The year was 2005. With Major League Soccer in the midst of North American expansion, and Canadian soccer fans pleading for Toronto’s first professional soccer franchise, Don Garber, commissioner of the MLS, finally granted Torontonians their wish. By May, 2006, Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment (MLSE) had unveiled Toronto FC as the city’s newest professional sports team, becoming the 13th team in the MLS.
Ever since TFC’s first game in April, 2007, they have struggled mightily to field a team worthy of challenging for the MLS playoffs.
Fast-forward to six years later, and we’re still having the same problem.
To fix the debacle that was Aaron Winter and Paul Mariner last season, MLSE decided to hire Kevin Payne as club president and general manager last November. His impressive resume, previously working with fellow MLS team, D.C. United, was enough to convince Tom Anselmi to bring him to Toronto. In terms of coaching personel, MLSE also decided to hire recently player-turned-coach Ryan Nelsen, who eight months ago, was playing with the Queen’s Park Rangers of the English Premier League. A former New Zealand international, Nelsen had no coaching experience coming to Toronto. With no real backbone of a starting XI, Nelsen’s job would be difficult right from the get-go.
Currently, Toronto FC sits second last not only in the Eastern Conference, but in the whole league. They have 4 wins, 14 losses, and 11 draws.
Tim Leiweke (Victor Decolongon/Getty Images)
In the midst of all the crappy play from TFC early in the year, Tim Leiweke was brought in from Los Angeles in April, to be the president and CEO of MLSE. In terms of his previous success in MLS, his name is on the $150-million development plan of the Stubhub Center (formerly The Home Depot Center) in Carson, California, which is home to the Los Angeles Galaxy. The complex is also home of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic training, the USTA’s High Performance Training Center, and the U.S. Soccer Federation’s Team training. Clearly MLSE brought him on because he has made huge investments in the MLS, and U.S. National soccer team, and they think he can do the same for Toronto FC and the Canadian Soccer Association.
What else does he have to show for? The Los Angeles Galaxy have won 4 MLS Cups during his tenure with AEG (the firm that owns all of these entities), and the U.S. National Men’s Soccer team has qualified for the past three, as well as next year’s World Cup.
But the hiring of Leiweke does not guarantee anything. In fact, more questions have been raised since his hiring.
One of those things is if Tim has full confidence in Ryan Nelsen as head coach? We’ve seen TFC struggle due to the lack of a coach who knows the North American (and Central American, when it comes to CONCACAF Champions League) style of play. Nelsen has only ever known English soccer, and the game here in North America is a lot different (not as fast paced, not as technical, not as physical). He’s gone on record giving him a vote of confidence recently, but with the revolving door that has been TFC management and personnel, there’s no telling who may be next.
Another question is can Toronto FC attract quality players who will make an impact now and into the future? When Kevin Payne was still under contract, he tried for months and months to acquire Maximilliano Urruti from Argentina. After Toronto FC finally acquired his services just under a month ago, he only played 37 minutes as a substitute before being shipped to Portland for striker Bright Dike (essentially nothing). Nelsen was even quoted as saying that Urruti was never really going to have a shot to be TFC’s star striker, despite Payne’s endless efforts to acquire the Argentine. This useless signing epitomizes what Toronto FC has been about the past 6 years; large input with no output.
Matias Laba (USA Today Sports)
Matias Laba, another Argentine, was another signing of Payne; he’s showed quality play, but has been hampered by injury. Alvaro Rey was also brought in by Payne; Rey, Spanish-born, played in the Spanish second division before coming over to Toronto. He was branded by Payne as a player who is quick and likes to take on defenders, and is something different that we don’t see in MLS.
These international imports have failed to really cement their status as star players, unlike other MLS teams like New York and the Galaxy who have brought the likes of Thierry Henry, Tim Cahill, and Robbie Keane over to North America. They are established players who have dominated their opponents since moving to the MLS. Has TFC done that in their six years of play? Not a chance. Can they do it with Leiweke at the helm of MLSE? It’s possible, since he has connections from his days at AEG, and given his track record of success, he may have some players up his sleeve he’d like to see donning the red jersey. Should you expect it anytime soon, though? No. With essentially no success in the MLS to-date, there may not be a market for players who would like to come to Toronto, so Leiweke may have to work even harder to bring some established talent over.
Jonathon Osorio (Chris Young/Canadian Press)
The only good thing I have to say about Toronto FC is the fact that they have a solid system in place to develop players. The TFC Academy, stationed at Downsview Parc just north of the downtown core, is the breeding ground for some of the players that have come up through the ranks of Toronto FC. Players like Doneil Henry, Ashtone Morgan, Jonathon Osorio, and Quillan Roberts, have all been signed to the big club. Osorio has really started to blossom while Morgan and Henry are still seeking consistent play on the back-line. With a youth system in place that starts at age 12, Toronto FC has the chance to produce young players that may have a large impact on their success in the future. We have yet to see a graduate of the TFC Academy that’s really taken a hold of the game.
So with another loss tonight against the New York Red Bulls (Thierry Henry just happened to score as well), it seems like nothing will change for TFC this season. Tim Leiweke hasn’t had much time to really make an impact, but it’s clear fans are getting impatient. Former Toronto mayor, David Miller, even sent a letter to Toronto FC and MLSE expressing that he will not renew his season tickets and will cease his support for the club; David Miller has been one of the biggest celebrity supporters of the Reds since day one. With Miller already voicing his cease of support for the club, it is only a matter of time until Toronto FC fans start renouncing their faith in the club.
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