SoccerToronto FC wasted too many chances

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Row upon row of empty red seats will be left exposed to another Canadian winter while inside school children practise and play on artificial turf, illuminated by artificial light, protected by artificial heaters.

As artificial, perhaps, as our collective hopes and expectations for Toronto FC in 2008.

What were we thinking? Did we seriously suppose a second-year franchise could improve its regular-season points tally by nearly 40 per cent and make the leap from MLS whipping-boys to post-season contenders? Darn right we did.

The question is this: did we expect too much, or did they deliver too little? Since soccer is a game of opinion, there is no right or wrong answer, but I suggest it’s probably a bit of both.

Being a fan of any team requires the individual to develop thick skin. This extra layer allows the person to stick with the players through good times and bad, or in some cases, bad times and worse. Instinctively, the fan should be aware the relationship will be both rewarding and rocky, a mixture of pleasure and pain - an endless emotional roller coaster ride from which there is no opportunity to alight.

Purchasing a ticket guarantees a fan two things - a seat and a chance to sing the National Anthem. The ticket does not promise a victory, entertainment, staying dry or even that the match will end. The first TFC game I worked on this year, at the pre-season Carolina Challenge Cup in Charleston, S.C., was abandoned with 13 minutes remaining after a huge bolt of lightning lit up the night sky above the stadium on Daniel Island. No one was in the mood to play or watch after Mother Nature’s intervention.

Being a player on any team also requires the individual to develop that same thick skin, albeit for different reasons. Being a professional is more than possessing the ability to kick a piece of leather around a field and getting paid for doing so. Once the player crosses the white line, his workday turns into a 90-minute performance review. No polite small talk before tackling the big issues - the player must be physically and mentally strong enough to deal with whatever comes his way from the first second to last.

If a player’s performance is found wanting in any area, at any time, there is no “awkward silence” - no chance to rethink the decision. Thousands of voices will fill the air with a cacophony of disapproval and the public humiliation continues the following day once the boys in the media tribune have had their say.

The final standings do not lie and Toronto FC completed year two where they were meant to finish - bottom of the Eastern Conference and, overall, only just ahead of the hapless Galaxy and the expansion Earthquakes. Too many wasted chances, too many late goals conceded, too many international calls, too many balls given away, and too many passengers all contributed to a forgettable season for too many fans.

Yet on the day work on the BMO bubble was almost completed, the Chicago Fire booked their berth in the Conference Final with a comprehensive and long overdue post-season success over New England. Chicago, who now stand just 90 minutes away from their first MLS Cup Final in five years, have lost only once in the last seven games - Toronto FC proved what is possible with a memorable display in the final home game of the year.

It was all too little, too late of course for Jim Brennan and company. And while there’s plenty of room for improvement, I believe the potential exists for a nucleus of current players plus significant winter additions to achieve the breakthrough next season.

This year the Reds’ bubble burst long before the winter bubble was put in place. With a little luck and a lot of hard work, both on and off the field, it won’t be available so early in 2009.

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