A midseason injury to Danny Koevermans scuttled TFC's recovery
This is one of the most ambitious things I've ever tried to do here on the blog, a wrap up of every MLS team as their season ends. Of course, the season is now over for nine teams, and two more will be added before the week is out.
An inquest is an investigation that takes place after a death to determine the cause, so I've I decided to go with "MLS Inquest" as the name for the series. We'll see if I can keep up with it. Here is the first entry, a look the unfortunate season of Toronto FC.
2012 MLS Inquest: Toronto FC
Final Record: 5-21-8
Points: 23
Final Position: 10th, Eastern Conference
Player of the Year: Luis Silva
This rookie midfielder from UCSB was one of the few consistent bright spots for TFC this year. Silva scored 5 goals and tallied 5 assists in 30 league appearances for the club this year. His speed and ability often resulted in headaches for opposing defenses, and he should be heavily involved in whatever TFC's plans are going forward.
Flop of the Year: Torsten Frings
The wear on the on the legs of the soon to be 36 year old TFC captain really started to show at times this season as Frings spent ample amount of time on the sidelines, appearing in only 20 league matches. While always a hard worker, Frings was often played all over the pitch and many times out of position. No matter where he was, he was rarely able to provide the leadership that TFC needed to get over the hump
The Good:
Forward Danny Koevermans was having an outstanding year before suffering a season ending injury on the turf at New England on July 14. His 9 goals still were tops on the team when the regular season ended. The team also made a run to the semifinals of the CONCACAF Champions League, and once again captured the Canadian Championship.
The Bad:
TFC struggled to find a consistent goal scorer after the injury to Koevermans, even with the addition of former Whitecaps' man Eric Hassli. Meanwhile, they continued to bleed goals, giving up 62 goals for a goal difference of -26. That mark was second worst in MLS.
The Ugly:
Any league hopes for the season were squashed early on when the Reds lost their opening 9 matches of the season. They finally picked up their first win on May 26, 1-0 over the Philadelphia Union.
The Verdict:
Things were supposed to get better for the Reds after Aron Winter was sacked, and they did for awhile. TFC picked up at least a point in 8 of 9 matches from mid June to late July. However, results eventually fell off again, as their last league win came July 18 over the Colorado Rapids.
The revolving door personnel policy over the last couple of years hasn't worked, only resulting in fans showing up at BMO Field with bags over their heads. If Paul Mariner really is the man to lead the club going forward, they need to get the players he wants and see what happens, banishing all traces of the Aron Winter "era."
I predicted that TFC would finally crack the MLS postseason this year. I've never been more wrong about anything. Next year could look bleak as well, especially if the team does not reinforce it's defense. Late last week TFC aired some dirty laundry about this aspect, accusing MLS of scuttling it's move for former Swedish International Olof Mellberg on a DP contract. Listen for more on this story. If the league really did shut that move down, it will raise a lot of questions about the DP situation going forward for smaller market teams and defenders.
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