It is put-up-or-shut-up time for Theo Corbeanu at Toronto FC | OneFootball

Theo Corbeanu has been one of Toronto FC's most frustrating players since joining the club on loan in January. Whether it be passing the ball backwards on counterattacks, fancy footwork that runs him into trouble, or lack of work rate, he has yet to make his mark with a TFC team that bet a lot on him by bringing him in this past winter.

Let's dive into what's going wrong, how he can improve, and why he could still become one of Toronto's best bets in recent years.

Martyn Bailey, THE person to follow for TFC statistics, posted about how few goals have been scored by TFC this season. In my opinion, Corbeanu's lack of production has been a sizeable part of that. When he was signed, he was billed as a possible striker for Robin Fraser (this was before the club signed Ola Brynhildsen), but that potential has yet to materialize, and he's been a pretty major bust.

Inter Miami CF v Toronto FC | Leonardo Fernandez/GettyImages

In my opinion, the three biggest reasons for his struggles have been his work rate, his decision-making, and how indirect he has been when attacking.

These issues have been prevalent since game one. There have been many times when he has been in a good position to either play a pass, take a shot, or do anything, and he hasn't done it. His unwillingness to make hard runs forward, his habit of only trying to take on defenders one-on-one, and constantly being caught in two minds have cost Toronto dearly.

Real Salt Lake v Toronto FC | Chris Gardner/GettyImages

His advanced statistics don't look bad, on the surface, but when you dig a little deeper, things become slightly concerning.

The biggest qualm I have had with Corbeanu has been his progressive play. According to Football Reference, Corbeanu has passed the ball for a combined distance of 2472 metres, but only 302 of those metres have been progressive. That means 2170 metres worth of his passes have been sideways or backwards.

Couple this with a 1.3 Expected Assist tally on the season, and it's clear he isn't influencing play as a playmaker. You may say that passing isn't how he typically progresses with the ball; his biggest asset is dribbling.

To that, I counter with, Corbeanu has only been successful in 50% of his take-ons. He has carried the ball into the penalty area 11 times this season. Yes, you read that right, in nine MLS games this season, he has dribbled into the box 11 times. For a winger whose best tool is supposed to be his dribbling, that's pretty pitiful.

So, if he isn't dribbling the ball into the box and isn't passing the ball forward, what is he doing? This is where the eye test comes in, for me. Theo Corbeanu is extremely slow to make decisions and hasn't had the work rate to be a successful winger. From the eye test, it feels like Corbeanu only makes a couple of runs per game. And yet, every time he makes a run, he beats his defender, and there's a dangerous chance.

Too often, it feels like he is choosing to drop deeper to be a passing option or to take on a defender in a one-on-one; instead, he should be bombing up the field to create space for midfielders or the right back.

Toronto FC v Minnesota United FC | Michael Chisholm/GettyImages

I firmly believe that he has the physical tools to be one of Toronto FC's best signings/bets in recent years, but he will never live up to that hype until he realizes that only taking on defenders one-on-one isn't going to get him anywhere. He has to be quicker with decisions and decisive with what he wants to do. He can't get caught in two minds about whether he should pass or shoot; he just has to do one of the two and live with whatever happens.

Those decisions have to happen immediately, though; there can't be any hesitation. We saw what that can look like with his goal against Montreal. If he can utilize his athleticism, his pace, and his ability to dribble, he could be extremely good. When you see those flashes, you can see why he has been so highly rated.

Couple that with him being the best crosser on the team, in my opinion, and if he can get into space deep in the opponent's territory, he can be even more dangerous. I don't believe this is a tactics issue with Corbeanu; I think it's more between the ears for him. We've seen it a bit more in recent weeks, where he's finding success running into space, but he has to fully buy into doing that.

There has to be a desire to be aggressive and a willingness not to do the fancy stuff unless it's 100% the best option. His decision-making will come with a switch in mindset and more experience, but he has to make the conscious decision that what he's been doing isn't necessarily the best path forward. That's hard to do, but if he can do it, there's no reason to believe he can't be an incredible player.

Having said all that, it's now getting to put up or shut up territory. Corbeanu is turning 23 on May 17th, so he has to go from being a prospect to definitively saying This Is Who I Am. Whether or not he can make that step will be entirely up to him.

For the first time in his career, he has the opportunity to consistently play and find some success at the professional level. If he can finally have things click into place, he'll be destined for an incredible career, but if he can't (and he hasn't shown it yet), he's heading towards being one of the biggest What Ifs in Canada Soccer's history.