Toronto FC coach Mo Johnston has issued a challenge to his players to step it up. (Frank Gunn/Canadian Press)

You'll forgive Toronto FC coach Mo Johnston if he hasn't paid much attention to the "will he or won't he" soap opera surrounding David Beckham.

In case you haven't heard - and if you haven't you're one of the few - the former England captain is still recovering from a nagging ankle injury and is questionable for Sunday's game between the Los Angeles Galaxy and Toronto FC at BMO Field.

That Beckham's much-publicized and long-awaited official Major League Soccer debut could be delayed hardly concerns Johnston, not because he's a heartless person, but because the Scottish coach has problems of his own to worry about.

Winless in four straight games, Toronto is beset by a string of injuries that would decimate the best of clubs (never mind an expansion franchise), but even more worrisome to Johnston is the lack of heart and determination displayed by his players in this time of crisis.

No less than five Toronto starters are sidelined: goalkeeper Greg Sutton (concussion; probably gone for the season), defender Marvell Wynne (hamstring; three to four weeks), midfielder Ronnie O'Brien (knee; four to six weeks), and forwards Jeff Cunningham (abductor; out indefinitely) and Danny Dichio (hip flexor and sore back; three to four weeks).

In addition, Jim Brennan (broken ribs), the team's captain who has played every minute of every game this season, and Andrew Boyens (broken nose, concussion) are questionable for Sunday's game.

In case you've lost count by now, that's seven players (seven!) who are wounded for the beleaguered expansion franchise. Toronto hasn't been bitten by the injury bug - it's had its legs and arms gnawed off by the injury locusts.

The loss of Sutton (the only quality shot stopper on the roster), O'Brien (the team's creative linchpin in midfield) and Dichio (the club's top scorer) is a staggering blow for a Toronto franchise that sits in last place in the Eastern Conference with an anaemic 5-9-4 record and is in grave danger of slipping further out of the playoff race.

Johnston's team is coming off its worst performance of the season, a 3-0 loss to the visiting Chicago Fire last weekend in which Toronto was out-classed and out-played for 90 minutes.

Never at a loss for words, Johnston ripped into his team in the post-match press conference.

"I don't mind losing if we leave everything out on the field but I don't think we've done that," the Scot told reporters.

"We've just been beat 3-0 at home in front of 20,000 fans, it's an embarrassment. … I wouldn't pay to watch that because for me that was unacceptable. And I don't like what I've seen," Johnston added.

Toronto's injury crisis forced Johnston to overhaul his starting lineup, and as a result the team lacked cohesion and rhythm against Chicago as it struggled to string passes together and carve out quality scoring chances.

But Brennan wasn't buying the injury excuse.

"It's an easy way out to say we have injuries. It's bollocks. At the end of the day we are professionals and we want to win games," the Toronto captain said. "We didn't play the game today, we let ourselves down."

Toronto's meagre performance didn't escape the attention of Johnston, who bemoaned his club's lack of hunger, especially in those players who played in place of the team's injured starters.

"I'm not going to sit up here and bitch about the injuries. These other guys need to step up or else they shouldn't be in this league. Certain guys haven't been good enough," Johnston said.

In order to drive the point home, Johnston noted that his players don't have guaranteed contracts, and that if they can't produce now with the team in a pinch, they shouldn't expect to be back next season.

"If you don't step up to the plate, there is no home run for you at the end of the rainbow," Johnston said.

The rash of injuries not only robs Johnston of key starters, but it also further exposes the team's lack of depth.

"When you look down our bench, there is nothing much in terms of coming in and giving us a spark," Johnston said.

Amongst Toronto's crop of young substitutes, only striker Andrea Lombardo, 20, has seen significant action this season. Midfielders Gabe Gala and Joey Melo, both 18, have been used sparingly and goalkeeper David Monsalve, another teenager, made his MLS debut in the Chicago game.

All of them have shown glimpses of quality during their brief stints, but none of them are even close to becoming regular starters - and none of them, under normal circumstances, would start in Sunday's game against the Galaxy.

But these are not normal circumstances, not with the ailing club fighting for its life.

Back in May, Johnston was asked by reporters if he felt Toronto was in a must-win situation after the team lost its first four games of the season.

"No, of course not," Johnston replied. "League championships aren't decided in the spring. It's what you do in games that really matter late in the season that counts."

That time has come. Johnston has issued the challenge to his players. It's now up to them to answer it.