The signing of Adrian Serioux officially makes Toronto FC the ugly duckling that went away for the summer only to return in September as the hottest girl in the school.
Think about it: no one wanted a date with TFC in its sophomore year. Joao Pinto made eyes but stood her up. Brian McBride only had eyes for his first love, Chicago. Before the wounds could heal Daren Huckerby wined and dined before ducking out early on the arm of a younger California girl.
When exams ended in October, the suitors had dried up and future prospects for TFC looked bleak. The winter was supposed to see Robbo return to England, the graduation of Dichio, a change of area code for Ricketts and no new (designated) students. But the exact opposite happened. Toronto FC kept its lovable loyals and accessorized through a series of savvy swaps that may see the school re-named to honour the man with the BlackBerry ear.
Having rich parents didn't hurt either.
(OK, the point is made. No more high school dating allegory.)
The transformation of TFC in a mere four months is truly remarkable. It started with a four-time MLS Cup winner deciding to stake his perfect reputation on a franchise without one. Then word of mouth took over and the names every fan knew but never expected suddenly appeared on the scene.
Gone are the days when a name would rip through the Red Patch Boys forums like wildfire before being doused by a big bucket of disappointment.
Now, chances are that name will end up on the field, as is the case with both Pablo Vitti and Serioux.
"Word of mouth speaks volumes, you know," John Carver told me last week when I first asked him about the new-found ability to sign players. "I know for a fact that players talk to each other and when they see what we have and what we have got then they want to come here."
What 'they' have here is a solid plan with a commitment to winning in an environment that I have seen first-hand is conducive to producing quality players.
"I know players that have left the club and have gone to other clubs realize what they had when they were here," Carver said. "And they miss it."
It's been at times a painful two years of rejection and disappointment for a franchise that despite my tongue-in-cheek comparison to the ugly duckling actually has plenty of admirers.
But the pain and rejection has made her (err, it) stronger and this year the dedication of those not-so-secret admirers is poised to be rewarded with some beauty.
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