Toronto FC embarks on its sixth season in a familiar position — searching for respect.

After five years, six head coaches, dozens of players on a revolving-door roster and zero trips to the Major League Soccer playoffs, dysfunction has been a recurring theme.

But the first glimpse of the Reds in 2012, offered at the club’s media day at the Air Canada Centre Thursday, offered clear signs that these are indeed different times.

The most striking of these was a vast array of familiar faces. The same head coach and senior club staff who started last season were on hand to talk about this season. The majority of players, especially those at the heart of last fall’s successful advancement into the quarter-finals of CONCACAF Champions League, were also making a return.

“It’s a very good group,” head coach Aron Winter said of his core set of players returning from last season. “We are very happy with the roster that we have at this moment.

“We can do well with it.”

Winter said his “targets” for 2012 include advancing into the next stage of Champions League, defending the club’s Canadian championship and making the MLS playoffs.

Of course, having a core group doesn’t mean more roster moves aren’t coming.

Winter began his news conference by announcing the signing of Geovanny Caicedo, a 30-year-old Ecuadorian international defender billed as a big strong player in the middle of the backline. His addition, the confirmation earlier Thursday of Richard Eckersley’s deal to stay with Toronto and the possibility of another South American defender arriving in the coming days prove work remains of the Reds defence, worst in MLS in 2011.

But this is not going to be the frenetic overhaul so commonplace in previous seasons.

“We want to keep that core group together, said Paul Mariner, the club’s director of player development. “Other successful teams whether you’re Manchester United, Real Madrid, Chelsea, Toronto FC that’s what you’ve got to do.

“All the good teams in MLS do that … and we think that’s the blueprint.”

It’s one veteran players are embracing.

“One of the struggles we experienced last season in the early stages was being able to have everyone on the same page,” said midfielder Julian de Guzman, entering his fourth season with the club. “Now, this year, I think it’ll be less of a struggle now that there’s a lot of guys in the core that have been involved in this for a full year.”

“Stability,” said defender Ty Harden, who is back for his third season with the club. “It feels great to come in and know what (the coaches) expect, how we want to play and look around the locker room and know how your teammates play the game.

“All that’s going to be a huge help for us and for the club.”

After two weeks of training camp in Toronto, the club will head to Florida for a couple of weeks in February before returning home to prepare for the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final against the defending MLS champion L.A. Galaxy on March 7.

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After that match at Rogers Centre, the club plays the return leg in California a week later before opening the MLS regular season in Seattle on March 17.

TFC’s home opener is slated for March 24 at BMO Field.