TFC season review, Part V - Where do we go from here?

So, what now?

Well, the first thing everyone should do is take a step back from the emotion of last Saturday. Losing 5-0 to New York exposed some things about TFC, no doubt, but it didn’t change the fact that the Reds were only one point from a playoff spot and just 10 points out of the Supporter’s Shield race.

So, TFC fans, try and remember that. The Reds weren’t Derby County circa 2008. No, they were a pretty typical MLS side that wasn’t quite good enough. So, chill.

Now, that said, they really weren’t good enough. Although they were just that one point away, they never looked good for a playoff spot from about two months out. They seemed to lack something.

The now infamous 15 blown points in the final 15, was exhibit 1A of that lack of something, but it came out in other ways as well. TFC failed to bury teams (eight of 13 wins were by one goal). The Reds struggled against teams that had less talent (they only won four of 11 games against New York, San Jose, Vancouver, Puerto Rico, Montreal and first half of the season Dallas. Take New York out and it’s just two wins in eight games) and they had the fourth worst road record in the league.

Those are problems. How you deal with them is not easy to determine. Clearly there is something in the psychology of the tem. Either they lack the skills needed to handle pressure (the ‘ole inverted U theory of sports psychology) or they simply lack the desire to put forth the needed effort.

It could also be a case of the players never learning how to win. How many championships have TFC players won in their pro career? Outside of DeRo, the answer, as far as I can tell, is none. TFC management needs to look at every player it has and determine if they have the ability to win. It’s a skill that isn’t just about, well, skill. It’s about metal toughness. And if it’s determined that a player is soft, then he needs to be shipped out.

Also, something as simple as hiring a full time sports psychologist might be beneficial as well. That type of auxiliary spending is how rich MLS clubs like Toronto can take advantage of their off-the-pitch success.

Jimmy Brennan should also understand that his captaincy needs to be critically evaluated. You want your captain to lead you through tough times on the pitch and, through three years, TFC has never shown an ability to do that. Maybe Jimmy isn’t the problem, but everything needs to be looked at.

Clearly the coaching situation is the most important piece of business in the off-season. Mo Johnston has said that he wants someone with MLS experience. That limits greatly. We can speculate all we want about specific names, but I think the prototype needed is understood. Both John Carver and Chris Cummins were assistant coaches given head coaching responsibilities. Both struggled to let go of their “one of the boys” attitude that served them well in their assistant manager roles. TFC’s players don’t need a buddy. They need a coach that can kick their ass in line when needed – someone that will demand respect from the get go.

It’s not going to be easy to find that guy, but if they can everything else will follow.

You don’t need to have your UEFA A licence to know what Toronto needs as far as players. It’s a broken record -- a pure goal scoring striker, one or two natural wing players and a hardnosed stopper to play CB.

That should be easy...

OK, maybe not. The truth is pretty much every team in the world is after those type of players. To me, the first priority should be to find the wing players. Although you might look at the other two holes as being more pressing, to me Toronto’s lack of width on the pitch is its biggest failing. Who knows, with an adjustment in tactics that involve actually having a player on the wing that can get some crosses in, maybe Chad Barrett or Ali Gerba might start scoring.

As for that 20-goal scorer Mo talked about earlier this week, TFC fans probably have as much chance of seeing themselves win Lotto Max next Friday. The only way you find a guy out there that can net you 20 goals who won’t cost you DP money is to win the figurative lottery by finding that mythical 19-year-old Argentine striker that no one has seen before. Now, Johnston did let it slip in his interview with the Fan 590 that he’s pretty sure the cap is going up. So, maybe there will be enough money to go after another big transfer. But, you can’t count on that.

Realistically, Toronto may be able to find another 10-goal guy and if they can do that it may be enough. You have to assume that one of either Barett or Gerba will bounce back a bit next year.

I’m actually least concerned about the centreback needs. Sure, a big stopper would be great. You can say that about pretty much every other club in the world. Dominating CBs are likely the most difficult of commodities to find. But, Toronto does have some promise on the backline. Between Emmanuel Gomez and Nana Attakora, I have to think that one will step their game up even more in 2010. With Adrian Serioux now playing on grass every week, his injuries should be less frequent and everyone will be happier.

I would love to see an upgrade at left fullback, thus letting Jimmy B play in the mid, where he belongs.

The wildcard in everything is what the impact of a full season of Julian de Guzman will be. If the new coach figures out how to best use him, that could be the extra two points TFC needs right there.

Regardless, and sadly, we will have four long months to ruminate over this. But, what needs to be remembered is that the Reds weren’t that far away. With a little tweaking – and an adjustment in the psychology – this team could not only make the playoffs, but also compete for the MLS Cup.

Really. It just doesn’t seem like it right now.

Part III of V of the season review:

Part I - Mo Johnston and management
Part II - What went right on the pitch?
Part III - What went wrong on the pitch?
Part IV - Player's report card
Part V - What needs to happen?