Jim Brennan’s sudden retirement was as much of a shock to Toronto FC fans as it was for the players. The club’s first-ever acquisition only told his teammates of his plans to step down before training on Wednesday.
But that’s not the only place where Brennan’s departure leaves TFC in the dark. According to midfielder Julian de Guzman, the team still doesn’t know who will inherit the captain’s armband.
“No one’s said anything about that yet,” Toronto’s designated player told MLSsoccer.com over the phone on Wednesday. “We don’t know who it’s going to be.”
With last year’s stand-in Carl Robinson gone, the two obvious candidates would be de Guzman and Dwayne De Rosario, veterans who both have vast Canadian national-team experience. De Rosario has worn the armband on occasion for both Canada and former club Houston in stand-in roles, but never for TFC.
De Guzman, on the other hand, doesn’t have that same experience, but he told MLSsoccer.com last week that he knows he’s going to have to step up his influence this season (which also has something to do with the expectations of his price tag).
“I’ve never wanted to be a captain.” he explained on Wednesday. “But I’ll do what I have to do on the field. That’s my way of leading. Whether I’m captain or not, I have a responsibility to live up to that leadership role.”
Whoever gets the armband, it’ll have to be someone with whom Preki sees eye-to-eye. The new head coach reportedly has had personality conflicts with several players since arriving in Toronto, which was likely the reason for the exits of Robinson, Adrian Serioux, Ali Gerba and Marvell Wynne, among others.
Some reports suggest that factored into Brennan’s decision to step down a month before his 33rd birthday to transition into an administrative role under director of soccer Mo Johnston (though Brennan denied that at Wednesday's press conference in Toronto). Whoever inherits the captaincy likely will be a huge indication of where Preki’s head is and where he wants the club to go.
De Guzman wouldn’t comment on that, but he did say it’ll be difficult to replace Brennan’s presence on the field.
“To be a vocal guy like Jimmy isn’t easy,” he admitted. “He’s always been supportive of us and he’s meant so much for this club. That he’s still around is huge. He’s still part of the team. He’ll still be with us every day, and that will help the guys on this team, especially the young guys. Just not on the field.”
