Once it was over and he’d buried his old club on the wrong side of the history books, Dwayne De Rosario did not gloat.

Well, maybe just a little.

“I feel for the fans most importantly. They’re coming out and supporting this team.”

He began to warm to the subject, offering a raised tactical eyebrow.

“That’s not an 0-8 team. They have quality in that team and something’s wrong with it. First half, they sat back, at home, and made things difficult. I mean, but five guys on top of the box? I don’t know.”

Then the DC United star warmed a little more.

“You see (Torsten) Frings walk off the field and throw the captain’s armband down. I feel for him because I kind of feel what he’s going through.”

De Rosario was referring to an incident that happened in the 67th minute. Frings, once again pushed back into a square peg role in the centre of defence, slammed into teammate Doneil Henry on a corner kick. The German was clearly hurt, clutching his shoulder. However, the team delayed several long minutes in removing him. It was left to Frings himself to angrily hoof the ball into touch. He didn’t bother stopping on his way toward the tunnel mouth, angrily flinging the armband onto the ground as he did.

Now De Rosario was clear that he’s never suffered through the sort of losing streak that Toronto FC is in the midst of. When he says he can “feel what (Frings) is going through,” he means getting jerked around in Toronto.

Does he think this team is coached wrong?

“It’s not for me to say that.”

Maybe it is.

“Hey, you know what they say about the stone the builder refused.”

No, what do they say?

“Look it up.”

I did. It’s Psalm 118:22: “The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone.”

That’s a direct quote from one of history’s great man managers and a guy who never lost eight in a row.

And guess who the capstone is in De Rosario’s version of the story?

While the man who could be leading this team was helping dismantle them, Toronto coach Aron Winter was doing his Easter Island routine on the sidelines.

Afterward, he continued robotically hitting his post-loss talking points: “stand behind the vision;” “working harder;” “it’s about results.”

Yes, “vision.” Joan of Arc had one of those. Remember what happened to her?

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Winter thought his team was feeling “disappointment that we lost, but not desperation. The team spirit is still good.”

You be the judge of that.

“I thought we were too defensive, too negative. Just like the Montreal game (at midweek),” forward Ryan Johnson said. “(I) left that game sick to my stomach because I didn’t want to do that ever again. And we started doing that again today and I didn’t understand why.”

Johnson had a brief screaming match with Winter during the first half. While the coach was still speaking, Johnson turned away and flapped his arms in disgust.

With each passing week, the hubcaps on this team begin spinning just a little more crooked in the post-match interviews.

Julian de Guzman, who had his best game of the season man-marking his pal De Rosario, can usually be counted on to walk the party line. Slowly, steadily, he’s getting closer to flipping his lid.

Asked to endorse Winter, de Guzman didn’t sidestep. He walked right on by.

“I can’t say much about that. That’s not my decision whether he’s coach or not. My decision is to continue as a professional … regardless of who the coach is,” de Guzman said. “From what I’ve learned in the past, it’s also important to stick together as a team, and be team players.”

Notice who’s missing from that happy family formulation?

At the final whistle, De Rosario made a beeline for de Guzman. The pair spent a long time talking.

“You heard the fans booing them. It’s to be expected. But they have quality players. I told him just keep your head up, keep grinding it out,” De Rosario said.

That’s the right word for what’s happening here — grinding.

And while his pal is still groping around for answers, De Rosario was headed for the airport, looking enormously happy that his north of 49 grinding days are behind him.