Alex Karageorgos<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
0-8. Currently, there is nowhere to go but up.<\/p>\n
TFC set the Major League Soccer record for consecutive
\nlosses to start off a season at eight games. The previous record was held by the
\nKansas City Wizards who lost seven to begin their 1999 campaign.<\/p>\n
To win in soccer, teams must play with two mindsets:
\noffensive and defensive. Unfortunately, for Toronto FC, neither of those
\nmindsets seems to exist.<\/p>\n
The team has a league worst goal differential which sits
\nat -12, scoring 6 and conceding 18. That is a goal for average of 0.75 per game
\nand a goal against average of 2.25 per game.<\/p>\n
When the Dutch Duo, Head Coach, Aron Winter, and First
\nAssistant Coach, Bob de Klerk, took over the reins of the club, both hoped to
\nimplement the Barcelona style of play, better known as the Tiki Taka system of
\nfootball, European football that is.<\/p>\n
Tiki Taka is the discipline of soccer that Barcelona FC,
\none of the premier club teams in the world, plays by: passing short, moving
\nquick and keeping possession, the complete opposite of what TFC has displayed
\nso far.<\/p>\n
Choppy distribution of the ball between the defenders,
\nmidfielders and strikers has led to the Reds\u2019 disharmonious form on the pitch. Winter
\nwas under siege by the media who criticized his approach because the team does
\nnot have the quality to apply such an advanced system.<\/p>\n
But by the looks of it, Winter is sticking to his initial
\nplan: \u201cI want to bring in an identity, a way how to play attractive football
\nand also win games\u2026 I still believe in it. It\u2019s hard [but] I\u2019m not worried, I\u2019m
\nnot thinking about the future, I\u2019m thinking about this moment. What can we
\nchange to get those points?\u201d<\/p>\n
Well, Mr. Winter, it\u2019s not a matter of changing, it\u2019s a
\nmatter of maintaining, especially with the starting line-up. Winter
\nconsistently experiments with the starting eleven which leaves no room for the
\nfoundation of team chemistry. This reacts negatively with the elements he has
\nat his disposal. A make-shift backline, a mediocre midfield and a weary striking
\nforce attributes to a combustible outcome.<\/p>\n
This combustible outcome correlates to inconsistent runs
\nTFC have been prone to in their six years of existence.<\/p>\n
Another astonishing aspect of Toronto\u2019s woes is that they
\nare one of three teams in the MLS to have all three designated-player spots
\nfilled. However, these designated players are not performing to their anticipated
\ncalibre of play.<\/p>\n
Julian de Guzman, who was signed by Toronto FC in
\nSeptember 2009, has one year left on his three-year deal worth 1.9 million
\ndollars annually. \u00a0Winter and de Klerk
\nplanned on building the team around JDG as the projected franchise player.
\nHowever, time in and time out, when crucial opportunities arisen to obtain a
\npoint or three, the so-called franchise player, the leader, was anything but.<\/p>\n
JDG had this to say on the team\u2019s poor on-field
\nperformances: \u201cWe\u2019re walking on eggshells, once it cracks everything just falls
\napart. And that shouldn\u2019t happen at home\u2026 losing this many in a row is very
\ndepressing and it\u2019s very hard to live with as a player and I\u2019m sure as a fan as
\nwell.\u201d<\/p>\n
To help take the pressure off of de Guzman\u2019s tiny shoulders,
\nWinter made the twin signings of Dutch striker, Danny Koevermans, and German
\nmidfielder, Torsten Frings, arriving on the scene midway through the 2011
\nseason for 2.5 million dollars each. Both signings propelled the team into
\nexcellent late-season form, losing just two of their last
\n12 games. This run could not contend for playoff soccer because a poor start plagued
\nTFC\u2019s chances.<\/p>\n
This year, the twin signings have missed a combined total
\nof four games played due to injury problems. A big blow for Winter who is
\nalready working with a short bench to begin with.<\/p>\n
TFC are currently 12 points out of the last playoff spot with
\n28 games left on their schedule. There is still a lot of soccer to be played,
\nbut is the gap already too wide to close? If history is any indication, it is.<\/p>\n
On the cusp of every new season, the club (MLSE in
\nparticular), use false advertisement to lure fans, like myself, into buying
\ntickets with the premise of finally clinching a playoff berth for the first
\ntime in franchise history.
\nUnfortunately, fans have blinding optimism for the team: we hope for
\nthem to be good, but in reality, they are far from it.<\/p>\n
Toronto FC are the best at being the worst.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Alex Karageorgos 0-8. Currently, there is nowhere to go but up. TFC set the Major League Soccer record for consecutive losses to start off a season at eight games. The previous record was held by the Kansas City Wizards … Continue reading