Is the hiring of Aron Winter what TFC needs to turn things around?
It might have been the biggest media turnout ever for a Toronto FC event.
The room was jammed, even TFC consultant Juergen Klinsmann jumped on a plane to watch this event unfold.
With good reason I suppose, as his fingerprints were all over this one.
The team of Aron Winter, Paul Mariner and Bob de Klerk constitues a formidable troika, no question.
They come equipped with the tools to get the job done, but as Klinsmann says, at the end of the day, it all comes down to the players.
One thing I find ever so slightly troubling is this.
Even though everyone else remains employed, is it possible the Canadians on the management team have been marginalized?
"They remain with the club" said Tom Anselmi referring to Jim Brennan, Nick Dasovic, goalkeeping coach Mike Toshack, Danny Dichio and academy coach Jason Bent, without describing their new assignments.
The new org chart lists assistant coaches reporting to No. 1 assistant Bob de Klerk, and scouting director reporting to Mariner. No names have been attached in either case.
It would appear as though Dasovic will become the head scout, but nothing is certain.
Perhaps it’s all up to Winter.
So here's what happens next.
Winter is off to the Netherlands to wrap up some business, before flying straight to Florida. On Monday he’ll hook up with the rest of the staff at the college combine, which starts Saturday in Fort Lauderdale.
Mariner and the others will get there on the weekend, so will we. Our cameras will be there to, to record the new team in action at the combine.
We'll also attach ourselves to the Vancouver Whitecaps contingent as they go through the process for the first time.
Then we'll follow both clubs through to the draft next week in Baltimore, as they continue to build their rosters.
Hard to believe the new season is just ten weeks away.
