Get Out The Brooms And The Pink Slips

By Ben Knight Onward!

Clearly a major malfunction
There have been two times, in the short, colourful history of Toronto FC, where the blueprint utterly failed.

I’m not talking about missing the playoffs twice in their first two seasons. I’m not even talking about two different MLS records for longest goalless droughts (overall, and off the start of a season).

I’m talking clear, specific jobs that needed to be done – HAD to be done – where creeping inability strangled what should have been joy and history on the field: where celebration parties rang long and loud throughout some other city’s night.

The first came last July 22nd, in the dying moments of the Voyageurs Cup finale against the Montreal Impact at BMO Field. Toronto GM Mo Johnston utterly failed to have a striker other than Jeff Cunningham in the Montreal penalty area when the ball sprang loose not even five yards in front of a gaping, empty net – which was also the portal to that mystic, unexplored realm, the CONCACAF Champions League.

Cunningham whiffed. It wasn’t even close. Iron curtains crashed down. Montreal went on to a great cup run. Toronto was forced to rebuild – and pretty much the first move was gassing Jeff Cunningham.

The second catastrophic, systemic Toronto FC failure came last night, at Swangard Stadium in Burnaby, B.C. Toronto FC, needing only a draw to clinch the Voyageurs Cup, squandered chances, blew build-ups, lost the plot, lost the plan, misplacing any way to get home from here.

They also lost the game, 2-0.

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