TORONTO — Things have definitely changed for the better at Toronto FC under new coach Paul Mariner.

One of the most notable differences from the Aron Winter regime is the relentless work-rate displayed by the players. And one of the key components of this drive is Terry Dunfield, who has started every game under the Englishman.

"Paul came in and it was like a breath of fresh air," Dunfield told sportsnet.ca.

The midfielder noted that Winter’s dismissal is one the players were all accountable for, and that there was no foul play in Mariner’s appointment.

"He was definitely behind (Aron Winter) in what he wanted to do, there were no knives in his back," Dunfield stated.

What targets did the new manager set on his appointment?

"Paul doesn’t really need to say anything. We’re just taking it game-by-game. We knew we had to get to the Colorado game and then we’d have a ten day break in the league."

There is a lot more freedom for the Canadian international since moving from Winter’s 4-3-3 into Mariner’s 4-4-2 system.

"Under Paul I’m able to go both ways a little bit more and make my opponent worry about chasing me. It’s always great getting forward and trying to score or set things up," Dunfield explained.

With the players working harder for each other on the pitch, a real team spirit seems to be building at the club. A heavy schedule has seen the squad spending a lot of time with each other a lot recently.

"Battling on the road has really brought us together and picking up points only helps you believe in what Paul’s trying to do," Dunfield said.

One player Dunfield has grown particularly close to over the past year is top-scorer Danny Koevermans, who recently suffered an ACL injury that has ruled him out for the rest of the season.

Dunfield will be a good friend for the Dutchman to be around, as the mid-part of his career saw him out of competitive action for two-and-a-half years and working in a factory to make ends meet.

"I’m absolutely gutted what happened to him in New England. It’s a huge loss to the league and the club," Dunfield said.

After reports of homesickness, Joao Plata was sent on loan back to LDU Quito. However, Dunfield revealed it was a little more than Plata just missing Ecuador.

"Last season he was very comfortable and he was one of the first names on the team-sheet. This year under Aron he was in and out of the team a bit, Paul’s took over and he wasn’t in the team for the first couple of games. I don’t think he was prepared to battle for a spot," Dunfield said.

"The club felt it would be best for his development to go out on loan and hopefully he’ll come back next season prepared to work."

Mariner’s brief spell has also seen the exit of the club’s first designated player, Julian de Guzman.

"It’s never easy taking on the mantel of designated player, and I think Julian received some, at times, unfair criticism, but that comes with being a designated player. Now that spots opened up, I’ve got my eye on it," he joked.

As for Dunfield’s own plans, he has his eye on helping the Canadian squad in their bid to qualify for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil and to continue plugging away in Toronto’s midfield. He wants his career to go beyond playing though.

"I’ve got all my (coaching) badges now. There was an opportunity to coach in the academy, but it’s difficult with so many games in our schedule," Dunfield said.

"Soccer is my life and when I hang up my boots — for sure — I want to stay in the game."

---

Daniel Rouse is a columnist and podcaster for Red Nation Online, and a short story writer. He moved from England in 2011. Follow him on Twitter.

The standings don’t lie.

Take a gander at Major League Soccer table and cast your eyes to the very bottom. That’s where you’ll find Toronto FC firmly nestled, the only side in the 19-team league to not have earned a single point.

Winless through their first five matches, the Reds also sport the worst offensive record in the league with just two goals scored, and their minus-eight goal difference is the tied for the lowest in MLS.

So there it is in black and white. There’s simply no debating that Toronto FC is the worst team in MLS right now.

But midfielder Terry Dunfield maintains that TFC is better than its 0-5 record indicates, and that the Canadian club is primed to turn things around, starting with Saturday’s home contest against the Chicago Fire.

“You look down the roster and there are some really talented players on there and (the poor start is) disappointing for sure,” Dunfield told reporters after Thursday’s practice at BMO Field.

“You look at (our) quality in the majority of the games we’ve played, it hurts to see us 0-5. It kills your pride a little bit but we’re not feeling sorry for ourselves and we believe we can put together a good run.”

Like head coach Aron Winter, Dunfield asserts the Reds were unlucky in their latest setback, a 1-0 home loss to Chivas USA last Saturday. Defensive errors have plagued Toronto this season, but Dunfield felt the club cleaned up its act on the back end in the loss to Chivas.

That’s the good news. The bad news was that despite dominating possession and carving out numerous scoring opportunities, Toronto was kept off the score sheet for the third straight match at BMO Field.

“All you can do is take the positives from the game, and there’s plenty of those right now,” Dunfield stated.

Such as?

“Last week and in the weeks before we created six or seven chances; I’d say that’s a positive,” Dunfield explained. “Other than last week, we haven’t conceded off a set piece, so those are going well defensively. For most of the games we’re carrying a lot of possession. We need to turn that into goals now. They say over a season that little bit of luck evens itself out, and hopefully that’ll happen.”

Asked to explain what’s gone wrong for TFC this season, Dunfield explained there have been problems at both ends of the field.

“We’ve made (defensive) mistakes that have been punished. The chances that we’ve created, we haven’t scored in games when we needed to score in crucial moments. When we can turn that around we have the roster to be very competitive in this league,” Dunfield asserted.

Against Chivas, defender Adrian Cann looked solid and played the full 90 minutes, marking his successful return to the club after a lengthy layoff. Cann suffered a season-ending knee injury last May, and had not played in a league game until the Chivas match.

Also, captain Torsten Frings is set to come back and will likely start against Chicago on Saturday. The German suffered a hamstring injury during the club’s season opener in Seattle and has been sidelined since.

“Those are definitely two major boosts for the squad, not only on the field but in the changing room, as well. It gives the younger guys a lift … having that extra experience around. I thought Adrian last week was in a different class,” Dunfield said.

Even though the club is still looking for its first point, Dunfield said team morale is very high and that none of the players are feeling sorry for themselves.

“We can talk and talk and talk but it’s time to go out there Saturday and keep doing what we’ve been doing, and I really believe three points will come,” Dunfield said.

NOTES: Dutch midfielder Nick Soolsma is still nursing a hamstring injury (he missed the Chivas game) and told reporters Thursday that he won’t play against Chicago… Defender Jeremy Hall (sports hernia) told sportsnet.ca he will rejoin the team for full training sessions next Monday and after that he is likely one or two weeks away from being fit to play… Asked about the prospect of playing a friendly against Liverpool in mid-July during a crucial part of the season, Dunfield replied, “Having these friendlies are important for growing the game over here and getting new fans into the ground. … We have a deep roster and I’m sure we can deal with it. This is part of MLS.”