

Posted by

Steve Bottjer ,

July 29, 2014 Email

Steve Bottjer

On Twitter:

@BottjerRNO

Fresh off a sparkling Man of the Match performance in a losing effort against Sporting Kansas City, Dominic Oduro is certainly looking very much like a player who is adjusting well to life as a member of Toronto FC.



While TFC are currently sitting in a positive position in the Eastern Conference with respect to a possible first ever spot in the MLS Cup Playoffs, Saturday’s disappointing defeat likely had some Reds supporters feeling just a tad pessimistic regarding their club’s current state.



See also: Oduro acquisition could be a masterstroke for TFC



However, as an MLS veteran who observed the lean years in Toronto as an opposition player during previous league campaigns, Oduro only sees something very positive building at his new club.



“It is amazing (looking at the change at TFC),” Oduro told RedNation. “Before Toronto was a little bit dicey, but now the team is very solid. Management has brought in guys who have real quality and right now we are trying to find that edge. We’ve been doing well so far, but it will take us time. Hopefully the fans will understand.”



With a record of 1 win, 2 losses and 3 draws during a busy month of July, Toronto have been a club that has dominated for stretches of matches but also one that has only earned a solitary victory.



In Oduro’s estimation, that stretch of games simply illustrates the normal growing pains that any team with so many new faces has to go through.



“We’ve just got to keep focused,” Oduro explained. “We have the team to win. It is just about having the right mentality. I think everybody is on the same page and we should be fine. It is key for us to keep our composure no matter what. If we do that, I don’t think there will be any problem with respect to us making the playoffs.”



As a player who makes his living based on making runs and requiring distributors to find him with the ball, Oduro was quick to admit that he has been pleased with how his transition to a new team has gone following the trade in June that saw him move from Columbus to Hogtown.



“I think I am fitting in really well,” Oduro said. “I have scored a couple of goals, which has boosted my motivation going forward. I’m still working with the team and trying to fully integrate into the style of play here. Hopefully it will be smooth sailing.”



“It is just a matter of trying to find that connection,” Oduro added. “We’ve been doing that great so far and we work on it in practice and also talk away from the field about how to make a run and about my movement. It’s been great so far, but it is still a work in progress. We’ll get there.”



Asked if he has had to make a fundamental change to his approach given the fact he left a Crew side that had one of the top number 10s in the league in Federico Higuain, the Ghanaian-born speedster quickly highlighted the fact that TFC has plenty of quality midfielders of its own to deliver the ball to him.



“It is not that different,” Oduro explained. “Take a player like Michael Bradley, he will find me similar to how Higuain found me. If you make the run, he will find you. The style of play in Columbus is different, but I think the basics are the same in that if I make the run, there are guys who will find me.”



Furthermore, the 28 year old veteran was also positive in highlighting another Reds player who can help him in a different way to excel at his game as a player geared to running at and behind opposing defenders.



“It helps playing with Jermain (Defoe) because it takes a little bit of attention away from me,” Oduro stated. “He is a fantastic player and when he gets his chances, he puts them away. Having some attention taken from me and directed to him, it helps a little bit.”



Ultimately, Oduro sees only good things ahead for both himself as an individual player and for Toronto FC as a collective unit.



“You can’t ask for any more than to play with players like Jermain Defoe and Michael Bradley,” Oduro explained. “These are guys that I used to sit on the couch and watch play on television. The opportunity to play with them is a blessing.”



