For just this one day put aside the negatives. As TFC fans we've had seven years to be negative. We'll have the rest of the off-season to dwell on all that can go wrong.
So, for today let's think about possibilities.
Dwayne De Rosario is coming back to TFC. A player that resonates like no other Canadian soccer player ever has has agreed to forgive TFC and come home to finish his career.
It's a redemption story that nearly everyone in Toronto and MLS wants to see happen.
[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
Symbolism matters and this move is incredibly symbolic. There is no single moment in TFC's history that better summarizes the first seven years then when DeRo signed the cheque and forced his way out of town. It represented a flawed player playing in on a broken club. Both TFC and DeRo walked away with their reputations harmed.
By coming back together, both parties are demonstrating a desire to make up from those mistakes. For the club, it's a message that things have changed and that fans can trust that they have the right culture in place to build a winner. For DeRo it demonstrates that he can move on and put past grievances behind -- even though the people are gone, the surroundings are the same. It requires an element of letting go to come back.
Beyond Toronto the move also sends a message. If DeRo is willing to trust new management at TFC then things must truly be different. It's impossible to stress how important that message is and it might make the re-signing worthwhile even if he can't make a significant contribution on the pitch.
The biggest message of all was sent to the fans though. By DeRo believing he's given permission to fans to believe too.
Beyond that today's news gave many fans a reason to simply be happy. DeRo matters to a lot of people in this community and there was an outpouring of genuine joy that he was returning. It's been a very long time since the TFC community came together like it did immediately after the announcement.
It was fun again.
Speaking personally, I cannot recall a signing that felt as good as this. I was legitimately surprised by the level of emotion it brought out. As a long-time follower of Canadian soccer there have been few stories as disappointing to me as the end of DeRo at TFC. It affected me because it tore apart the community of TFC support in a way in which it has never recovered.
So, today represented a hope that what was lost that day can be found again. That may sound absurd, but I truly believe that only a successful return of this player can accomplish that. It's difficult to fully articulate why that is, but certain players are just connected to football teams in ways that can't fully be explained.
It just seemed that TFC could never be whole again unless it fixed the DeRo relationship. He doesn't have to come back and star, but he needed to come back.
And now he is and, for the first time since he left, it feels like I have a chance at getting my community back.