Toronto FC

When Aron Winter first stepped in to introduce "total football" and a three-striker system to Toronto FC in January, most fans weren't convinced.

When the team started the season with an abysmal 2-5-6 record capped off with a 6-2 lose to the Philadelphia Union, I definitely wasn't convinced.

Was this going to be different from all the other Toronto sports seasons dubbed as a rebuild that led to no future success?

Going into tomorrow's CCL clash with FC Dallas, win or lose, both the fans and I are convinced. Toronto FC has finished this campaign with class. After a mid-season team makeover, that included bringing in big-name signings Torsten Frings and Danny Koevermans, Winter is finally getting the most out of this players.

This year, the team broke the record for most players to see game action in an MLS season with 39. That is a lot of faces. A kit manager’s worst nightmare. And you can imagine the task of trying to implement an alien soccer system to a group of constantly changing bodies. It's tough.

Toronto FC are currently firing on all cylinders, most recently earning a draw against the notorious Union, while resting many of their starters. Glimpses of the style and flair that Winter preaches are in abundance with the team finally starting to mesh together as a unit.

A win in Dallas would be a bonus, as it would solidify a berth in the CONCACAF Champion's League knockout stages, a feat that one can safely assume Toronto has never achieved.

Looking into the future, the Reds look poised to break into the upper tier of the MLS elite. With a group of very young and talented players, led by some veteran pedigree, the team uses the wings to exploit the deficiencies of other teams. The three-striker front spreads out opposition defenses, and with an emphasis on a possession game, the ball gets moved around until a hole is found and a play can be made.

The team has continued to struggle in the back, trading defensive support for offensive power, which leaves the team susceptible to the counterattack. Finding some quality to shore up the defense is on the offseason priority list, as Winter will look to next season as a true measure of his managerial stature.

It's been said a few too many times in this town. That the future looks bright. That next season will be the glory days.

Call me naive, but Toronto FC just might be the franchise to break this Toronto sports curse. I am convinced they are. Now we'll just have to wait and see.

Is there a team in more disarray than Toronto FC? In the club’s fifth year of existence it will be playing under its sixth coach. Its star-player wants out and its 2010 team MVP left preseason camp because of a gripe about his contract. The team has still never made the playoffs.

And now there’s another team in Canada to steal talent and fans from the Reds.

Things can only get better from here for Toronto, right?

Aron Winter is the new head coach, a former Dutch National Team member. He promises Toronto fans that the team will play an attacking attractive style of soccer. And after having Preki, who some criticized as a drill sergeant coach, this new system should seem more fun and inspiring, especially as they finished fourth in the league in fewest goals scored (33).

He’ll have arguably one of the best midfielders ever in MLS, Dwayne De Rosario. He’s a two-time league MVP and he’s a clutch performer in both regular season and the playoffs. Last season he scored an MLS career-high 15 goals to go along with three assists. He’s the club’s all-time leading scorer.

The leading man, however, is unhappy. He says he feels he has outperformed his contract and deserves a new, more deserving deal. Part of that dissatisfaction could be because of how he has played and produced far more than Toronto’s two Designated Players (Julian de Guzman and Mista—now released). After scoring a goal in September last year, he mimed signing a check and mouthed “Pay me.”

This offseason he went on trial with legendary Scottish club Celtic. He did so, however, without the knowledge or permission of Toronto FC or MLS. They let him stay on trial once they found out though, but when De Ro asked for a short-term loan they immediately said no.

He isn’t the only one to want more from TFC management. Last season’s team MVP—who made around $65,000 in base salary—left training camp demanding a new contract. He returned eight days later, but there seems to be a problem here between the team’s top players and ownership. Did De Ro’s situation make it easier for Cann to make his statement? This is the kind of off-field extracurricular activity that could tear teams apart.

On the field, apart from these two, the Reds have a great starting goalkeeper in Stefan Frei. A good athlete in net, Frei improved upon his rookie numbers in 2010 posting a 1.32 goals against average and a 70 percent save percentage.

Frei will need to continue to improve because the defense has been pretty weak. Once again TFC allowed over 40 goals throughout the season. The team made a nice move in an attempt to improve its backline, trading for Nathan Sturgis, the 23-year-old defender that was on the 2008 U.S. Olympic team.

Along with Sturgis is Nana Attakora. The 21-year-old has been a member of the team since its existence. The hope is that his presence, although a young player, will be a stabilizing force as the team rebuilds and attempts to make the playoffs for the first time ever.

There is talent on this team, but there has been a lot of instability and in-house arguing. De Rosario says he won’t be a distraction, that he will play as if there was no problem, but if the team isn’t winning how happy will he remain?

The team has fallen short and underachieved with some solid lineups. With so much going on off-the-field it’s hard to imagine things straightening themselves out.

For famed but disappointing Major League Soccer club of Toronto, Aron Winter may finally be the solution to what has ailed the fledgling football club since its inception in 2007.

Aron Winter, along with Dutch assistant Bob de Klerk and Englishman Paul Mariner were brought in to revamp and oversee the re-branding of Toronto football. So far, it is too early to tell if whether Toronto will live up to the expectations that the club supporters and ownership alike have set.

One thing is for sure: Aron Winter and Bob de Klerk represent a long-term vision of Toronto FC. A vision of which the Dutch brand of football (i.e. Total Football) will serve as a cornerstone in the way the culture, style of play, and youth development will be implemented under this new European management.

Supporters of Toronto are so far cautiously optimistic, but they have a good reason to be in that light since the club has underperformed in all their seasons. Two years ago the club missed out on the playoffs by just one point, thanks to the humiliating loss to the New York Red Bulls, who were the last place team in the league during that season.

Nobody wants to remember that, and so Toronto enters the 2011 season with a clean slate. The recent pickup of young players from both the Super Draft and Supplementary Draft should come a good omen for the club. The players who were drafted are said to have excellent potential, a piece of good news that Toronto fans have longed to hear for sometime.

Total Football may sound nice to the average football ear, but for Toronto to implement it is a totally different matter. Players who are currently employed by the club will have to gel and mold into the attacking style of play that coach Winter wants to implement.

Hopefully supporters would get an early preview of the newly reconstructed club when Toronto plays against Partizan Belgrade in February. Partizan are a high-level club, a good way for Toronto to test its new team.

Players such as Julian de Guzman, Nathan Attakora, Dwayne De Rosario, and Stefan Frei will have to step up to the plate and play as the spokesmen of this Toronto squad.

Out of the four, de Guzman would have to improve the most on last season, but according to the player, his healing process from the injury that he played with is going well enough for him to be able by the start of the training camp

This is part 1 of 4 of BTTN's Toronto FC Offseason Roster Assessment

With training camp starting within the month, and our coaches now in place it is time to assess Toronto FCs roster and what additions are needed in the offseason. It’s quite alarming that Toronto FC only has 17 players on its roster, when the MLS can take a maximum of 26 senior roster players and four developmental ones.

Not only is the roster abysmally small, but Toronto FC has only picked up one new player this offseason. At the moment, it is frightening to glance at the currently barren TFC roster. However, there is hope. 

Firstly, there are some very talented players who are remaining. Secondly, much of the fat from last year’s roster has already been cut. Overpriced and outclassed players like Garcia, Hscanovics and Usanov have already been released, along with others who were not worth the cap space they took up.

And most importantly, we have a new management team in place that will be actively looking for players to fill their system. What remains in the roster? Is it a good core to build on? Or is there much more to be desired? 

Here is my take on the current roster and what Toronto FC still needs for the upcoming season. In each section (Goalkeepers, Defenders, Midfielders and Forwards) I’ll rank the section as a whole and each player out of five. I’ll try to do this as comprehensively a report as possible so that we can truly see how TFC are doing at this point.

Today, we'll take a look at the keepers.

Goalkeepers: 4.5/5

This is arguably the strongest part of the roster. Toronto FC has a formidable starting goalie in Stefan Frei, and a great amount of depth in Milos Kocic and Jon Conway. Stefan Frei is without a doubt one of the best keepers in the league, and has saved us on numerous occasions last season with monumental saves.

Toronto FC’s backup keepers are also excellent and have served us well when used. Toronto FC is really strong between the uprights and with good depth in Jon Conway and a great prospect for the future in Milos Kocic, the club is truly prepared for anything that comes at them. 

Stefan Frei 4.5/5

Stefan Frei was Drafted 13th Overall in the 2009 MLS Super Draft by Toronto FC. He has quickly established himself as the team’s top goalie and has been a key feature for Toronto FC ever since. He’s earned numerous Save of the Week awards, a couple Man of the Match distinctions and in 2010 had the most saves of anybody in Major League Soccer. Frei has been a life saver for Toronto; His saves have kept them in games that would otherwise be outright embarrassments. 

He is more than just a shot stopper however. He’s a great leader and communicates well with his defense. He is a pretty good ball distributor. Other than Maurice Edu he has been the best draft pick in Toronto FC history. In the next couple years, if Frei’s excellent form continues, he will likely make a big deal move to Europe. Until then he will continue to be Toronto FC’s savior between the posts. 

Jon Conway 3.5/5

Jon Conway has been in Major League Soccer for 10 years now and has established himself as a very steady back-up keeper. He has won two MLS Cups and was previously the starting goalkeeper for RBNY as well as a supporting keeper to some of the league’s best, like Joe Canon and Pat Onstad. Conway could probably start at some MLS clubs. 

He is a strong shot-stopper and has adequate distribution skills. When featured, he has done well and impressed. He will continue to help out when Frei is injured or rested and I feel confident in his abilities to cover for Toronto FC in net.

 

Miloš Kocic 3/5

Kocic is another great back-up keeper and loaning him out to Serbian White Eagles last season really helped him improve. He is young and has loads of potential; if Stefan Frei is sold to a European club, Milos could be our replacement. Another loan next season would be a good idea as he is our third string keeper, the loan would help him improve even more.


Improvements Needed?

Not at all. Frei is an amazing starting keeper who will continue to improve, he is really someone we can trust and rely on to keep our net empty. Meanwhile, Kocic and Conway are both good back-ups. So what can this section of our roster improve on? Frei had a massive amount of saves last year (108), but he really shouldn’t have to make that many. The defense really has to step it up and support their keepers and in Part Two we will talk about the defense and what must be done there.

What do you guys think about our Goalkeeper situation? Do you have any preliminary thoughts about Toronto FC’s defense? If you have any questions/comments make sure to post them in the comments section. Thanks for reading!

This article is also featured at BTTN, a new Toronto sports site.

Toronto FC faced Arabe Unido at BMO Field in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The game was simply a way for both teams that did not advance in the CONCACAF Champion League to save face.

The most exciting moment in the game came when Nick LaBrocca received a free kick for Toronto FC. He proceeded to send it to Nana Attakora Gyan who surprised goalie Jose Calderon of Arabe Unido with his direct kick to one of the corner posts.

The result was a goal for Toronto FC in the first half of the game, but it did not save the team or Arabe Unido in the game. It appeared that both teams were just playing to attempt a decent showing with little effort.

R. Garcia-Orozco was the referee who applied yellow cards to both teams on an equal basis for misconduct. F. Caesar and O. Londono of Arabe Unido received yellow cards.

Gargan, Garcia, Henry and Lindsey of Toronto FC received yellow cards as well. The attempts of both teams to substitute did not make any difference except that Toronto FC was able to leave the CONCACAF Champion League with dignity.

Toronto FC 1-0 Arabe Unido

BFO Field Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Most Valued Player: Nick LaBrocca

Group A CONCACAF Champion League Classification

Cruz Azul  (Mexico)     10

Real Salt Lake  (USA)  10

Toronto FC  (Canada)    8

Arabe Unido (Panama)  3

Subject to change depending on Cruz Azul vs. Real Salt Lake game going underway at Rio Tinto Stadium at Salt Lake City, Ut.

Last night, Toronto FC knocked off Mexican soccer giant Cruz Azul to kickstart Group A of the 2010-11 CONCACAF Champions League.

Cruz Azul, often nicknamed the Real Madrid of CONCACAF due to their record five championships (tied with Club America for most in tournament history) and back-to-back finals appearances, just couldn't keep up with Toronto, looking sluggish in the opening half which allowed TFC to get out to a 2-0 lead that the Mexico City squad just couldn't recover from, eventually falling 2-1.
The win marks the first for Major League Soccer's only Canadian team in tournament history, though realistically, TFC nor the "league" style tournament is not old enough for that to be considered a big deal. Why it is a big deal, however, is that last year TFC fell in the preliminary round to the Puerto Rico Islanders of the USSF Division 2.

The win is already being called the greatest victory in the club's short history, and it very well may be. The early win gives TFC a good chance to advance out of the group, as many believe that Cruz Azul are the favourites to claim the group. The other teams in the group are Panama's Arabe Unido and Real Salt Lake, also of MLS.

Since CONCACAF changed their championship system to the current league structure, just two MLS teams have advanced to the championship round (quarterfinals): Houston Dynamo in 2008-09, and Columbus Crew in 2009-10.

Now that TFC have earned an important and early three points in their group over the toughest opponent, they look poised and ready to advance out of their group. Two wins should be easy against the Panama squad, while the matchups against RSL will be tough. The Reds lost the first regular season match between the two sides this year, and both teams are sitting in the top three of their respective MLS conferences.

Regardless, a win for the Canadian side over the Mexican superpower has huge meanings for Canadian soccer and the MLS. Though Montreal Impact advanced to the quarterfinals in the inaugural year of the Champions League, their run went virtually unnoticed by the media, while TFC is branded as "Canada's team", and a run could bring national attention and support to the team.

The win is also huge for MLS. The league has struggled to earn respect among other major domestic leagues, but if their clubs can continue to produce wins over Mexican Primera division clubs, respect is sure to go up.

As American and Canadian teams continue to be more competitive with those of the Mexican league, it is inevitable that an MLS team will claim the Champions League (possibly as early as this year), which allows them to travel to the FIFA World Club Cup, where they could really put MLS on the map by taking on the best club teams from the other football conferences of the world.

Should a team like TFC or Seattle or RSL make it to the World Club Cup and defeat the UEFA or CONMEBOL representative, it would bring international attention to the league, and to teams aside from Galaxy or Red Bulls.

While the tournament is still very early, the Toronto FC victory is no small feat, and could lead to much greater things for the club, Major League Soccer, and Canadian soccer in general.

Follow on Twitter @MWSsports

Photo belongs to the CBC.

As the European transfer window comes to an exciting high point, Major League Soccer announces the signing of Spanish striker Miguel Angel Ferrer, "Mista", until the end of the 2010 season, as a second designated player.

Mista, who has played for Valencia, Deportivo A Coruña and Atletico Madrid, has played near to 300 matches in Spain, including an amazing 2003/04 season for Valencia, where he managed to score 19 times in La Liga, and win the Spanish tournament, as well as the UEFA Cup.

Mista began his career in Real Madrid's B team, but was quickly bought by Rafael Benitez's Tenerife, scoring 22 goals in three seasons.

Valencia got ahold of the Murcian striker in 2001, and he did not disappoint. Five seasons and 40 goals with the team made him a favorite of the Valencian crowd, but a disappointing last season cut short his spell with the team from the East coast.

The last four years for Mista have been even more disappointing; he scored three goals for Atletico in the first season, and did not even make it to ten games in the second.

For Deportivo, he was slightly better, playing thirteen games each season, but only scoring once in every one of them. However, his skill with the ball and unselfishness when it comes to looking for the team's good before anything else makes him a valuable player for any team.

Mista is only 31 years of age, and even though he has only signed for half a season, he has the potential to be the surprise of the year, if he is fit enough to find playing time starting July 15.

Mista will coincide with another former Deportivo man, Julian de Guzmán, who was very excited to see the Spaniard in Toronto, and promised to help the striker as he starts to adapt to a new country, league and club.

After going pointless in their first two games of the season, Toronto FC desperately needed to avoid harsh criticism and come away with their first victory against the expansion Philadelphia Union.

The benching of Nick Garcia was well overdue after a few horrendous displays at the back. The back-four of Toronto looked much more in sync today having Nana Attakora-Gyan providing much-needed stability and poise.

Julian DeGuzman seemed a tad out of place playing as more of an attacking midfielder, but settled as the game progressed and became more of a central midfielder, providing quality service to the forwards. 

It was DeGuzman's hustle which eventually altered the game in the 33rd minute. A slow-rolling back pass from Philadelphia's Danny Califf was almost intercepted by DeGuzman, had it not been for the right elbow of Califf hitting his head. Califf was subsequently red-carded for his last-man infraction and the Union were forced to play the rest of the game without their captain.

Toronto lined up three players for the free kick, and their homegrown star Dwayne DeRosario hammered a low strike at Union keeper Chris Seitz. Seitz got a piece of the ball before it trickled over the goal line but he ultimately should have done better.

Toronto FC seemed to be taking advantage of being a man up until the brink of the first half, when Jordan Harvey finished a cross from Roger Torres to bring the Union on level terms.

The second half saw the attacking duo of Chad Barrett and O'Brian White brought in at the expense of the ineffective Martin Saric and Maksin Usanov, who was playing with a yellow card.

The duo added another dimension to the Toronto side allowing DeGuzman to sit back in the midfield and stretch the depleted Union defence.

Philadelphia managed to keep the second half interesting by creating some of their own chances.

Chad Barrett had a pair of golden opportunities to put Toronto FC ahead but he couldn't finish. It was not until the 80th minute that the halftime substitutions proved dividends. O'Brian White chased down a loose ball in the Union penalty area and was brought down by the Union keeper, resulting in a penalty shot. DeRosario buried the spot kick to bring his season total to three.

Toronto managed to hold onto the lead and walk away from BMO field with a much-needed three points. The win silences all critics—for now, but it may help convince their faithful that this season isn't lost yet. It may take some gelling for this new batch of Reds to start showing promise, but at least the effort was displayed tonight.

If Toronto can find a way to win on the road, their goal of having a playoff game this season may be within grasp.  

The Toronto FC faced the Philadelphia Union on their home turf at BMO Stadium.

Both teams had much at stake and needed a victory. Both teams were almost next to the bottom in the Western Conference Standings with one win and two losses.

Toronto had -4 compared with Philadelphia and its -2.

The referee was Baldomero Toledo and the game was heated from the start, with Toronto dominating the field with its ability to glide the ball between the players.

The only dent in what appeared to be their flawless game play were the yellow cards for Raivis Hscanovics and Maksain Usinov.

Hscanovics received his yellow card for reckless tackling and Usinove received his for reckless fouling.

These were minor compared to the punishment meted out to Danny Califf of the Philadelphia Union. He was issued a red card and expelled from the game for violent conduct on the field.

Dwayne De Rosario of Toronto took advantage of the ensuing chaos to score the first goal of the game, at 35 minutes.

It appeared that Toronto was going to be face a tough battle as Philadelphia struggled to equalize.

Stefam Migiioranzi of the Philly team was issued a yellow card for reckless foul.

Philadelphia was able to get its act together before the end of the first half when Jordan Harvey equalized assisted by Roger Torres and Sebastian Le Toux. The first half ended with both teams tied, 1-1.

The second half was a continuation of the first, with both teams attempting to go for the victory.

The crowd felt the excitement and the fans cheered with their teams with drums, horns, and were screaming at the top of their lungs.

It did not help Philly, since they were not at home, and Shavar Thomas received a yellow card for personal foul.

The atmosphere was thick with excitement as both teams relied on their substitutes to help them. Amadou Sanyang [who is a native of the African country of Gambia] had to leave after receiving a cut in the right side of his face. He left with blood running down his face.

Dwayne De Rosario went for another attempt at a goal on the basis of a penalty kick which was successful. The rest of the game continued at a fever pitch, with Toronto looking confident and Phillly losing it. The attempts by Philly to equalize were blocked by the goalie.

Jacob Peterson attempted a last minute shot for Toronto but received a goal mouth block.

The end came swiftly as Toronto defeated Philadelphia.