With Toronto FC having ended their season on a high by qualifying for the knockout stage of the CONCACAF Champions League last Tuesday, some pundits are calling that win a watershed moment, while others are taking a more wait and see approach to stating that TFC have finally turned a corner towards a winning tradition. With that debate in mind, Toronto FC Designated Player Torsten Frings met with the Toronto media for the final time in 2011 following Saturday’s 2-2 draw with New England and the former German International and Bundesliga Champion was very confident in stating that Toronto FC have indeed entered a new era in the history of the club.
“Compared to last season, it is a new era now. As you can see, the team got a lot better throughout the year. We had a lot of changes and since the game in Los Angeles, we have gotten better and better. With the win against Dallas the team has proved something for next season and next year will be a lot better. It is a new era now and times will change for next season,” said Frings.
Toronto FC fans will likely be overjoyed to know that Frings is happy to be in Toronto as a member of Toronto FC and he gave the impression that the main goal for the team in 2012 will be in breaking through and qualifying for the Major League Soccer playoffs for the first time in the short history of the franchise.
“The MLS has been what I expected. It's a really fast league and there is a lot of body contact. It's not quite the same as the European leagues of course. For next year our goal is to make the playoffs. I am happy here and I want to continue playing soccer here and to help the young guys to develop their games.”
When asked to comment on which positions on the team that Toronto will need to improve over the offseason, the German midfielder highlighted team depth as a key concern and also admitted that change is the one constant of life as a professional footballer.
“Of course, a lot of players will go and they will pick up new players. But for me personally, I feel the most important thing is for the team to stick together because we are starting to really get to know each other and play better as a team. We need to improve certain areas of our team like defensive midfield, attacking and to have more quality substitute players, for when somebody gets injured. Players 12 through 18 must get better. The main eleven players also have to continue to get better as a team, plus the reserves have to step up and get better as well.”
While the former Werder Bremen captain was willing to admit that Toronto still needs to upgrade its roster, he was also quick to highlight the abundance of young talent on the TFC roster.
“From the beginning I have been aware that there are very talented young players on the team and that is also why I came to Toronto, to help them to get more confident. I feel that we already have a lot of good young players in the starting eleven and I'm confident that they will play their positions well.”
As for Frings himself, when asked to explain whether he preferred to play in the midfield or on the back line, he stated plainly that not only is he willing to play wherever he will most benefit the team, he also sees a distinct advantage in employing a fairly fluid approach in terms of his position on the pitch.
“For me, where I play is not that important. I do not mind playing in defence to give the team confidence, but also in games like against Dallas where I played in the midfield, it was an important change as well. If they keeping changing where I play it will add diversity to the team.”
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