Advertisement

With Toronto FC in crisis, Canadian championship final takes on even more importance

Andrew Bucholtz

Toronto FC has been branded as "the worst team in the world" by one of their own players this week following their historically-awful 0-9-0 start to the season (the worst in MLS history), but the club still has a chance to earn some silverware in Wednesday night's Amway Canadian Championship final (8 p.m. Eastern, Sportsnet One) against the Vancouver Whitecaps. TFC has been awful in league play this year, but they've done well in cup competitions, and they head into the second leg of this final tied 1-1 and ahead on away goals. If TFC can pull off a victory in front of the home crowd at BMO Field and lift their fourth-straight Voyageurs' Cup, it won't completely erase the annus horribilis they're having, but it could be a building block that allows them to start working back towards the right path. A loss would make their bizarre situation even worse, though, and it would likely lead to multiple heads rolling. With so much on the line for the Reds, it will be interesting to see how they respond Wednesday night.

Perhaps the most worrying aspect of what's happened to TFC thus far isn't the dismal 0-9-0 record, but rather how players and management have responded. What's most remarkable about striker Danny Koevermans' "worst team in the world" comment, which was made in the heat of the moment following the Reds' 3-1 loss to D.C. United Saturday, is that he didn't back down from it several days later after cooling off. As Sportsnet's John Molinaro reported Tuesday, Koevermans not only stood by his initial comment, but expanded on it, and that didn't sit well with some of his teammates:

Koevermans made no apologies for his bold proclamation, telling reporters after Tuesday practice that he stands behind what he said. "Name me one team in the whole world that is 0 and 9," Koevermans said. "There's not one team in the world that (has) lost nine times in a row. I don't think what I was saying was not true; it is true when you look at the standings." The Dutch striker later added: "You can't say that I am wrong. We're 0 and 9 and that's the only thing that counts." But while defender Jeremy Hall admitted "it sort of feels like that," Koevermans' worst team in the world statement didn't go over too well with another teammate.

"Something like that bothers me," Adrian Cann admitted. "I could say we're the worst team in the world, but it's harder to say (that) than to do something about it. I don't agree with that comment." After calling Koevermans out, Cann then issued a challenge to the Dutchman and anyone else who feels TFC is the worst team in the world. "I think actions speak louder than words. If you're going to say something like that, do something about. I'm not taking a slap at Danny; I'm just saying for me, if I'm going to make a comment like that, I'm going to pull my socks up and try to fix it," Cann said.

Head coach Aron Winter, whose job is presumably hanging by a thread, wasn't terribly impressed either:

"I think maybe (Danny was) showing his emotions. Maybe he was thinking that, but I think it's not true. ... I don't agree with what he said. I think he has to be smarter and not say those things," Winter stated.

It's that sense of division that's particularly prominent with TFC, and it extends well beyond just Koevermans' comments. As Duane Rollins reported in April (language warning), sources inside the club are suggesting that "there is a fatal conflict between (director of player personnel) Paul Mariner — and those within the organization that have a MLS or English background — and Aron Winter, along with the Dutch thinkers." That argument's reportedly manifested itself in everything from player acquisition to game-day formation and tactics, and that seems to be amplifying the dysfunction. If Toronto can pull off a victory Wednesday night, perhaps the holes can be plugged, but a loss might cause the entire dam to burst.