SoccerPoint-less finale leaves bitter taste

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Toronto FC coach John Carver told me some hours before kick-off in San Jose he faced a tough job getting his players motivated for the final game of the year.

He was right.

His team produced a lethargic, disjointed performance against the expansion Earthquakes, who led the Reds a merry dance choreographed by Toronto old-boy Ronnie O’Brien and one time TFC target Darren Huckerby.

Winter break arrived early

The game, however, was meaningless. It had no bearing on the MLS playoffs since both teams had blown their chance before a ball was kicked at Buck Shaw Stadium. Pride alone was at stake for the league’s two newest franchises. That said, can someone please explain why one team played like it meant something while the other played like the winter break had arrived 90 minutes early?

Several dozen hardy Toronto FC fans made a round trip of nearly 9,000-kilometres to cheer the boys to the last. I’m sure they enjoyed the warmer climes of California, but they weren’t there for the weather. They made the journey to get behind the team one final time, to show their support for the players and demonstrate their commitment to the cause. Their loyalty was repaid with a half-hearted effort on the field.

Much of the good work and good will generated by Toronto FC in the final home game against Chicago was, in my opinion, tossed away in San Jose. Meaningless or otherwise, I sincerely hope the players felt as disappointed and despondent as I did when the referee blew the final whistle. It’s not the fact the Reds were beaten (again) on the road – it’s the manner in which they lost which frustrates me.

Professional athletes are competitive by nature. It’s not something which can be taught – it is in their blood and partly explains why they are good enough to turn pro in the first place. That will to win is an essential part of their makeup – it’s what separates them from us mere mortals who can only dream of being paid handsomely for doing something we’d happily do for free.

I firmly believe the players on the Toronto FC roster are as competitive as any others in Major League Soccer, but there have been too many occasions during 2008 when the mental focus has been found wanting.

Conceding late goals an epidemic

All the late goals (13 by my reckoning) which cost Carver’s team points are no coincidence and must be addressed and eradicated in 2009. From time to time every team concedes in the final seconds of a game, but Toronto FC’s inability to protect its goal in the closing minutes approached epidemic proportions this year and is among the reasons the season wound up in San Jose and not in the post-season.

I tend to err on the side of caution when the words Toronto FC and playoffs appear in the same sentence. The team is merely two years old and only now are we being told a designated player will be part of the equation next season. At the same time let’s not forget Toronto was a team bound for the post-season in June. The Reds had amassed 20 points from the first dozen games – more than halfway to the eventual target and more than half the season still to play.

We can only speculate as to why the form nosedived – perhaps team confidence suffered a terminal blow following the failure to win the Canadian Championship. In all honesty, I don’t have the answers, but I do know Carver has done his level best to put a winning combination on the field week in, week out.

As for motivation I hope some of the players took a long, hard look in the mirror before they checked out of the hotel in San Jose.

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