Chad Barrett was one of Toronto FC's most improved players in 2010. (Chris Young/Canadian Press) How do you solve a problem like Toronto FC?
A 2010 Major League Soccer season that began with great hope for Toronto ended in bitter disappointment, as the club stumbled to a 9-13-8 record and failed to make the playoffs for a fourth consecutive year.
TFC's players cleared out their lockers Tuesday after playing their final game of the regular season last weekend. With no playoffs to look forward to, several members of the roster were in a reflective mood.
The general consensus is that Toronto FC faces a critical rebuilding process in the off-season, and that the hiring of a new general manager and coach (Mo Johnston and Preki were recently fired) will be the most important decisions management will ever make.
Indeed, whoever takes over as GM faces a Herculean task. Still searching for their first-ever playoff berth, the Reds are also trying to dig themselves out from under the wreckage of the turbulent Johnston regime.
It seems obvious to say that Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment, the club's owners, need to find the right man for the GM job, but nothing is ever obvious to MLSE when it comes to its soccer franchise. MLSE has gone through five coaches in four years, comically gave Johnston a contract extension last summer and has seen the team experience huge player turnover.
Hiring the right GM is the first step for TFC, as it will bring something that has been sorely lacking at the club: stability.
'Culture of stability'
"Players perform better in a stable environment. We haven't been stable enough the last couple of years and we need to build a culture of stability," said Tom Anselmi, MLSE chief operating officer.
Nana Attakora echoed Anselmi's sentiments.
"I just think we need more stability within the club," said the defender. "Five different coaches in four years isn't the way to get it done, but I think the club has learned its lesson and they know what they need to do for us to be more successful in the future."
Further to the stability theme, the club's current decision-making trio — assistant GM Jim Brennan, interim coach Nick Dasovic and acting GM Earl Cochrane — don't believe the team's roster needs a major overhaul, as that would only lead to further instability.
Only some tweaks are needed, according to the threesome, because the team has a solid base that includes the likes of captain Dwayne De Rosario, midfielder Julian de Guzman and goalkeeper Stefan Frei.
"I think we have a pretty good core of guys here. We've identified some [players] that are going to help us move forward. As we do that, we acknowledge that we're going to need help in certain [positions]," said Cochrane.
Struggled to find identity on field
"We need to get quicker, we need to get a little bit younger. I think we need to add some width [to the attack] and we need some depth in a number of different spots."
Brennan added: "We need some pace, it's a young man's game, it's athletic, especially this league. You have to be able to run. We want guys that are comfortable on the ball, that are hungry for it."
TFC has also struggled to find its identity on the field. With five coaches in four years, that hardly comes as a surprise. Under Preki, the team played a defence-first game, but became more attack-minded when Dasovic took over in mid-September.
Brennan thinks Dasovic's tactical approach is the correct one and should be maintained going forward.
"When Daso came in, you could see the guys playing some decent football. They were comfortable. They weren't as restricted and were more fluent in the way they played," said the former TFC captain.
"We want to carry that on next season. We want guys to come in, to walk onto that field and enjoy their football, play with a smile on their face and play the game the way it should be."
