SoccerToronto's Trillium triumph has a hollow ring

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Toronto FC 's Joao Plata, shown here at left battling with Vancouver Whitecaps' Jonathan Leaters, is a bright spot on a decidedly grey slate of Canadian soccer teams. (Chris Young/Canadian Press)

The 2012 MLS Superdraft should be interesting. My advice - tune in early or you'll miss all the Canadian teams picking their stars of the future. At this rate Canada's franchises will be first, second and third on the podium.

Montreal will get first go. As the expansion team, the Impact is invited to select what it considers to be the best college prospect. Thereafter, in the interests of parity, the next best players go to the previous season's worst teams. Step forward Vancouver and Toronto.

Helpfully, the official MLS website now offers two sets of standings. The tables can be viewed in a conventional East and West format, or in a colourful layout reflecting the current playoff situation. Green signals a post season berth, yellow indicates a wildcard finish, and grey means your heroes are just there to play out the final weeks of the season.
The Whitecaps and TFC are decidedly grey. In the 18-team league, Canada's representatives occupy the final two spots. Between them they have won a grand total of nine games all year. In a league often criticized for its tedious mediocrity, Canada's teams are simply not good enough.

Victory comes too little, too late

It has taken four and a half years but finally it is done. At the 13th attempt, Toronto FC is no longer 'owned' by Columbus. TFC's stunning 4-2 upset of the Eastern Conference leaders certainly gave the hardy travelling fans good reason to sing all the way home, but the victory will not alter the course of the campaign.

The joy of finally beating the Crew was accompanied by a far more significant 'first'. In the process, Toronto became the league's first team to concede more than 50 goals in 2011. With five games to play, and an MLS worst goal difference of -21, who knows what the final number will be in the 'goals against' column.

Don't tell me there is still time - there isn't. We have all been down this road before and we know where it leads. In a season where the rules have been tweaked to allow more than half the teams a shot at the playoffs, Toronto FC will again be on the outside looking in.

Lowered expectations met

Those of us who expected nothing in a season of transition will not be disappointed. Those of us who believed an entirely new management team with virtually a complete roster turnover would resemble an expansion team are not surprised by the turn of events.
We are no closer to knowing whether 4-3-3 works in MLS. I am prepared to bet it would if Barcelona were mixing it with the likes of Columbus, Chicago and Colorado on a weekly basis. Evidently it does not given the personnel at the disposal of TFC Head Coach Aron Winter.

The Dutchman has  three Designated Players on his roster. Some teams have none at all but, with the exception of Vancouver, all are faring better than Toronto. Torsten Frings shows his class with almost every touch, yet his new teammates just as regularly waste his talent and vision.

Size is relative

The smallest man in the club has made one of the biggest impressions. Joao Plata's speed, desire and eye for goal has more than compensated for his diminutive stature. In a league where size does matter, the tiny Ecuadorian teenager has shown he's ready to play with the big boys.

Plata may well have a future beyond MLS. His pace and touch set him apart from an average rookie but in the meantime his professional education continues among the lumbering giants of North America. He has much to learn but there is no denying Plata's potential.

The world beyond MLS must now become a priority for Toronto FC. The remaining league games are largely irrelevant but the CONCACAF Champions League is still salvageable. The long awaited road win in Columbus may just be the confidence spur TFC needs to take to Mexico City. Pumas are winless in five games and failed to beat either group rivals Tauro or FC Dallas.

Regular readers will know how importantly I rate the Champions League in the context of the 'big picture.' It is vital the Canadian Champions are seen to be competitive not only for their own well being but the overall profile of Canadian professional soccer.

For the time being, Winter's team controls its own destiny. Earning a point in Mexico would be much more important than the three it collected at Crew Stadium. Lest we forget, it is only a year since TFC took four points out of six from Cruz Azul in the same competition.
If Toronto FC is still playing meaningful international soccer in early March, Season V will go down as a qualified success. If not, there's all winter to polish the Trillium Cup.

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