Before you start raging against the machine about TFC’s 3-1 loss to Salt Lake City last night, consider this:
[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]Stefan Frei, Richard Eckersley, Doneil Henry, Ty Harden, Danleigh Borman, Dan Gargan (Nick Soolsma 66), Nathan Sturgis, Gianluca Zavarise, Javier Martina (Matt Stinson 46), Maicon Santos, Joao Plata (Mikael Yourassowsky 46).
Factor in the unused subs as well:
Oscar Cordon, Ashtone Morgan, Demitrius Omphroy and Milos Kocic
The point being, of course, that this was hardly a first choice line-up, nor what Aron Winter would have anticipated he’d be rolling out on the road against arguably the best team in the league. The injuries are piling up and are a significant factor.
TFC was always going to be a work in progress this year, as beat up as they are, it’s simply dire.
If you are looking for half-full talking points, consider that four academy products were on the squad last night, two played and one, Doneil Henry, started. Henry is quickly becoming one of the few bright spots in this apparent lost season. He makes two or three terrible errors a game, yes, but he also makes four or five incredibly athletic and ballsy plays as well.
Throwing him out there week after week is good news for the club.
In MLS, if you are going to lose, you might as well lose young and from within. By playing with kids you leave a lot of room on the cap to find those key parts needed to actually be competitive.
The transfer window opens in two weeks.