SoccerOld habits die hard for Toronto FC

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It was like catching a rerun of an old TV show we never liked in the first place. All the original characters were there, trotting out their predictable lines. It wasn't funny enough to be comedy, nor compelling enough to be drama. The passing of time made it no more watchable. 

The show's new director didn't pull his punches. "We threw the game away" was Preki's abrupt but accurate assessment of his Toronto FC's collective performance in Philadelphia. We had started to believe we had seen the last of it. If so, this was a sharp reminder of what happens when lethargy sets in. 

A professional soccer field is no place for indecision. There are no second chances to make the right choice. By then the ball has gone because there is always an opponent whose role, in that split second, is to take advantage and give his team an edge. 

Adrian Cann has been a major plus at the back. He is sure footed, a good header of the ball and brave in the challenge. For no apparent reason, the defeat in Delco was comfortably his least effective display since pulling on the red jersey 13 games ago. Just a bad day at the office perhaps?  

Until Saturday the Union was the league's worst team for a reason. The victory over Toronto lifted Philadelphia off the foot of the MLS table, but Peter Novak's roster is a pretty typical expansion team - filled with other clubs' surplus and untested rookies.

Putting 11 men in matching jerseys on a pitch does not make a team. Toronto fans, and players for that matter, are all too well aware other ingredients are essential. Chemistry, commitment, creativity and plain old hard work are fundamental tools needed to make the team work. 

It will take time for the Union to find its feet in Major League Soccer. Toronto FC should already be at an advanced stage of the building process. Certainly, Preki is trying to play to the team's strengths and his first half season can be considered a qualified success. 

His team is harder to beat than that of his predecessors. The collective work ethic has improved and there is accountability among the individuals involved. Creativity has never been a feature of the franchise but moves are finally being made to address the situation. 

The additions of Brazilian Maicon Santos and ex-Spanish international Mista will give Preki alternate, and he hopes, more productive options going forward. Given the coach's hard-work-first mantra, one can assume neither man is here for a vacation. 

Their very presence should be a spur to the likes of Chad Barrett, O'Brian White and others. Barrett has responded with a goal and an assist in his last two games. White was unwell for the Philadelphia game, but it is time for him to show the potential for which Toronto used a high draft pick in 2009. 

If the mark of a good team is how it responds to a defeat, we will see how good this Toronto team is in the days to come. Once the obligation of providing Bolton Wanderers with some pre-season practice is out of the way, FC Dallas comes to town next weekend. 

The Texan 'Hoops' are on an impressive roll. They've won 4 of the last 5 and lost only twice all season. Former TFC reject Jeff Cunningham continues to hit the target while David Ferreira and youngster Brek Shea are a real danger in 2010 with 8 goals and 6 assists between them. 

The wound which reopened in Philly must not be allowed to fester. Historically, Toronto is a team which goes off the boil in mid-summer and it is incumbent upon the coach to nip the blip in the bud, ensuring the sore heals quickly.  

Preki plans one game at a time. But he will also know there are more road trips than home games remaining. A single away win for Toronto is a worrying blight on an otherwise satisfactory campaign to date. It is also about the get busy again. 

The Canadian Champions must also factor in CONCACAF Champions League games against Motagua of Honduras. These are matches of the upmost importance. It is crucial Toronto FC qualifies for the competition proper and raises the Canadian profile across the continent. 

Just as one swallow does not make a summer, one defeat does not ruin a season. Toronto FC's fate is in its own hands and the general trend has been encouraging.

Gentlemen, please don't take us back to the bad old days.

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