley and Altidore to pick it up a notch. It's gotten to the point where some have openly (and unfairly) wondered whether Toronto is better off without either Bradley or Altidore in the lineup.

It's a tough assertion to refute when Giovinco has carried the team on his back so often in recent weeks, but for all his god-like play so far this season he has also shown signs of frustration when opposing teams target him. In many instances, the tiny Italian will play through those rough challenges and swarming defensive schemes to actually become better, much to the chagrin of the opposition. But then there are times, like the past two matches, where Giovinco has been turned into a non-factor.

Those are the times in which TFC's next two highest-paid players must pick up the slack.

The evidence is already out there for all to see—in games in which all three of TFC's designated players are excelling, it almost certanly means victory for the Reds. Both of Montreal's visits to BMO Field (including one in the Canadian Championship), the season opener in Vancouver, and TFC's first meeting with Orlando at the Citrus Bowl back in April were matches in which all three of Bradley, Altidore and Giovinco were dominant, and the results were favorable for the Reds.

And while those games were high points for Toronto, the fact that they are so few and far between is a definite cause for concern for Vanney.

With the postseason inching closer and teams across MLS ramping up their efforts, games are only going to become tighter, cagier, and harder to win. Fortunately for Toronto there are few sides in the league that can match the top-level talent donning TFC red on a weekly basis.

In Bradley and Altidore, Toronto has top-tier players that can succeed—and have succeeded—in MLS. Now it's just time for both of them to start acting like it.