With TFC all-but-eliminated from the playoffs it is time to see what the players languishing on the bench can do.
With Toronto FC only able to entertain outide thoughts of a playoff berth, it is time to A:) Evaluate whether or not the team actually has depth; and B:) If so, showcase what 2010 will look like on the field.
It won't happen; the team will instead to cling to the belief that the playoffs still exist. It is part of being a professional.
But I digress. If everything we read about interim coach Chris Cummins is in fact true, and he will step in alongside John Carver in the unemployment line as soon as October 24, then why not see what a summer's worth of training has accomplished in the inexperienced players.
All season long the mandate of bringing in players to push the incumbents was preached, but I missed when it actually occurred.
Way back when, former No. 1 goalkeeper Greg Sutton was let go to pave the way for Stefan Frei and Brian Edwards. While Frei is a front-runner for MLS Rookie of the Year, the last two games have shown that he might need a game off. A miscommunication with Nick Garcia and a moment of indecision on the cross that led to Brian McBride's equalizer may be the by-products of a tired mind.
Edwards has a goose egg in the minutes column on his bio page, but was the better 'keeper on the humid August night when Los Galacticos made their summer stop.
Not so way back Lesly Fellinga was brought in to push captain and left-left bedrock Jim Brennan. Again, like Frei, Brennan has done little to deserve a removal from the starting 11. But if Fellinga was brought in to push for a spot, more than 41 minutes played will be required.
Emmanuel Gomez, Amadou Sanyang and O'Brian White have all shown glimpses of glory in the final third of the season, but have since been relegated to the role of full-time reserves. On Saturday night, that reserve bench consisted of the aforementioned two, Edwards (no minutes), Fellinga (41 minutes), Sanyang (281 minutes), Gabe Gala (3 minutes) and Gomez (337 minutes).
Now the last two results did not help the Reds in its playoff chase, but it can be argued that a better fate was deserved in both games. De Guzman looks like he is a full pre-season away from being a serious player in this league, and of all the players with very few minutes to boast of, JDG is the only one to be trusted as one who can contribute. For no other reason than he has experience.
So it would seem that all things considered, the third to last game of the season in San Jose is an ideal situation for Cummins to tap into his youth club roots and allow the unknown to show what can be done against a team who -- on paper and in the standings -- is inferior.
(Although as I type that, I see that the 'Quakes have ended a 20-match road losing streak against DC United.)
Before I go; kudos to Chad Barrett for showing he can still score in this league. Sure it was against his old club, but it adds to my own belief that much of the criticism heaped on Barrett is misdirected, especially if you look at the contribution of others.
