(Side Note: I know some of these events happened a little while ago, but I would rather cover all the pressing issues in one major blog post than write a separate small post for each event in the Toronto FC season)
Time I do another one of these things, but first, I just want to say some quick thoughts on TFC's win over DC United last Saturday. I am very happy that they finally broke their long win-less streak and came out as 2-1 winners. TFC's overall performance that night was decent, but when you are facing Major League Soccer's worst team this season, a decent performance is all you need. Let's hope that TFC builds on this win when they go to Houston to face the Houston Dynamo this Saturday.
About a week ago, Toronto FC midfielder Terry Dunfield was waived by TFC, and the opinions on his TFC playing career were divided. He wasn't as polarizing as Paul Mariner or Dwayne De Rosario, but his play has certainly led to much discussion among TFC supporters. Many TFC supporters had favorable opinions on him while many others were not so kind on his time at TFC. After much deliberation in my head and with others on whether Dunfield was a good or bad player for TFC, I have come to the conclusion that his negative qualities slightly outweighed his positive qualities. I'll talk about the positives first...
From what I understand, the quality that most TFC supporters will remember about Terry Dunfield is that he gives his all in every match that he plays. What he lacks in talent and skill, he makes up for it by working harder than any other man on the pitch. Relating to this, he is always applying pressure on the opposing player who has the ball or is about to get the ball, and more often than not, it has worked in Toronto FC's favor by the opponent giving away the ball. Finally, he has definitely showed some leadership qualities, whether through giving instructions to his fellow teammates on the pitch, or inspiring the younger Toronto FC 1st team and academy players.
Now, the negatives. His positive qualities almost always lead to his negative qualities. While his pressure on opposing players was good, he was constantly out of position in the midfield, which was directly responsible for some of the goals scored by TFC's various opponents. When Dunfield charges in, the opponent can pass into the space behind him to another player, which means that the defenders will come out of their position to challenge the ball, and it just becomes a domino effect of mistakes that leads to a goal. Dunfield is also not a very good tackler at all, and regularly receives warnings from the referee, or receives a yellow card. Finally, he is a player that generally lacks skill and technical ability in the middle of the pitch, especially when compared to Matias Laba or Jonathan Osorio. With the emergence of these two players to be mainstays in the Toronto FC midfield, as well as Dunfield being on the wrong side of 30 when it comes to his age, it doesn't make much sense to keep him on the roster. It was ultimately a good move to waive Terry Dunfield, even if Toronto FC doesn't find anyone to replace him.
Finally, there are reports coming out that Toronto FC is in negotiations to bring a "big name" opponent to Toronto for a summer friendly. The opponent is widely expected to be the popular Uruguayan club Penarol. Now, if it were up to me, I would never schedule friendlies during the season for TFC, as it produces unnecessary strain on the players by preparing for a match that is basically meaningless when they should be preparing for regular season matches. On the other hand, friendlies with big-name teams can be an extra source of revenue for Toronto FC, and can give them a bit of international exposure. Mid-season friendlies can also give reserve and young players some valuable experience. While I was reading this article, I noticed a certain quote by Paul Beirne - Toronto FC VP of Business Operations, which said:
“I had to look up who Peñarol were,”
I am going to try to give him the benefit of the doubt here. Maybe he genuinely didn't know who Penarol were, and that's fine. I don't believe it was the wisest thing to say that in front of the interviewer and then to let him quote you on saying that on the article. That idiotic comment was very arrogant and disrespectful to Penarol. A part of me hopes that Penarol pulls out of that potential friendly because of that dumb comment, but I doubt that will happen. Sadly, this wasn't the first time that Paul Beirne has made a questionable comment to damage the reputation (or lack there of) of Toronto FC on the business side. I honestly believe he should be fired, or at the very least, given a talking to by Kevin Payne on how to frame your words.
That's all I got for now...
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