TORONTO – On the surface, this has been a pretty average season for Toronto FC.
The Reds currently sit seventh in the Eastern Conference standings — two places and three points out a playoff spot — with a 4-4-1 record, having scored 11 goals and conceded 11 times.
Toronto just scraped by Vancouver in the Amway Canadian Championship semifinals, and then had to settle for a 1-1 draw at home against Montreal in the first leg of the final earlier this week.
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Remember all the pre-season hoopla when Michael Bradley, Jermain Defoe and Gilberto were signed to Designated Player contracts? Remember all the excitement when Toronto rounded out its roster with MLS veterans, such as Justin Morrow, Dwayne De Rosario and Jackson? Not only was this going to be the year that TFC finally made the playoffs, but they’d do it in considerable style, too.
That’s the problem with hype, though. It’s often an inaccurate reflection of reality. And the reality is that it was always going to take time for TFC to evolve and develop into a playoff contender.
The Reds’ case hasn’t been help by the rash of injuries it’s suffered so far, as well as Bradley being away for over a month on international duty. But even though coach Ryan Nelsen admits Toronto FC isn’t where he thought it would be at this stage of the season when the campaign began in March, he is pleased with the club’s progress on the pitch.
“The injuries and absences have hurt us. We never expected that amount so early on when we were in the most critical time of developing as a team. That hurt us. … I’d like to probably be a wee bit further along,” Nelsen said Friday.
“But in saying that, we are in a very nice spot. What you can’t do is [just] look at the table and the points. I have to look at the greater picture and I know that we’ll get better and better.”
Toronto FC is still evolving, Nelsen explained, citing the midweek Amway game against the Impact and how they played so well without several starters as evidence of how far they’ve come after a 2013 MLS season that saw them win just six games.
“I feel like there is a nice evolution with our team. I think that showed on Wednesday night with who we didn’t have—[Justin] Morrow, [Mark] Bloom, Michael Bradley, Collen Warner, Jackson, Jonathan Osorio, [Luke} Moore, Jermain Defoe. Now as a squad we can play against their best team possible and feel a wee bit unlucky that we didn’t win the game. If you look back a year ago, I think that’s where our evolution has been. We’re starting to strengthen ourselves and trust our squad, and get a bit hardened,” Nelsen offered.
He later added: “We’re going to have our ups and downs but we’re starting to become an MLS squad that is competitive in every game. … I know that everybody wants to flick the switch and you go from nobodies to champions overnight. It just doesn’t happen like that.”
Defoe agrees with Nelsen, echoing his manager’s sentiments that the team is still a work in progress and is getting better over time.
“I think it’s been good, to be honest. It’s a new team so it was never going to happen overnight and click straight away. It takes time. I think we’re taking small steps but we’re improving as a team. Each game we’re better and better,” Defoe offered.
The fact that TFC is still evolving and is not the finished article might not sit too well with a fan base that has been starved for success after seven seasons without a single playoff appearance. But Nelsen maintains patience is required, pointing to the recent success of Atletico Madrid, who overcame Real Madrid and Barcelona to win their first La Liga title since 1996 and also reached the final of the UEFA Champions League.
“Nobody mentions the two or three years of hard work and heartache that they put in to get where they are now. What I would say is if you step back and look where we were and where we are [now], you see an evolution and a development that other teams are not making,” Nelsen explained.
“That’s what I like about our team. Everybody is getting a wee bit better, and the squad is getting better every day.”
Where can TFC improve the most?
“We’re creating a lot of chances. I still feel we can score more goals. We’re real organised [in defence] and we’re playing well. I think it’s just a matter of time where we go into games and we win convincingly and score more than two goals,” Defoe said.
“It’s a long season. There’s such a long way to go, and so many games to go.”
One thing Toronto does have working in its favour is that it’s only played nine times in MLS, and has as many as five games in hand on some of its Eastern Conference rivals.
Nelsen described the upcoming three-game stretch — home vs. Columbus on Saturday, away to Montreal for the second leg on Wednesday, and home vs. San Jose next week — as a critical portion of the schedule.
“These next two home games, and of course the game [in Montreal], are very important for us and can springboard us forward for the rest of the season,” Nelsen said.
NOTES: Forward Luke Moore (groin), winger Jackson (concussion) and midfielder Jonathan Osorio (hamstring) are available to play Saturday after recently missing games due to injuries… Midfielder Collen Warner won’t play, as he is in Denver where he is attending his brother’s wedding… Captain Steven Caldwell is suspended…