TORONTO -- The goal for Toronto FC's sophomore season was, simply, progress. The team had no illusions of leaping from bottom-of-the-league expansion club to MLS Cup contender in the span of a year, but the plan was to keep adding roster depth, score more goals and be a more consistent threat game in and game out.
By these standards, the 2008 season was a success for TFC, though that progress came with a price. The club looked so good at certain points of the season that the fact that the Reds didn't end up in the playoffs put a disappointing sheen on what was, on paper, a positive year.
"I wanted to make the playoffs, everybody did. We just missed out," said team captain Jim Brennan. "But compared to the first season, it was a lot better, which shows we're making progress. Next year is going to be the one, the third season. All the growing pains are gone. We're gelling together as team as you could see in the last few games. Next season is going to be a good challenge for us and I think we'll be all right."
The Reds finished the season with a 9-13-8 record and 35 points -- a 10-point improvement over their 2007 performance. While TFC remained at the bottom of the Eastern Conference for the second consecutive year, they did rise from the overall league basement, as Toronto finished two points clear of both Los Angeles and San Jose.
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In the end, TFC finished just four points behind New York for the eighth and final spot in the MLS Cup Playoffs. Those four points will be weighing heavily on the minds of everyone in the Toronto FC organization over the winter months as the team reflects on what might have been, and what has to be done to make up that difference.
"We had a chance to probably put another 10 points on the board if we'd taken care of our end at certain times of the season and offensively we struggled at times as well," said goalkeeper Greg Sutton. "But that's the game. If you can limit those lapses we had this year and put some of the balls in the net at certain times, the season would've been a lot different for us.
"We have to take care of the little things, and the little things add up."
The Reds' first major move of the year came in January when Paul Winsper was hired as the team's strength and conditioning coach. The addition of Winsper, whose decade as fitness coach for Newcastle of the English Premier League earned him a reputation as one of the top fitness specialists in soccer, was a key move for a TFC side that was plagued by injuries in 2007.
The hiring of one Newcastle man was also a hint at an even bigger coaching move that came three weeks later. Newcastle native and former Magpies player and assistant coach John Carver became the second head coach in TFC history, with Mo Johnston moving to the front office to become the Reds' manager and director of soccer.
It was clear from the start of TFC's Bradenton, Fla. preseason training camp that Carver and Winsper were bringing new ideas, tactics and conditioning methods to the club. Perhaps even more importantly, the new coaches also brought a change in mindset.
"[Training camp] started off the attitude that if we work hard and do the right things we'll have success," Sutton said. "The confidence was there a lot more this season, whereas last year it wasn't always there. Confidence breeds success."
Ironically, it was Sutton who found himself with a reason to lack confidence during training camp. The Canadian international goalkeeper was recovering from a concussion that kept him out for most of the 2007 season, and perhaps as a result of some rustiness, Sutton lost the starting job to Brian Edwards, a rookie 'keeper out of Wake Forest.
Edwards was taken with the 28th overall pick of the 2008 MLS SuperDraft on Jan. 18. The goalkeeper was the last of three draft picks for Toronto in the first two rounds, as the Reds also had the ninth and 10th overall selections. These picks were used on defenders Julius James (Connecticut) and Pat Phelan (Wake Forest).
The rookies joined other new faces such as former Galaxy midfielder Kevin Harmse and Puerto Rico international Marco Velez in the TFC camp, but as the club continued its strategy of pursuing players from European leagues (which were still ongoing into the spring), it meant that Toronto didn't have all the pieces in place for the kickoff weekend of the 2008 campaign.
This didn't augur well for a team that began the schedule with three consecutive road games. The Reds dropped their first two matches -- a close 2-0 defeat in Columbus on March 29 and then a 4-1 rout at the hands of D.C. United on April 5.
The start of 2008 was looking disturbingly close to the start of 2007, when the Reds began with four losses in a row. But the pieces were starting to come together. Former French international Laurent Robert joined TFC for the D.C. game, and then former MLS MVP Amado Guevara came on board for the April 13 match in Los Angeles.
It was in L.A. that things began to look up for the Reds. In a wild game that saw Toronto twice take the lead only to quickly allow an equalizer, an 88th-minute goal from Jeff Cunningham proved to be the difference in a 3-2 win over the Galaxy. This away win against the David Beckham and Landon Donovan-led L.A. squad was a major stepping stone for TFC -- after picking up just one road win in all of 2007, Toronto now had a road win after just three weeks of the new season.
But perhaps it was a sign of the team's newfound confidence that a win over the high-profile Galaxy was seen as just a first step.
"In our heads it was more like we gave up the lead twice," said defender Marvell Wynne. "It was a win away from home and it was important. Last year we didn't get too many wins away but it always feels good to take care of business away from home."
The L.A. win began the best stretch of results in Toronto's short history. TFC enjoyed a six-game unbeaten streak (4-0-2), a new team record, that included wins against Real Salt Lake, Kansas City, and a satisfying revenge victory over D.C. The latter five games of the six-game stretch were played at BMO Field, where the Toronto fans continued to support their team like no other, and the Reds were suddenly playing like a team that was worthy of such passionate support.
The key to TFC's success was strong defending. Velez and Tyrone Marshall were finding their form in the middle, while Wynne and Brennan were both defensive and attacking threats from the fullback positions.
The other major factor was Sutton, who regained the starting goalkeeping job in D.C. Sutton posted clean sheets in four of the five games on the five-game homestand and cemented his role as the team's starting 'keeper. He ended the season with 116 saves (the fourth-highest total in MLS) on 151 shots (also fourth-highest) for a 1.46 goals against average.
"I think I was satisfied with my play," Sutton said. "There's obviously lots of room for improvement, but I don't think I was looking for miracles this season. I think I'm a consistent player and that's a key to this game as a goalkeeper. ... Every year I come out of the season thinking 'I can do this better, I can work on this area more.'"
The defense was winning games while the attack was doing just enough to get Toronto a lead. Guevara became a catalyst as an attacking midfielder, feeding the ball up to striker Danny Dichio and also teaming with Robert to become a potent set-piece tandem. It was a welcome return to form for Guevara, who spent most of 2007 playing in his native Honduras after a falling-out with Chivas USA.
Toronto's unbeaten streak came to an end with a 3-2 loss at D.C. United on May 24, but they rebounded with a 2-0 win the next week at home against L.A. It was another significant win over the Galaxy for TFC, this time because the Reds managed to pick up the three points in spite of missing six regulars to international duty, injuries and suspensions. Rookies Edwards and James were the men of the match, as Edwards claimed his first career shutout and James marked his first professional game with the winning goal.
The Reds suffered a 3-1 thrashing in Houston on June 8 before picking up another home win on June 14 against Colorado thanks to a brace from English winger Rohan Ricketts. It seemed as though the dichotomy between TFC's performances at and away from BMO Field was once again becoming pronounced, and that trend continued for the rest of the season.
Toronto looked like two different sides depending on where they played; at home, the Reds were a tenacious, tough-defending squad who allowed just 12 goals in 15 games (the second-lowest home goals-against in MLS). In road games, however, the defense was suddenly porous, allowing 31 goals, tied for second-highest in MLS.
Perhaps the most telling stat, however, was that TFC scored the same number of home goals (17) as they did away goals. This meant that the Reds often couldn't capitalize on their ability to hold their opponents down at BMO Field, which left a lot of points on the table as wins turned into draws.
This troublesome statistic caught up with Toronto in mid-June, as the Colorado win ended up being TFC's last victory for almost two months. The Reds went 0-5-4 in their next nine competitive matches, and suddenly the team's hot start was becoming a distant memory.
In spite of these struggles, however, Wynne said the team never adopted a "here we go again" attitude in the wake of their longest slump since a three-month winless drought in 2007 that also included an MLS-record 824 minutes without a goal.
"You're just going to play worse if you think like that," Wynne said. "We kept thinking we've got to pick it up, we've got to keep going. We just forgot about it and tried to do our best the next game."
The team's slump also cost them outside of league play, as TFC missed out on a chance at national glory. The Reds joined USL First Division sides Montreal Impact and Vancouver Whitecaps in the inaugural Nutrilite Canadian Championship, a three-team tournament that would decide Canada's representative in the CONCACAF Champions League.
Toronto got off to a great start in the competition with a 1-0 win in Montreal on May 27, thanks to a 72nd-minute goal from Velez. The away victory put TFC in control of the tournament, but this control came to an end on, of all days, July 1. The Reds hosted Vancouver in front of a fired-up and patriotic Canada Day crowd at BMO Field but couldn't send the fans home happy as Toronto suffered a 1-0 upset defeat. It was the first loss at BMO Field for TFC since Sept. 22, 2007.
"We screwed up when we played against Vancouver and didn't take care of our business at home," Sutton said.
The Impact took the full six points from two matches against Vancouver, which left TFC to face the Whitecaps in a crucial game on July 9 at Swangard Stadium. The Reds could only net one point after a 2-2 draw, thus setting up a must-win showdown against Montreal on July 22 at BMO Field.
A goal from Ricketts gave Toronto an early lead after 15 minutes, but Montreal tied the match just 11 minutes later and then held on for the tournament-clinching draw. TFC suffered the double shame of not just losing a Champions League slot to a lower-division side, but also seeing their rivals celebrate with the Voyageurs Cup on the Reds' home turf.
A new rivalry had been born, and the TFC players (particularly the Canadians) are already looking forward to next year's battle for national bragging rights.
"Montreal had a good run there and they did what they needed to do," Sutton said. "This game is one where everyone can beat anyone on any given day, and I'll give 100 percent credit to Montreal, they're a great team. ... [The Canadian Championship] is something we're going to make sure we're ready for next year and it's something we want to win."
The Voyageurs Cup loss was the low point of an overall rough month of July for TFC. The team played eight matches in a 28-day span, including three Canadian Championship games, three league games and two international friendlies. Toronto welcomed two-time defending CONCACAF Champions' Cup winners Pachuca CF from Mexico on July 5, and then hosted Argentinean powers Independiente on July 15.
Pachuca and Independiente weren't the only international visitors to arrive at BMO Field in the month, as Major League Soccer also welcomed English side West Ham United for the 2008 Pepsi MLS All-Star Game on July 24. It was a banner day for the city of Toronto to show off both BMO Field and the city's newly-claimed status as one of the top markets in MLS.
Jim Brennan made history as the first Toronto FC player to ever appear in an All-Star Game, and the home crowd went home happy as Houston midfielder (and Toronto native) Dwayne De Rosario scored a penalty kick goal to give the MLS side a 3-2 win over West Ham United.
The All-Star Game was the only respite for the BMO Field fans as TFC continued to miss chances at home. The Reds managed only a 0-0 draw against San Jose on July 19 in a game that Toronto dominated, and then absorbed their first league defeat at home in a 2-0 loss to FC Dallas on Aug. 3.
The lack of goals was due to a number of causes. Dichio suffered a concussion on July 1 that kept the team's scoring leader out of action for all but eight minutes of Toronto's next eight league games. Veteran striker Cunningham was becoming a non-factor in terms of both playing time and finishing ability, and rookie forward Jarrod Smith regressed after a promising start to the season.
For a few games, it seemed as if the only bright spot in the Toronto strike force was 16-year-old Abbe Ibrahim. The youngster became the fifth-youngest player in MLS history to score a goal when he netted his first professional goal coming off the bench against Chicago on July 12.
It was a heady experience for a young man whose main contribution this season was expected to be on the reserve squad.
"I showed the coaches I want to be on the field ... every practice, just competing every day," Ibrahim said. "My personal highlight was my debut goal. It was a great moment for me because all my family came down to Chicago. I never expected to play and to score my first one in my first game was a real great moment."
The Chicago game was also notable as the last time Maurice Edu wore the Toronto FC jersey. The 2007 MLS Rookie of the Year went on international duty along with Wynne to play for the U.S. Olympic team at the Beijing Games, but upon the tournament's end was sold in a transfer to Scottish Premier League giants Rangers. The first draft pick in TFC history (No. 1 overall in the 2007 MLS SuperDraft) was now gone, leaving a big hole in the midfield.
Edu's sale was one of a number of moves made by the Reds in an attempt to shake the team out of its doldrums. Underachievers Robert and Cunningham were waived and traded, respectively, and oft-injured center-back Olivier Tebily was also released.
Coming into the team was Fire striker Chad Barrett. The Reds had held the allocation rights to MLS legend Brian McBride, who was on his way back to America from the English Premiership with the intent of playing in his hometown of Chicago. TFC was able to deal McBride's rights to the Fire in exchange for a first-round draft pick and Barrett, who had scored 18 goals in 82 career games for Chicago.
Barrett's presence wasn't able to help the Reds in the Dallas loss, but he came through by converting a class free kick on Aug. 9 that gave TFC a 1-0 road victory over the Rapids and snapped Toronto's winless streak. Barrett scored again on Aug. 23 to salvage another frustrating home draw for Toronto against New England.
The addition of Barrett and Carlos Ruiz (acquired in a deal with L.A.) gave the strike force a new look, though the problem for Toronto was in keeping both the forwards and the rest of their ideal starting XI on the pitch. As in 2007, injuries and international absences took their toll on the roster, leaving TFC with barely enough players to dress in some games.
The international problem reached its apex on Sept. 6 against Chivas. The Reds were missing nearly a full lineup of players to World Cup qualifiers -- Guevara, Wynne, Brennan, Sutton, Marshall, Smith, James, Ruiz and Carl Robinson were all away playing for their respective countries. TFC was forced to make emergency signings and start 39-year-old semipro Rick Titus and team scout Tim Regan on the back line.
This patchwork lineup made a good accounting of itself, but the Reds ultimately lost, 3-1. The defeat came a week after the first-choice lineup dropped a 2-1 heartbreaker, also against Chivas, after some sloppy clearing and a costly turnover by Sutton led to a Atiba Harris netting the winner in stoppage time.
Carver openly questioned the need to play the Sept. 6 match given the number of missing players, but the coach said that international absences weren't as big a problem to TFC's season as last-minute lapses like the ones that led to Harris' goal were. "If we stand here now and look at the season as a whole, there's games where we certainly should've picked up more points. We threw away games," Carver said. "Also we had obstacles in our way but we have to deal with that. ... It is frustrating, but I think if you ask every head coach in the league, they'll be in the same situation saying that they had games won and lost them, or [they] drew the games, results went against us, calls went against us, so I think everybody would've been in that same situation. At the end of the day we didn't get enough points to get in the playoffs, and that's what was disappointing."
For a national team player like Sutton, it was difficult to see his club be ravaged by so many absences on international matchdays.
"It's hard with so many guys on international duty and it's tough to fill holes," Sutton said. "Hopefully MLS can rectify that situation and give an opportunity to have a full team when we need them. I think [the problem] really came to the forefront this year with some of the guys lost and the league realizes it's tough for teams to deal with that."
Suddenly, Toronto FC found itself mired in another winless streak, and the team's playoff hopes (which looked like a sure thing in June) were now starting to slip away. With all of the internationals returning and injured stars like Dichio starting to get their fitness back, however, it was as if a second transfer window had opened for the Reds in mid-September.
The fully-manned squad came back with a well-contested 1-1 draw with league leaders Columbus the next week, but then proceeded to deliver arguably TFC's worst performance of the season on Sept. 20 in Kansas City. The Reds couldn't manage a single shot on goal in a 2-0 loss to the Wizards that left Toronto's postseason aspirations on life support.
With just five games left, all against playoff teams or contenders, it was do-or-die time for TFC. The Reds responded to the pressure by playing some of their best soccer of the year. The good form began with a 1-1 home draw against defending MLS Cup champions Houston thanks to a second-half goal from Marvell Wynne.
It was the defender's first career goal after almost three full years in MLS, and it was the highlight of his 2008 campaign.
"It was an important game for us, kept us in the run of things, it was against a top team in the league and it was off my left foot," Wynne said. "It was exciting for me."
Wynne was even more enthused by TFC's next game, which the fullback said was probably the team's best overall game of the season. Toronto picked up their first-ever win at Giants Stadium in a 3-1 domination of the Red Bulls.
"We played well the whole game, scored goals while keeping a few out," Wynne said. "If I had to pick one game, I'd say it was that one ... it was a crucial win, our backs were against the wall and we pulled through for the moment."
It looked as if the Reds' hot streak would continue the next week in Dallas, when Wynne's goal in the 88th minute gave Toronto a late 2-1 lead. However, yet again, a late goal hurt TFC. Kenny Cooper converted a penalty kick in stoppage time to earn a draw for the Hoops and cost Toronto two crucial points.
Cooper's goal was the fourth time in the season that TFC had lost or drawn due to a goal scored after the 87th minute. These late breakdowns were the constant flaw that plagued the Reds all year long. The team conceded 13 goals in the final 15 minutes of games, tying D.C. United for the most goals allowed in the final interval.
"We lost a lot of games in the last 10 or 15 minutes and a lot of goals in the last 10 or 15 minutes as well," Johnston said. "We need to tighten up."
Given TFC's season-long difficulty in preventing the late score, it was perhaps fitting that Cooper's goal essentially ended Toronto's season. The Reds defeated Chicago the next week after, ironically, holding steady after gaining a 3-1 halftime lead and holding on for a 3-2 victory. Wins by New York and Kansas City on the same night, however, officially eliminated the Reds from playoff contention.
After a listless 2-0 defeat in San Jose in the season finale on Oct. 25, Toronto FC's second season had officially come to a close.
"At the end of the season we put a push towards it and it was just a little too late," Sutton said. "Next year we have to start earlier and get those points before it comes to a win-or-die situation."
The formula for success in 2009 seems clear. If TFC can combine its strong defending from the start of this season with the attacking prowess it showed late in the season, and deliver both on a consistent basis, then it will be a formidable team to face. To accomplish this, Toronto must add the roster depth necessary to withstand next season's international call-ups; it is no coincidence that the Reds' good stretches of form at the start of the year and in October came at the times of greatest roster stability.
"I don't think we're far [away] at all," Brennan said. "We've got a really good base of players here, [we can] get a couple more players and I think next year we're going to be one of the top teams in the league for sure.
"The coaching staff here have their eye on a few things and they'll get things sorted over the winter period. ... They'll get the right players in to fit the way we play."
Throughout all of TFC's ups and downs on the field in its first two seasons, the one constant has been the fans. It was another banner year at the box office for the Reds, as the team drew an average of 20,120 fans per game --- both totals second to only Beckham and the L.A. Galaxy among MLS teams.
The one thing Reds supporters are looking for now is the chance to set some playoff attendance records. And as far as Wynne is concerned, the players feel that the next step in Toronto FC's progress can only be measured by a postseason appearance.
"If the team is going to keep going forward we'll only consider a playoff berth as making that movement," Wynne said. "If we don't make the playoffs next year I'd consider it a step backwards.
"[TFC's play in October] sets a standard. We know where we were at the end of the year when we supposedly hit our stride. ... It's going to be difficult to get everybody back, everybody fit and everyone back up to that same place, but with this group of guys we have here, I think we'll be able to do it."
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