Aron Winter has been relieved of coaching duties at Toronto FC
People have been waiting for the axe to fall at Toronto FC for a few weeks now. The Reds got off to the worst start in MLS history, losing their first nine matches. Somewhat curiously, the aforementioned axe did not fall until TFC won the Canadian Championship and earned their first MLS win over Philadelphia.
Today that day finally came though as TFC announced that they were parting ways with manager Aron Winter. Winter is a former Dutch International who came to TFC in January 2011, promising to implement the Dutch "total football" style and lead the team to the promised land of the MLS Playoffs. Neither happened. In a year and half at the club, Winter won only 7 league matches. The high point of his tenure was reaching the semifinals of the CONCACAF Champions League this year, where the Reds were dispatched at the hands of Mexican side Santos Laguna. According to ownership, Winter was offered a different role with the club, but declined.
TFC has named Director of Player Development Paul Mariner as manager. Mariner has an impressive footballing pedigree. He's a former England International who represented the Three Lions in both the European Championships and the FIFA World Cup. He also spent time with Arsenal during his playing days. As far as coaching goes, he was an assistant to Steve Nichol in New England and also managed English side Plymouth Argyle in the League Championship before taking the development job at TFC in 2011. His first match in charge will be at Sporting Kansas City on June 16.
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