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Posted by
Ian Clarke,
November 17, 2011 |
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Email Ian Clarke |
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There is a genuine sense of optimism surrounding TFC that has not been felt since the end of 2008 and heading into the 2009 campaign. The signs are there that should the club make the proper moves and continue on what appears to be the right path, the team will finally have the breakthrough in the league that has eluded them for the last five years.
In looking at what approach and final steps the team needs to make in order to move on from the last half a decade, there are several examples and precedents throughout MLS Toronto could follow. From the style of play of Real Salt Lake to clever signings from Seattle, there are plenty to choose from. However, with the ultimate goal being an MLS Cup, there is really only one team that has consistently found a way to be not just competitive, but at the top of the league more often than not, and that is the Houston Dynamo.
For the Dynamo, 2011 has been a season that has reinforced and epitomized what it takes to be successful, and it's not necessarily shrewd draft picks, thorough scouting or veteran leadership. One of the most critical components to why Houston was able turn around their fortunes this year was not necessarily what was done, but what wasn't done.
It's hard to believe that at this point last year, Houston were amongst the worst teams in MLS. In fact, the two-time MLS Cup Champions had slipped so badly they finished behind Toronto FC, even losing to them at home for the first time. Such a disastrous season, one worse than experienced in Toronto, surely spelled an end to an era that would signal a cleaning of house, or bare minimum a year to regain their competitiveness and begin anew. If any team could be forgiven for using a season to regroup, level it all to the ground and build up again from the bottom, it was Houston.
But this is the difference between Toronto FC and Houston, and perhaps making it to the MLS Cup and watching it on television. While one team mandated a rebuild, the other refused to. One team began the season with an excuse for failure in hand, while the other was prepared to take responsibility for results, good or bad.
In 99% of sports, and almost every football league around the world, there are no mulligans. It is easy in MLS to forget that elsewhere failure is often met with relegation and the path back to the first division becomes that much harder, and sometimes doesn’t happen for decades, if at all.
Midway through the 2011 season, there was little evidence Houston would find another gear and close the gap on the final playoff spot. Regardless of their position in the table, and some calling for Dominic Kinnear and the organization to call a spade a spade, that this season was a write-off and the club was in the midst of rebuilding, he did not. It showed the character of someone who was willing to be accountable for his club and put it all on the line to right the ship because sometimes there are no second chances.
Much has been made in 2011 about a change in culture at TFC and we have begun to see it with the type of players, protocols in and around gameday, and overall level of professionalism with the team. But these are all changes at the bottom level, and in order for a true transition in the fortunes of the club to occur, there needs to be a culture change behind the scenes, higher up. From the very top there needs to be the message of no more excuses.
It will be a tough crutch to relinquish, as it is a familiar story in Toronto, where with TFC especially they literally have been built upon the foundation of evasiveness and little accountability. From the 5 year plan to back to back rebuilds, and dwindling support blamed on the weather or not enough lead time for marketing, the culture of not taking responsibility for failure and always having an excuse in hand is what has plagued the organization from the top and the message permeates all the way down.
Aron Winter has gone through a rough education in North American soccer this year, but he has learned quickly what it takes to compete. If this season has been any indication of his adaptability, then one would expect he is acutely aware of the right approach needed for the next step to coach a team to victory and ultimately become champions.
Players, training, facilities are all key components, but it starts with the right message. Sometimes it’s the one that is said, and it can also be the one that isn’t. Houston will take the pitch Sunday night knowing they could have checked out, they could have taken this season off and many would not have thought anything less of their legacy. But this is not how champions approach the game, and if change is coming for TFC and the corner will be turned they need to take a good look at the Dynamo this year and how they can look back on the 2011 season and have no excuses.
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