By Mike Crampton
A little over two weeks after the announcement that Paul Mariner was taking over as the seventh head coach of Toronto FC the Reds’ new boss will face the prospect of his side playing in front of a stadium full of TFC’s own fans for the first time Saturday evening. Barring the sort of turnaround comeback miracle run that only happens in cliché sports movies the result of that match against the New England Revolution will have little influence on the outcome of the Reds’ season. If you’re only interested in whether or not Toronto FC finally makes the MLS Cup Playoffs I’m afraid that Saturday’s match is likely relatively meaningless.
On the other hand, it’s not hyperbole to argue that this match, an otherwise random game in what has amounted to a one win, one draw, and ten loss season to date, might be one of the most vital home games in TFC’s history.
Simply put: Paul Mariner needs his team to show up. The level of skepticism felt regarding his appointment and the direction of Toronto FC has not allowed him the usual honeymoon period new coaches enjoy. Many Toronto fans, outraged over the instability and constant turnover in the leadership of the club and sold a glitzy plan about the future of team only to see it seemingly abandoned, may finally be on the verge of walking away. Those fans need to see wins, regular and convincing wins, if they’re to be convinced that the change to Mariner was anything more than the last ditch flailing of an incompetent organization undeserving of further support.
Further, amidst the tempered enthusiasm of a record setting Champions League run and another Canadian Championship success, it has largely escaped notice that TFC has only scored three goals at home in six league games. Victory over Philadelphia before the international break may have averted making even more embarrassing history but, even then, Toronto supporters only got to see their team lead for the last few minutes of a game. Say what you will about the value of non-league competitions (and it’s worth noting that Toronto supports those tournaments more robustly than just about any other MLS market) the bread and butter of any club, anywhere in the world, is the steady diet of weekend home games that keep regular fans coming back. Arguments over the questionable nobility of sticking with a loser aside, one win, three goals, and about five cumulative minutes in the lead is not the sort of thing that makes a season ticket feel very rewarding.
Saturday’s opponent being the New England Revolution probably doesn’t help matters. While the subplot of Paul Mariner’s first home game being against the club who’s most successful period he was intimately associated with is interesting most Toronto fans can barely, if at all, remember the years where New England were one of the most consistent forces in MLS’s Eastern Conference. The Revolution’s decline at the end of the Steve Nicol era – post-Mariner it should be noted – has left a mental image of them as one of the more stodgy, boring, and beatable sides TFC will face over the coming months. The reality is a little different.
A surprise to virtually everyone and written off by pundits at the start of the year new head coach Jay Heaps has quietly transformed the Revs into a respectable mid-table outfit more than capable of playing eye pleasing football and surprising opponents. After a slow start to the season – an away victory in LA was seen more as an emblem of the Galaxy’s decline than the Revolution’s rise – New England has ridden a run of healthy form over their last five games to lift themselves to the fringes of the Eastern Conference playoff race. It’s the sort of first (or second) season most Reds fans had probably hoped for when Aron Winter was appointed back in January of 2011.
Fortunately for Toronto, New England’s anchor and most recognizable face Shalrie Joseph has been listed as unavailable due to an adductor strain. Joseph’s partnership in the centre of the Revs’ midfield with American international Benny Feilhaber has been the base that Heaps built is team around. With that tandem broken up for the game TFC’s chances have risen significantly. That said, Heaps has been able to unearth a surprising amount of talent and get the most out of new players like Lee Nguyen, Fernando Cardenas, and French striker Saer Sene. Sene was plucked from Bayern Munich’s reserve side as an international signing in the winter and has already scored 7 goals in 13 league appearances. Replacing Joseph won’t be easy but New England is a more talented side than they were given credit for at the beginning of the season and will provide a stiffer test than most Toronto supporters anticipate.
Paul Mariner’s 4-4-2 arrangement of TFC got goals and just barely hung on for a draw in Houston. It’d be too early to call anything a trend but a win and a better performance against New England would be a hopeful indication that Wednesday night’s positives were more than a fluke. Toronto’s fragile defense – Adrian Cann is still listed as out though it will be interesting to see if Mariner trusts Dicoy Williams to start – may have problems dealing with New England’s attack so goals will likely be necessary. If the new formation can keep creating chances at the rate it did in Houston (and even Kansas City) that will be possible and maybe Toronto fans will get to see some of the exciting attacking football they were promised a year ago.