With the 2009 season completed, here are the answers to some of the biggest questions surrounding Toronto FC as the club prepares for 2010.
WHAT DOES TORONTO FC NEED TO DO TO MAKE THE MLS CUP PLAYOFFS IN 2010?
The answer is simple: TFC must do a better job of holding leads (or holding tie scores) at the end of games. The Reds gave up 16 goals in the final 15 minutes of games this season, and preventing almost any one of those scores would have given Toronto the one point it needed to reach the playoffs.
WHAT WAS THE TEAM'S BEST MOMENT IN '09?
The "Miracle In Montreal." TFC needed to defeat the Montreal Impact by at least a four-goal margin at Saputo Stadium in order to overtake Vancouver Whitecaps' hefty goal-differential advantage in the Nutrilite Canadian Championship table. It was a tall order for a Toronto club that had only enjoyed one four-goal margin of victory in three years, but the Reds didn't just win by four, they won by five. Dwayne De Rosario's natural hat trick led Toronto to a 6-1 win that earned TFC their first national championship, their first trophy and a spot in the CONCACAF Champions League qualifying round.
WHO SHOWED THE BIGGEST IMPROVEMENT OVER THE COURSE OF THE SEASON?
Defender Nana Attakora started 19 games this season, alternating between center back and fullback as the situation warranted. No matter where he played, however, the Toronto native's quality was apparent, as Attakora developed into TFC's best defender by season's end. At just 20 years old, if Attakora's game continues to improve on its current trajectory, he could develop into one of the top defenders in MLS by as soon as 2010.
WHAT RESERVES ARE MOST READY TO CRACK THE STARTING LINEUP?
O'Brian White didn't play his first competitive match until July after an ACL injury suffered in October 2008. The No. 4 overall pick in the 2009 MLS SuperDraft still managed to appear in nine games (five of them starts) and pick up two goals in 440 minutes of play. The Reds hope that with White's injury far in the rearview mirror by next March, he can become the scoring threat that the club so desperately needs up front.
WHAT AREA OF THE TEAM NEEDS THE MOST IMPROVEMENT?
Though TFC will again be looking for a center back this offseason to help shore up against those late-game breakdowns, their greatest need is a striker who can perhaps give the Reds a bit more breathing room on the scoreboard. They have plenty of play-making attacking midfielders (De Rosario, Amado Guevara, even Julian de Guzman) but lacked that striking presence who could turn those playmakers' crosses into goals. Chad Barrett was inconsistent and Pablo Vitti and Ali Gerba struggled in 2009, so with White tentatively pencilled into one starting forward role next season, Toronto will look to add a proven double-digit goal scorer.
-- Mark Polishuk
