So apparently the sky is falling again.
Toronto FC has not run out and blasted opponents 10-0 in each of its preseason games and the collective PTSD of the Toronto fan has gone into full overdrive. If you look hard enough (and by hard enough I mean not very hard) you will see some fans calling for Ryan Nelsen to be fired.
Look, the last seven years have been hard. TFC fans should be forgiven for being a tad bit reactionary. It's been so bad for so long that fans have learned to expect that everything will always go wrong.
I understand. So, please take what I'm about to say the right way.
[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
CALM THE HELL DOWN.
It's pre-season. The results of these games (and they are 1-1-1, for God's sake) do not matter. At all. No, not even a little bit.
There is no evidence that a strong pre-season will mean a strong regular season, nor that a poor pre-season will lead to a poor season.
In fact, in MLS, the first 6 weeks of the regular season barely matters. So long as you haven't pulled an Aron Winter, it's just fine. MLS seasons are decided in the hot grind of July and August and then again in the month long playoff sprint in November.
Of the last six MLS Supporter's Shield and MLS Cup winners, only two have had a winning pre-season. I can confirm that no one involved with the other four teams was fired for their poor pre-season results.
The pre-season is primarily an exercise in fitness building. MLS is a grind -- more than most leagues. Establishing the right fitness base is about 4,000 times more important than winning the Mickey Mouse Cup.
Speaking of the Mickey Mouse Cup, you may recall TFC advancing to the final of that tournament in 2012 on the heels of their best pre-season in their history.
That would be the year they started 0-9.
While I can understand that it was frustrating to watch a disjointed effort by a patchwork line-up (missing arguably the most important signing of the off-season in Jermain Defoe) against the defending USL-Pro champions Orlando City (who also drew Philly at Disney), I still can't stress this enough...
CHILL.