Now, in discussions of Toronto FC, the concept of continuity is a relative measure. With Greg Vanney TFC has the same head coach starting the season who ended the previous, but that head coach has still only been in charge for ten meager games. And, right down the spine of the team, Toronto fans will get their first real chance to see a host of new faces in action.
Up-front, if pre-season is any guide, fans should expect an entirely new group of forwards to start at BC Place tomorrow. Sebastian Giovinco was among the signature signings of the off-season across the league. With the further addition of American internationals Jozy Altidore and Robbie Findley the Reds have added a degree of MLS experience that was notably absent from 2014’s “Bloody Big Deal”. Neither Altidore nor Findley should be expected to offer the pure goal scoring prowess Toronto had on paper last year, but neither should they expect to deal with problems adapting or a lack of season-long commitment.
In Toronto’s final preseason game, against an under-23 team admittedly, the arrangement of all three as attackers, rather than a front two, started to see the generation of opportunities, and a couple nice goals, that the money invested there should warrant. Whether to keep Giovinco as the centre forward in that alignment, move him to the wing, or recess him as a second striker, is probably Greg Vanney’s biggest decision. It will be interesting to watch, as the season progresses, whether that becomes a game-to-game evaluation to adapt to different opponents, or if the team settles into a regular formation instead.
For all the turnover up top, however, there is a reasonable argument that TFC’s biggest signings may turn out to be Benoit Cheyrou in midfield and Damien Perquis in defence. It is likely not coincidental that most of Toronto’s problems in 2014 accelerated during then captain Steven Caldwell’s absence from the centre of defence for a long stretch of the summer. Forced to rely on younger players, the Reds leaked too many goals, fell into turmoil as their seemingly safe playoff position evaporated, and ended up in the typical-TFC-chaos of seasons past by September. With the addition of Perquis, TFC will be able to play two experienced centrebacks and have cover in case either one of them is absent. While Nick Hagglund will be relied on, there’s much less of a chance that he’ll be starting beside another player even younger than him.
In midfield meanwhile, it’s all about finding the balance that will allow Michael Bradley the chance to exert the influence he showed himself capable of towards the start of 2014. To that end, the preseason contributions of Cheyrou, a regular for Marseille in the French Ligue 1, has caught the attention of close observers. From what he has shown so far Cheyrou has a level of technical quality, consistency, and tactical awareness not regularly seen in Toronto’s midfield.
Cheyrou’s introduction has the effect of pushing a 2014 regular, Collen Warner, to the bench. Like Hagglund, rather than the wholesale chop-and-change that has characterized TFC so often, it is this sort of evolution that will hopefully provide a stable base for Toronto in the coming season. So, while as many as five or six of the team’s 11 regular starters may differ from those that finished the year last October, the supporting cast at least know each other’s names. Whether it's players like Mark Bloom, Daniel Lovitz, or Jackson, that supporting cast may not be decisive on Saturday, but over the course of an MLS season their role has proven to be essential.