It would be foolish to have too strong an opinion either way on the hiring of the new TFC coach. What he has done in the past may be a foundation, but right now Preki puts a face on the 2010 season and the countdown has begun.
Positives
-TFC moved quickly and hired a coach before the dust had settled on the season. Weeks ago I was hoping they would grab a coach before the winter college draft, it is a huge surprise that they have one before next week's expansion draft.
- Preki knows Mo. They played together, there should be no surprises. That is not to say there will be harmony and light every day, but this pairing seems to be a huge improvement over the confusion of the last two.
- Preki has both MLS experience and head coach experience.
- Preki has a reputation in recent years of getting to the playoffs and getting his under valued teams to over achieve.
- Preki stressed work ethic and balance in his first press conference. Seems like he is going to clean house and
Negatives
Is Preki the coach to take the team to the next level?
Remember the buzz around town last spring when Preki brought his undefeated Chivas USA into Toronto for their big game? No, I don't either. I fear that he is an under the radar coach who got the most from an under the radar team. Face it, Chivas USA is the second fiddle team in LA where MLS is well down the list in media and fan support (LA's sports list might be Lakers, Dodgers, Trojans, Angels, Raiders/Rams/Chargers, Bruins, Golf, Tennis, Surfing, Clippers before soccer (and hockey) teams show up.
Preki will find Toronto FC is on a much shorter list in this market, with the chance to rise quickly in the year ahead. On one hand he may find his decisions, tactics and comments more scrutinized than he's used to. On the other hand, TFC fans will take success and victories from a new coach with or without tons of media glamour.
TFC fans don't want success from a mediocre team, they want success from a powerhouse team. Parity is a concept that inspires salary caps and profit margins, it does not inspire fans. Preki has an opportunity to see a few basic improvements take TFC a long way...
Already the hurt of Giants Stadium of only a few weeks ago is starting to fade. Bring on 2010.
2 comments:
Preki is the right man for the job at this time. He has been a winner everywhere he's been and has the experience necessary to coach in the MLS , and as Cronin eluded to there's some issues in the locker room ( Preki wont stand for that and will straiten things out quickly ). On that note we will see some player movement and hopefully that may help to bring the Defender that we so disparately need.
I'm starting to get excited about next season already , now that we have a solid coach and real grass all we need is a solid defender and a natual striker that knows how to hit the net not easy things to find but maybe Mo can get one of the two through a trade.
May I be the first to wish Guevara well at his new club.
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