Toronto FC's Chad Barrett (19) celebrates with teammates after scoring against the New York Red Bulls during Major League Soccer action on Oct. 4, 2008. (Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

Toronto FC ended the 2008 Major League Soccer season on a major high, going unbeaten in four of its last five games and staving off elimination from playoff contention until the second-last week of the campaign.

On the surface, the Canadian outfit was a much better team this year compared with its inaugural campaign, sporting a 9-13-8 record with 35 points (versus 6-17-7 and 25 points in 2007), scoring 34 goals (25 last year) and giving up 43 (49 a season ago).

But did the team really improve that much?

Check out CBCSports.ca's final report card and judge for yourself.

Goalkeeping

Starting goalkeeper Greg Sutton rebounded from an injury-plagued 2007 season with a solid campaign in 2008.

Six shutouts in 24 starts and a 1.46 goals-against average are great stats, and one can't help but think that if he had consistent help from his defence and more goals from the offence, he would have been able to boast a better record than 7-10-7.

You also have to be impressed by Sutton's attitude. After coach John Carver started rookie Brian Edwards in the season opener, Sutton didn't sulk, cry or complain. Instead, he worked extra hard in training and eventually won back the starting job.

And it's a good thing he did, because Sutton came up big throughout the season and kept Toronto close in a lot of games.

Yes, he was prone to making the odd horrendous error - a heartbreaking late loss to Chicago in July springs to mind - but there's no denying that without him, Toronto never would have won as many games as it did.

Grade: A

Defence

Toronto gave up a league-worst 49 goals last season. In 2008, it conceded 43 times - hardly the kind of improvement general manager Mo Johnston was hoping to see.

Twelve times the team gave up a goal in the final 15 minutes of a match, turning wins into ties and ties into losses.

Toronto FC's Marvell Wynne (left) chases a ball with New England Revolution Chris Tierney during MLS action in August. (Chris Young/Canadian Press)

The defence lacked organization and, more often than not, was lost at sea. Hunter Freeman and Olivier Tebily looked out of their element, as did Canadian Kevin Harmse, while the injury that sidelined Todd Dunivant for the majority of the season was a crushing blow for Toronto.

A lack of depth meant coach Carver had to rely on the pairing of Tyrone Marshall and Marco Velez at centre defence. The duo never really clicked and were a complete train wreck to watch — Marshall with his lack of speed and plodding positioning, and Velez with his disciplinary problems.

Much has been made about Marvell Wynne and his surging, attacking runs down the right wing, and to be sure, when he is in full flight, he is a sight to behold. Problem is, the American was often beaten by opposing forwards in the final third of the field, and his marking ability inside the box left a lot to be desired.

The lone bright spot at the back was the play of captain Jim Brennan. If only Toronto could clone him.

Signing two new central defenders should be top of Toronto's priority list in the off-season.

Grade: D

Midfield

Carl Robinson and Amado Guevara perfectly complemented each other in centre midfield. Robinson did the mop-up work in front of the defence, while Guevara pulled the creative strings. Together, the Welshman and the Honduran formed a solid partnership that served as the backbone of the team.

But the midfield only accounted for 12 of Toronto's 34 goals this season, as sure a sign as any that the team lacked midfield penetration.

There were problems on the wings, too. There's no question Rohan Ricketts added a touch of creativity and explosiveness, but the Englishman was also inconsistent and floated in and out of games. Laurent Robert was a complete bust, and Toronto didn't muster the nerve to release him until August. Wynne was a bright spot when he played in midfield - perhaps coach Carver should think about moving him out of defence and to the right side of the midfield.

Like on defence, Toronto lacked midfield depth (the sale of Maurice Edu filled the club's coffers but left it with one less reliable player to call upon), and it really showed whenever the team was missing a starter because of suspension or international duty.

Toronto needs to go after a left-sided midfielder in the off-season and to find someone to act as cover for Robinson.

Grade: B-minus

Forwards

Aside from sporting the worst defensive record in the 2007 season, Toronto also "boasted" the league's worst offence - the Canadian club scored only 25 goals in 30 games, including going 824 consecutive minutes without a goal, obliterating the old MLS record of 557 minutes established by Real Salt Lake in 2005.

The team tallied 34 goals this year, and although that's a slight improvement, it wasn't good enough.

Danny Dichio, again, led Toronto in scoring (with five goals), and it could have been more had a concussion problem not ruled him out for most of the second half of the season. After coming over in a trade following the all-star game, Chad Barrett breathed new life into the attack with four goals in 13 matches, and teenager Abdus Ibrahim showed flashes of brilliance.

Jeff Cunningham, on the other hand, struggled and demonstrated an utter lack of finishing in front of the net. Jarrod Smith showed promise early on in the season but only managed one goal. As for Carlos Ruiz, a late-season trade acquisition from Los Angeles … well, the less said the better (no goals in five appearances).

Had the midfield chipped in with more goals, the forwards might have felt less pressure and been more productive. But when you get paid to score, you have to produce. Barrett looks to be a keeper after impressing fans and teammates alike with his solid work rate, but Dichio is on his last legs. The team needs to find a proven goal scorer to replace him and revamp the offence.

Grade: C

Coaching

There isn't much question that Toronto was a better-coached team under John Carver in 2008 than it was under Mo Johnston last season.

Toronto FC head coach John Carver has helped build team morale following a dreadful inaugural season in 2007. (Chris Young/Canadian Press)

Carver wore his heart on his sleeve, and his passionate outbursts on the sidelines and in post-match news conferences lit a fire under his players. The Englishman made a series of great moves, including bringing internationally recognized fitness coach Paul Winsper into the fold, and insisting to Johnston, now the club's GM, to go out and sign Rohan Ricketts.

Practice and training sessions are more efficiently run under Carver, and the Newcastle native has earned the respect and commitment of the entire locker-room. Talk to any of the players and they will tell you Carver has helped to turn team morale around following a dreadful inaugural season in 2007.

Grade: B+

Management

Mo Johnston stepped down as coach after last season and was promoted to general manager so that he could focus on building a stronger team through trades, drafting and scouting trips in 2008.

Did it work? Sort of. The additions of Guevara, Barrett and Ricketts were astute moves by Johnston, as all three players made major contributions. Barrett, in particular, was a great pickup, as Toronto at first appeared to get the worst of the Brian McBride trade with Chicago. Turns out, they made out like bandits.

Johnston also made a couple deals that resulted in the club landing three first-round picks for the 2009 MLS draft, and drafting from the college ranks has always been one of Johnston's strengths.

But the Toronto GM also made a number of missteps, most notably signing Laurent Robert (whose shocking lack of commitment was evident from Day 1), Olivier Tebily (a complete washout) and Marco Velez (a complete liability at centre defence) and trading for Carlos Ruiz.

Johnston went on an extensive scouting trip to South America in the winter, but didn't end up bringing any new players back with him. Hard to believe he couldn't find one decent piece of talent that could have helped the club.

Grade: C

Overall Grade: C-minus

Toronto was in the playoff race until the second-last week of the season, but that had more to do with the lack of quality in the bottom half of the league, as opposed to anything positive or productive Toronto did.

After a bright start to the campaign, including the team's first ever three-game winning streak and a six-game unbeaten run in April and May, Toronto completely fell apart in the middle portion of the schedule, winning just twice from June to September.

Like last season, the team couldn't buy a win on the road, triumphing in just three games away from the cozy confines of BMO Field. Just as depressing was the team's 0-10-3 record when it allowed the first goal — compared with a 9-3-2 mark when it scored first.

The team won more games, scored more often and conceded fewer goals than last season, but only marginally so. If not for the goalkeeping efforts of Greg Sutton, Toronto would have finished last in the 14-team league, as opposed to third-from-last.

The club showed some promise in October by putting together a four-game unbeaten run, but by then it was too late.

Toronto improved by small steps in 2008 and was a better team than when it first came into the league. The big test will be to see what Johnston does in the off-season to retool the club and what, if any, progress it will make in 2009.