Toronto FC have generated many impressive numbers in their inaugural MLS season. From the league-leading merchandise sales to the sold-out crowds at BMO Field, it is safe to say that the club's impact on Toronto and in MLS can already be deemed a success.
TFC coach Mo Johnston, however, is only concerned with the number 13 at the moment -- as in 13 points generated by his club in 11 games. All of these points have come after an 0-4 start, but while TFC are clearly improving, the team is still in sixth place in the Eastern Conference.
"We've built this ship and we're just starting to sail in it," Johnston said on Tuesday. "I know a lot of people are saying 'you're a very good team, you guys are built well.' I don't buy it. I'm not buying into it because we haven't won anything. People say we're a big success because we've won some games, but we've not had success. Success is when you come into a playoff situation."
There's the p-word: playoffs. Unlike in other pro sports, where expansion clubs can struggle for years before gaining respectability, MLS has had some teams enjoy immediate success.
"When Chicago was a first-year team in the league [in 1998] they ended up winning the MLS Cup," said Toronto FC defender Kevin Goldthwaite. "With the talented players we have, I think as long as this team is competing, I think the playoffs are feasible. That's definitely what we're working towards."
Goldthwaite played for MLS Cup champion Houston Dynamo last season, and he said that there has been little adjustment in going from a team that expected to win to a first-year team that was expected to merely hold its own.
"Regardless of what team you're playing on, I think you expect to win every game you go into," Goldthwaite said. "That's our outlook and that's how we prepare. The biggest thing was just coming in and getting to know the guys. Once that's come about, and I think we have been jelling the last couple of games, it's just a question of doing it out on the field."
Team captain Jim Brennan was the first player ever signed by Toronto FC, and thus he has been as much a part as anyone of the team's building process. He noted that the pre-existing excitement about soccer in Toronto has allowed the team to stay focused on the field, rather than worrying about a club's survival.
"A lot of teams when they come into [MLS] just want to get a foundation where they get the players and a fan base in," Brennan said. "I think we're different here. We've already got a lot of good players, we have great fans and I think we're capable of making the playoffs. A lot of teams come into the league and just try to hold their own, but I think we've turned the corner and become a good side now."
Johnston, for his part, isn't letting his players go overboard over a few wins, just as he wouldn't allow panic after Toronto started the season 0-4. But Johnston is as hungry as anyone for postseason success. He won an MLS Cup in 2000 when playing for Kansas City, and was a member of several Scottish Premier League championship teams with Celtic and Rangers.
The coach couldn't keep the excitement out of his voice on Tuesday when talking about the difference between the regular season and the playoffs.
"Playoff games are totally different," he said. "We all know where we stand. We're up against this team, head-to-head. We sit down to talk about it, we bunker down in this corner and we come out fighting. It's like a cup final. I tell you what, it's going to be great if it happens here."
When Toronto does achieve playoff success (be it this year, next year, or further into the future), Johnston said only then will the club's rapid rise to prominence be fully paid off.
"There's a bunch of people that have done a magnificent job in building this team," Johnston said. "I feel very proud to be a part of that. This is what we love doing. I think we've done well, but by far we aren't there yet. We're still moving forward."
Mark Polishuk is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
