It was a hot day in the early part of the summer of 2010. I was alone, waiting to do some Canadian national team work when my phone rang. Picking it up I heard the familiar voice of a well-connected Canadian soccer observer that I had used several times in he past as a news source.
“You’re not going to fucking believe this,” he exclaimed.
As he isn’t prone to hyperbole, I was all ears.
“TFC is fucking losing it again,” he said. “Unbelievable.”
It was unbelievable. On the surface things looked OK. The club was playing unattractive, but fairly effective, soccer and was middling around a playoff spot. It seemed that under Preki Toronto had finally found a way to meet the uninspiring expectations of a fan base desperate for any taste of success.
However, the source told me about a meeting that the players had held with management about their manager. The message the players gave management was clear – get rid of Preki, or this thing is going to end badly.
I don’t need to remind you of how it all turned out.
The memory of that interaction is fresh in my mind as of late, as rumblings of another TFC front office meltdown are growing louder. Like it was in 2010, it is next to impossible to get anyone on record to talk about the alleged problems. It’s mostly rumblings about dirty looks and broken communication chains.
[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]And when it comes to Toronto FC people are predisposed to think the worst. What might be seen as a healthy internal debate in some clubs is viewed as a cancer waiting to happen with the Reds. It’s because of that perception and the instinct to think negatively that I am reluctant to talk about the alleged issues. My instinct tells me that it’s probably not as bad as some are suggesting.
My instincts told me that in 2010 as well and I sat on the information. By the time it had been verified it was pointless to talk about – everyone knew.
So with some reluctance, this is what’s being suggested now:
All of this is based on conversations I’ve had with several MLS and TFC sources.
It’s being suggested that there is a fatal conflict between Paul Mariner – and those within the organization that have a MLS or English background – and Aron Winter, along with the Dutch thinkers. There is a personality conflict involved, but the root of the issue is about player Personnel decisions.
For simplicity sake let’s call the divide the 4-3-3 idealists versus the MLS pragmatists.
The MLS pragmatist’s suggestions are being mostly ignored (either literally, or being brought in only to rot on the bench) while players that the 4-3-3 idealists favour -- that the MLS pragmatists have no time for -- are consistently starting.
The recent release of academy prospect Stefan Vukovic can be best understood by the divide in thinking. MLS pragmatists liked him, 4-3-3 idealists did not.
I’ve been told by one well-placed MLS source that the thinking around the league is that one of the two men will be gone by the end of the summer. Based on player moves until now, it would seem that upper management prefers the 4-3-3 idealists. However, that might change if the team doesn’t start winning.
As stated, this is mostly smoke right now. No one is talking on record. Unfortunately, when it comes to TFC over its five-year history, smoke usually means fire.