The shoe finally drops at TFC



Mo Johnston and Preki were fired on Tuesday



When it was announced that TFC executive vice president and chief operating officer Tom Anselmi had called a news conference for Tuesday afternoon people knew someone was out of a job. After the team's worst performance of the season against DC United at BMO field in do or die game, Anselmi clearly had seen enough. On Tuesday director of soccer operations Mo Johnston and head coach Preki were fired and assistant coach and former Canadian international Nick Dasovic was installed at interim head coach.

At the press conference Anselmi stated that “At the end of the day, it’s a results-oriented business, and the results just weren’t there. “It hasn’t worked, it just hasn’t worked and so we’re moving on,”

For supporters of the club neither move was all that surprising specially considering the fading hopes of making the team playoffs. However what might have caught some people of guard was the timing, with 6 games left in the regular season many (including myself) thought that the club would make this move in the off season. Johnston had always stated that if the team failed to make the playoffs this year he was gone, but with the team still in the hunt for the 8th and final playoff spot some have seen it as a reactionary move. The very vocal south end supporters made it clear on Saturday that they were fed up with the mediocre play for the squad chanting “We not going to take it” a verse from the 80's Twisted Sister song. It was first time that the discontent among the fans was so boisterous in the 4 years of the club's existence, it seemed ownership shared their view.

The rumours of Johnston and Preki's demise first started up after the Chicago loss on Wednesday, after it had been leaked that Preki and assistant coach Dasovic had a verbal dust up over tactics a few week earlier. The other coaches were called into a meeting with the brass in which they questioned Preki's knowledge around tactical game planning, and expressed that fact that Preki was difficult to work with. The rumour mill went into overdrive on Saturday when Dasovic was nowhere to be found, subsequently we learned that he had flown to his home in Vancouver.

Although Johnston had been with the club since inception in 2007, his record is one of disappointment and failure right from the beginning. Whether it be poor coaching decisions and roster selection in the first season to ill advised signings like Pablo Vitti, Laurent Blanc, Carlos Ruiz, Ronnie O'Brian, Raivis Hscanovics etc.... Johnston has failed to bring quality to the side while also over paying for players. The club is up against the salary cap and is very thin in terms of squad selection. It will be very difficult for his successor to shed the payroll of some of these contacts.

As for Preki, he becomes another TFC coaching causality as the carousel of head coaches continues. Dasovic becomes the 5th head coach of the club in 4 seasons.

I stated in my last TFC post that I thought Preki should remain head coach as he had improved the club defensively and brought about a better work rate, I also believed just for stability sake he would be retained. However work rate and defensive football does not equal goals. It has been the Achilles heel for this club since 2007 and they are currently on a 4 match goal less streak. There also comes the question of his attitude and at time bombastic nature around the players. Saturday is was made clear that Preki had lost the players. It has been long known that DP Julian De Guzman had questioned the lack of tactical knowledge and planning of Preki, and recently other members of the squad has begun to question their treatment by the head coach. When this happens then its clear that the manger has to go.

Make no mistake in most cases players get coaches fired, and TFC's squad is not innocent of this. However it was also clear that Preki had little grasp on how to plan an offensive attack.

So as in my last post I pose the question, where does TFC go from here?

Tom Anslemi believes the season is not completely lost yet, “Short-term we’ve got six games left in the regular season of MLS. The players play up to their potential, we believe we can still make the playoffs.

“Longer term we came to the conclusion that we needed new leadership for this club on the pitch, so the search for a new manager begins today.”

At this point Toronto FC fans would just settle for stability and some winning soccer.

Cheers,
Mike

Changes needed at BMO Field Part 1

For anyone who watched TFC's lacklustre loss to DC United on Saturday afternoon you could tell that something was off, broken if you will. Put aside the fact that the Reds lost to the worst team in the league, or that they dropped more important playoff points; The most disappointing thing about Saturday and even back to Wednesday night against Chicago is that you realized this team is just not good enough. The quality on the pitch is just not there and when you look at the players available for selection there really isn't any match winners on the squad, and I would even throw Dwayne De Rosario in that mix.

I should point out that I'm not questioning the team's work rate as I do believe that they play hard for Preki and they put forth a good effort, however a team with an excellent work rate and no quality goes nowhere. For myself the low was on Wednesday night, for a lack of a better term the squad was god awful in the final third of the field. Should TFC have been awarded 2 penalties in the first half? probably yes, but it does not excuse the fact that at no point in the game did they really look at a threat to score. The work rate during the game was there, but there seemed to be a disconnect between the players. It's not the first time there has been a breakdown in team chemistry, at the beginning of the season the squad had a hard time gelling. However it's now September and we have less than a month left in the season and squad look as lost as they did in April, something needs to change...

So where does the responsibility lay? The easiest place to start is the coach, Preki was brought in to make the playoffs plain and simple. At the end of last season after the club's most humiliating loss to the Henry, Marquezless bottom of the league feeding New York Red Bull 5-0 the club embarked on a mission the find a MLS experienced disciplined manager. The statement made was clear 2010 was expected to be a playoff year. At Preki's hiring news conference, he warned that the club would take time to develop under him, but that the goal was the playoffs.

So is he the man that should bare the brunt of the blame? No of course not.

The club has improved by leaps and bounds in the defensive department since his appointment. Consider last year that the team leaked goals all over the place especially in the last 15 minutes of games, this season they have only allowed 5 goals in the final 15. He has also improved the fitness and work rate of the club as mentioned above. TFC in the past have been criticized for not always fighting as hard as they should during tough matches. For the most part this season TFC have been the harder working team on the pitch which in turn helped the team on the 11 match unbeaten streak earlier this summer. Preki has also been able to work in some of the young players to the first team in cup matches. This will go a long way in improving the squad for the future.

With all that said Preki has been unable to help improve the team's biggest issue which is goal scoring. It's hard to lay this on at his feet but as the manager he needs to put out his best attacking players and place them in positions to create chances and score. At times he has failed to do this and it leaves the club in the position they're in now, struggling to finds important goals in important games.

With that said I believe Preki should stay as head coach. I believe that he will lead TFC to the playoffs but he needs better pieces to work with in order to accomplish this, which leads us to the guilty party.

General Manager Mo Johnston has been with the club since it's inception in 2007 and since then he has been responsible for bringing in players for the squad. Johnston has also from the beginning brought in low quality players to fill roster space, and then paying they way too much. TFC are currently brushing up near the salary cap, which wouldn't such a big deal but considering the lack of quality compared to their salaries and it has become a bit of an albatross for the club.

Mo Johnston has been in charge of TFC since 2007

The blame has to rest on his shoulders, he built this team, he offered and approved the contracts (Though MLSE brass also shares some blame as well). During the same Preki hiring press conference, Johnston stated that if the team did not make the playoffs he would resign from the club. As it stands right now TFC still have a shot of making it, but their destiny is now out of their hands as they must rely on other teams dropping points to have a chance. Realistically it is hard to see them taking the final playoff spot so as far as I'm concerned trader Mo is gone, provided he's a man of his word.

In the 4 years of TFC 's existence, he has not improved either the quality of the squad or it's results. Now much of that goes to the players, but it's the GM that signs them in the first place. He's brought in poor players, out shape players, bad apples and bench warmers.

I can't knock every signing though, De Rosario, Amado Guevara and drafting Stephan Frei were positive signings, but even signing Julian De Guzman as the first club designated player has not been the best of deals. De Guzman has has flashes of brilliant play mixed in with some serious inconsistency. Mista's signing as the second DP is still a work in progress, but with signs that he's already butted heads with Preki in the locker room do not look good.

At the end of the season, the TFC brass will have to take a good hard look at where this team is going and why it has failed to make a serious impact in the league. Every position in the organization has to be evaluated and I hate to say it...people will lose their jobs. The person that should be at the top of that list is Mo Johnston, the club needs fresh ideas on player recruitment and development and Mo just cannot provide that. I've met Mo on a few occasions in press scrums and he is a very nice man approachable man, which is why it will be difficult to see him leave as he truly has TFC's best interests at heart. However even Mo will agree that he may just be fresh out of ideas.

Cheers,
Mike

A response to Paul James article "Foreign coaches bring fresh ideas to Canada"

Frank Yallop (On the right) head coach at San Jose Earthquakes.
One of the few Canadian managers at the pro level.

Earlier this week former Canadian International Paul James floated the idea that foreign managers bring a much needed tactical and physical expectation with them to Canada. He pointed out two managers in particular, The Vancouver Whitecaps Teitur Thordarson and Toronto FC's Preki.

James mentioned that the foreign managers bring a higher level of play and teaching styles. They stress on technique and defensive responsibility, and are not afraid to drop Canadian internationals that do not fit the bill so the speak. To quote James "In 2008, Thordarson cut loose Jeff Clarke, Steve Kindell, and Alfredo Valente. Within a few months of signing a contract at TFC, Preki jettisoned Canadian internationals Ali Gerba (now with the Montreal Impact) and Adrian Serioux (now with the Houston Dynamo). His main assertion was that these managers will make the tough decisions on players that cannot match the the level of play required. This in turn will filter down to Canadian youth players who will work to improve their skills to make their first teams.

I agree with James that both coaches have brought a higher level of play to their squads and that they have brought fresh ideas to the Canadian game. However my concern is with the development of Canadian managers and where they fit in. Granted Mr.James's comments are correct in the sense that managers from abroad bring a different level of knowledge and expertise to the Canadian game, but the question that remains is how can this be translated to home grown coaches?

An argument I've read states that when foreign coaches come to Canada they hire Canadian assistants. Through their experiences with the head coach those Canadian assistants learn the craft, and one day will be good enough to be managers. The idea is that things like tactical discipline, technique and skill coaching will be picked up by the assistants and eventually they will be able to lead teams at the professional level. Of course all managers, save a few, started out this way. However in the world of professional football the result is everything. If you as a club owner can win more games with a foreign manager, then you'll spend the extra money in most cases and hire him.

This is where the home grown manager gets squeezed out in most cases. You see it a lot in England's top league, where it is more "attractive" to bring in a foreign manager than take a chance on a "fresh" home grown talent.

It is true that in the early stages of the modern game coaches from England mainly would travel all around the world and spread football knowledge to the masses. In turn, those who were thought became professors of the game themselves. The reason such a scenario would be hard to replicate these days is down to world connectivity. It no longer takes foreign talent weeks to arrive by boat anymore, top talent can travel within hours, and due to the Internet and other media services it is much easier to live abroad. All of which makes home grown management talent an after thought in most professional cases.

Now I'm not asking or advocating for a home manager quota or anything like that, at the end of the day you're either good enough or you're not regardless of nationality. What I'm hoping to see is clubs in Canada taking a proactive stance on developing Canadian coaches. I know the MLS really tries to emphasise this with the U.S based clubs, mainly for the purposes of the U.S national team of course, but the CSA could do the same for TFC, Vancouver and Montreal as they enter MLS play.

It will take awhile before Canada produces the Manitobian Jose Mourinho, but with the growth in the professional game right now we can defiantly get started on that path.

You can find Paul James Original post here: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/soccer/foreign-coaches-bring-fresh-ideas-to-canada/article1659927/

Cheers,
Mike

Toronto FC learning the price of success

As this season began Toronto FC's expectations were high. The club set three major goals with new head coach Preki, 1) Retain the Nutrilite Canadian championship 2) Qualify for the group stages of CONCACAF Champions League and 3) Make the playoffs for the first time in club history. After a sluggish pre-season filled with poor play and roster issue it seemed the team would have been hard pressed to attain those goals. It looked even bleaker after the first two games of the regular season in which they lost at a combined score of 6-1. After the first four games TFC were 1-3 with only 3 goals scored and 9 against.

Through out the that time Preki and GM Mo Johnston preached clam, noting that the players were getting the know each other and the new managers style of play. There were only 7 players that returned from the 09 squad, with many of the new faces joining the club just before or right after the start of the regular season. Shortly after being outclassed at the Rio Tinto by Real Salt Lake in early May, the players held a closed door meeting the air out the issues and get on track with club expectations. The next game, a home win against Chicago would start the club on a club record 11 match unbeaten streak.

Within that streak the club captured it's second Canadian championship and a preliminary round date with Motauga of Honduras. With the added success the club faced a new problem, a congested fixture list with a lot of travel and little rest or training time.

TFC's success in defeating Motagua in the preliminary round and advancing to the group stage of the champions league (Check two in the list of club goals if you're keeping track) is so far the club's biggest achievement in it's 4 year history. However many TFC supporters are wondering what cost will the CCL group stages take on the team's main goal, making the playoffs.

By no means are the Reds the lone MLS team that will have to deal with 6 extra games, as Seattle, Columbus and Real Salt Lake will also play group stage games. However what those teams have that Toronto lacks is true squad depth. Aside from new acquisitions like Mista, and Maicon Santos, the squad it fairly thin especially in the midfield. If the priority in the playoffs, Preki will have to make tough choices around who plays and who rests for crucial league games. One wouldn't be surprised if Preki chose to field some of the academy players against Cruz Azul on Tuesday. He showed his willingness to do so in the second leg against Motagua in Tegucigalpa playing academy stand out Doneil Henry at right back.

Preki may have to start making these decisions quickly, as the team looked flat out exhausted in the second half of their loss to the New York Red Bulls on Wednesday night. He also now has to deal with preferred starting striker Chad Barret sidelined with a hamstring problem after he hobbled off only 30 minutes in. Barret's injury is one in a growing list of concerns facing TFC as we head towards the business end of the season.

Toronto currently hold the 8th and final playoff spot with San Jose just 3 points behind, but with a crucial 2 games in hand on TFC. The club is also heading into the toughest part of their schedule in which they still have to play Real twice, Columbus, Chicago and Houston all on the road where they have a 1-9 record this season. In between those games TFC have mid week group league games which will take them as far as Panama within a three day turn around.The long used mental gut check cliche will be an ever present for the Reds.

However this is what club management wanted, this is the price for relative success.

Preki will have to become a master of man management in order to pull this off. He will need to get captain Dewayne De Rosario and DP Julian De Guzman rest, get the back four in order and get Mista match fit. He also has to avoid injury to key members as he does not have much to choose from in replacements. He also must not crumble under the immense pressure club supporters are putting on him to win, and although Club owners Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment will not come out a directly say it, they want TFC in the MLS Cup final on home soil as it would be a cash bonanza for MLSE.

TFC have craved success since its inception and now that it has some of it, tough choices need to be made before the relative champions league dream season turns into potential playoff disappointment.

It all begins Tuesday night against Cruz Azul at BMO Field.

Toronto FC must cure road jinx

Saturday was another tough night for TFC as they traveled to Kansas City to take on the Wizards. Since the inception of the club the on major issue that has followed the club though all 4 seasons has been the inability to consistently win away fixtures. Saturday was no exception as the Reds fell 1-0. Many have pointed to Adrian Cann's sloppy back pass that lead to Teal Bunbury's goal as being the back breaker, but that was a small part in the larger problem of being mentally tough on the road.

Last year when TFC missed out on the playoffs by one point, you had to look to the amount of blown games on the road as being the difference, had TFC even won 40% of those road games they would have made the playoffs, and it seems that the same holds true this year as well. The club has only 1 victory on the road this season out of a possible 8, and only 4 points to show for it (They drew the L.A earlier this season).

What also is concerning to manager Preki is the lack of offencive punch going forward. On Saturday the teams didn't look close to scoring a goal aside from Mista's early chance. This has been the case form the majority of the road games this year, take away the 3-1 victory at San Jose the scoring line for TFC on the road does not look good. None of the forwards or midfielders had any creative spark Saturday night, and it looked like the game was heading to a poorly played 0-0 draw.

If there is one thing that is positive about the road record is the better defensive display from the team. Preki clearly has instilled a tighter defensive set up and preached responsibility to his midfielders. However you can argue this has been at the cost of goals scored. After the Wizards scored it seemed the team was happy to continue playing the same formation and style as if it were still 0-0.  This type of mentality in tactics cannot win you road games or get you far in the playoffs.

Few can argue that this club has improved in many aspects of the game under the new management of Preki, however he still faces an uphill climb in terms of getting the squad mentally tougher for away matches. If TFC really want to make the playoffs they have to do it on the road and pick up valuable points, or else we could have a last day of the season New York fiasco like last year....and we know how badly that ended.

Cheers,
Mike

2 points lost more than 1 point gained

TFC kept their unbeaten home record alive for the 2010 season by drawing with FC Dallas 1-1 at a rain soaked BMO Field this afternoon. Both teams came into the game on a bit of a streak, TFC had their afore mentioned home unbeaten streak. While FC Dallas had been unbeaten in 6, and came to pad their lead over TFC in the chase for one of 8 playoff births.

Stfan Frei dives to make a save in a 1-1 draw against FC Dallas

TFC head coach Preki will be less than satisfied with the result as his team controlled much of the play and created the better clear cut chances. He will also be upset with the way TFC conceded the tying goal. It all came about from sloppy and lazy play between captain Dwayne De Rosario and defender Nick Garcia. After a poor clearance from the back by Garcia, De Rosario played the ball back towards his own goal for a corner kick. As has been the case for the majority of the season so far, the marking on the resulting corner was poor allowing Milton Rodriguez a free header past the helpless Frei. After the game Preki stated about the Garcia, De Rosario incident that “It was one of those lethargic plays,” Frei added regarding defence of set pieces “We’ve got to win our individual battles and almost take the intensity up a notch when we defend our set pieces. It’s got to get better.”

However there were positives to take from the game.

 Up until that point TFC were in the drivers seat. They were playing some of their best football up front in a while, as recent signing Maicon Santos is proving to be an astute pick up for the club. Staring his first MLS game for the Reds, Santos provided the hold up play Preki has desperately been seeking. Santos also has the ability to play the link up role with either Chad Barret or De Rosario. It was Santos who fired TFC into the lead in the 61st minute with a low shot to the near post, which in all honesty the FC Dallas keeper should have had.

It is also as good sign that Julian De Guzman seems to be picking up his game on the offensive end, as it was he who provided the inch perfect through ball for Santos to score. De Guzman is starting to look like he's finally finding his feet for TFC after his transition form the Spanish league.

Today also provided us our first look at former Spain international striker Mista in an MLS game. He came on in the second half and immediately showed his quality on the ball providing excellent passes out wide and to the feet of the forwards. He also looked like someone who had not played a competitive match in over 2 months. TFC fans shouldn't be too worried about this as he will be in full match fitness soon, but supporters shouldn't see him as the saviour as well, there is still much to be improved upon with this team.

Overall it seems like a good news, bad news view for TFC today. On the good side they kept the club record home unbeaten streak to 9 matches, however on the bad it's two point lost in the standings against teams they are fighting with for a playoff spot. As De Guzman said in his closing remarks “We made it a bit more difficult now for us giving away two points at home.”

Cheers,
Mike

TFC Corner

With the world's soccer attention focused in South Africa I've been neglecting our Toronto FC. Granted MLS was on a world cup break for 3 weeks but TFC made their return to the pitch on Saturday against the Landon Donovan/Edson Buddle-less L.A Galaxy.

The last time we saw the Reds they were involved in a dower 0-0 draw with the Kansas City Wizards. This result brought TFC's unbeaten run to 8 games in which they have only conceded 4 goals. For a team that looked like they couldn't stop anyone from scoring at the beginning of the season, head coach Preki has moulded the team into one of the strongest defensive units in the league. However there was a slight concern that TFC could not wrap up what should have been 3 points against a woeful KC.

Saturday would prove to be a stiffer challenge as the Galaxy came to BMO Field with the best record in the league. What the 15,000 fans saw was another dower 0-0 draw which produced very few chances and sloppy play. Credit must be given to the Reds back four and keeper Stefan Frei who once again were strong when called upon. However there is now a concern that TFC is lacking a bit of a offensive spark upfront.

In training sessions Preki preaches the elements of two touch passes and quick movement of the ball in order to create openings in the defence. However this is not translating to the pitch on match days as at times the attacking play looks lost and punch less. Many including myself have been looking for Preki to play a formation closer to a 4-3-3 that would emphasise the attack. This in theory could be done with O'Brian While in the centre flanked by Chad Barrett and Dwayne De Rosario upfront.

This of course would fly in the face of Preki's desire to build a strong game plan from the back out, but he must realize that too many draws could be just as damaging to a playoff run as losses are.

Although the team is right up against the salary cap it might be time for TFC to look for a offensive DP player to help the team's attack and boost their playoff chances. Earlier this year I made a case for the signing of French star striker Thierry Henry. It seems now Henry is set to sign for conference rivals New York Red Bull, which would leave Toronto behind in the arms race so to speak. This obvious issue would be trying to convince a either aging or about to be aging football star to sign in Toronto. Some suggestions that with a large Portuguese population in Toronto, former Portugal international Nuno Gomes would be a fit with the club. I can only see a move for him as a positive, first it will help you on the field in regards to quality; but second and maybe most importantly he can help develop a young striker in O'Brian White who is still improving his link up play.

Now a move for Gomes is just wishful thinking on my behalf at this time, but TFC will have to address this issue at some point in the near future if it hopes to score more goals and qualify for the playoffs for the first time in club history.

Cheers,
Mike