Most players see practice as a necessary evil -- a weekly grind that is paid off with a game at the end of the week. In Jeff Cunningham's case, however, three days after his first game as a member of Toronto FC, he was happy to finally be able to practice.
"I wish I had gotten a few training sessions before the Columbus game [last Saturday]," Cunningham said. "I could've used it. After a week of training I'll be much sharper for the next game."
It is a testament to Cunningham's talent that despite being unfamiliar with his new teammates, he performed as well as he did in Toronto's 2-2 tie with Columbus. He also picked up his first TFC assist when a give-and-go play with fellow forward Danny Dichio resulted in a goal. Cunningham played 87 minutes and had a team-high three shots on goal.
"I just asked him to play his normal game and to give us what he had," said Toronto coach Mo Johnston. "I thought he played very well considering he hadn't been with the team before. He created a bunch of chances I felt we hadn't been creating."
Tuesday's practice brought a return to normalcy for Cunningham. It was a week ago that the 30-year-old forward was dealt from Real Salt Lake for forward Alecko Eskandarian and a first-round pick in the 2008 MLS SuperDraft. Cunningham didn't play in last Wednesday's friendly between TFC and Portuguese side Benfica, and Johnston gave his team Thursday off after playing four games in the previous 12 days.
The team was supposed to fly to Ohio on Friday morning and train at Columbus Crew Stadium in the afternoon, but airport delays meant TFC didn't even arrive in Columbus until 6:30 p.m. ET.
Given the circumstances, the draw with Columbus was an achievement for the club, but Cunningham felt it could've been a win had he been more on his game.
"My teammates did a great job of creating chances for me, and I didn't do very well with those chances," he said.
Though Cunningham may have failed to put the ball in the net himself, his presence drew the attention of the Crew defenders and cleared the path for Dichio to create havoc in front of goal. Between Cunningham's speed and Dichio's stability in front of the net, Toronto has a pair of forwards whose contrasting styles make it hard for opposing teams to defend.
Even after just one game with Dichio, Cunningham was happy to praise his teammate.
"He's a great player," Cunningham said. "He has good vision, good technique, great understanding of the game. He covers a lot of ground for a big man. I felt a little disappointed not putting away those chances because he did a good job of creating them for me."
The scores will surely come for the 10-year veteran, whose 93 goals rate him fourth on the all-time MLS list. Cunningham's No. 93 jersey is a nod to his goal total at the start of his Toronto career, similar to how he wore number 74 (and had 74 career goals) when he arrived in Salt Lake City before the 2006 season.
The number Cunningham really wanted was No. 11, which he wore as a member of the Crew in his first eight years in MLS. It was taken on RSL, and it was already taken on TFC by team captain Jim Brennan.
"I wanted No. 11, but Mr. Goal Scorer kept it," Cunningham joked as Brennan walked by him on the practice field. It was Brennan's well-placed free kick in the second half on Saturday that ended up being the tying goal for Toronto FC.
"I'm having fun with it," Cunningham said of his statistic-minded jersey. "I'm keeping tally, but I don't care if anyone else does."
Cunningham said he is looking forward to living in Toronto and being part of TFC. He also indicated that the best is yet to come from his new club.
"The results [a 2-5-1 record] aren't a clear indication of who we are and the talent we have here," Cunningham said. "Playing alongside a great forward, attacking players, a strong defense ... I have a very positive outlook for this year."
After all, practice makes perfect.
Mark Polishuk is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
