For the seventh time in just six seasons Toronto FC is making a coaching change.
A subdued Tom Anselmi made the announcement Thursday in a hastily called press conference at BMO Field. He said that Winter had been offered a job with the organization but that he had turned it down to pursue other opportunities.
Paul Mariner takes over in what is being described as a permanent move. Mariner was the long time assistant to Steve Nicol in New England and briefly was in charge of doomed English side Plymouth before coming to Toronto.
Although Mariner was long thought of as being the next sure thing MLS coach, there is no escaping that Toronto has once again hired a manager with less than two years' experience. This was Winter's first head coaching job.
Mariner claimed that despite Toronto's 1-0-9 record that there need only to be minor adjustments made to the team moving forward. He refused to talk about specific tactics, saying only that the key to success was putting the right players in the right positions.
However, many of the questions at the announcement focused on why TFC has struggled so much to get things right. Asked pointedly whether he had answer, Anselmi only could say that if he did, (we) wouldn't be here.
It begs the question of whether he should be.