

Posted by

Steve Bottjer ,

June 11, 2014 Email

Steve Bottjer

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@BottjerRNO

While the first eleven games of their 2014 MLS campaign have included the usual for Toronto rash of injuries, in season trades and even a few poor results at home, overall the club has arrived at the World Cup break in a solid position with respect to the team’s primary goal of qualifying for the Major League Soccer postseason for the first time.



Currently sitting in 4th place in the Eastern Conference with multiple games in hand compared to their playoff rivals, TFC boast a solid record of 6 wins, 4 losses and 1 draw. The team has carried over the defensive organization and solidity that it showed for much of last season into this year and striker Jermain Defoe has made a clear difference for the team on the offensive front.



The team’s record is backed up by a quiet confidence that now pervades the Toronto FC locker room.



Asked about the injuries and trades that have seen Toronto fielding an ever changing starting eleven through the initial three months of the campaign, Toronto FC defender Ashtone Morgan spoke with RedNation about the improved depth in the squad, which he believes has the team well placed to find success where it has eluded the club in previous years.



“We have a lot of depth in this team,” Morgan said. “We have 2-3 guys at each position and I feel that we have a good core and a strong team. Our start has been great compared to other years. In previous years we might have buckled in the last couple of minutes (of games), but we have shown growth and how far our team has come along so far. It is still early and we have a long season ahead of us and I think everybody is just looking forward to it.”



Morgan’s TFC teammates and fellow Canadian Internationals, Dwayne De Rosario and Jonathan Osorio echoed his belief that Toronto FC is now headed in the right direction.



“I think we’re doing well with getting results, especially over the last four games,” Osorio said. “We might not have played our best but we have been getting results. I think (against San Jose) as an example, we played great in the first half. Then in the second half we let up a bit, which can be normal because when you are winning the other team starts to pressure a bit. As long as we can keep going for ninety minutes, I think we can improve on that. And we also have to keep finishing games the way we have been and to keep gelling as a team.”



“I think points-wise we have done a good job,” De Rosario explained. “We have won the games that we really needed to win. We are obviously disappointed about the Canada Cup, but with respect to league play I think we have done well. We’ve won 1-0 games where I think in the past we have lost a lot of 1-0 or 2-1 games. So that’s a positive that we are seeing games out.”



“On the flipside, I think we need to create a little bit more chances going forward with better movement,” De Rosario added. “And when we do create those chances, we just have to be clinical. Other than that, I think we are fine.”



In terms of creating more chances and scoring more goals, Toronto has recently acquired two players – Collen Warner and Dominic Oduro – with a specific design towards bolstering the goalscoring that Defoe has been delivering. In that vein, the World Cup break has actually come at a fortuitous time for the club, with Head Coach Ryan Nelsen and his squad now having a full two weeks to work on integrating a proven MLS goalscorer in Oduro and Warner, a defensive midfielder whose presence is expected to allow Michael Bradley to play more of an attacking/playmaking role when he returns from World Cup duty.



In Osorio’s estimation, Warner and Oduro will simply add to a team that has already shown many positive qualities in the opening weeks of the season.



“I like the makeup of our team a lot,” Osorio said. “We have put ourselves in a good position at the World Cup break. We have been battling with injuries from the beginning of the year and we have done a good job of overcoming all of that. Now with new players coming in we have this break to get familiar with each other.”



“Collen is a very hard worker,” Osorio added. “On every ball he plays like it is the last one. He brings energy to our team, which is exactly what we need. Now with Michael (Bradley) coming back, regardless of whoever is starting, we know we will have good players coming off the bench to give us depth. We will be a strong team for the rest of the season.”



De Rosario was quick to echo his teammate about the positive aspects of the World Cup break, but he also qualified those positives by highlighting the difference between what can be achieved in training and what is built via match action.



“It’s good (to have the training time during the break) because the new players get to understand the way we play,” De Rosario said. “But it is all about games – you learn from playing games and being in game situations and reacting to the game environment. That’s when you see how players can adjust and react.”



“Obviously, this break will be good for everyone,” De Rosario continued. “I wish we would have had a break for the whole World Cup – I would have gone to Brazil. It is a special time for the sport worldwide and I’m going to be tuning in. So I’m happy for the break regardless of how well we have been doing. I’m confident our team will start right back off from where we are right now.”



Toronto FC will return to match action on June 27th on the road against the New York Red Bulls.