"You waived who in the whatnow?!"
In the past when TFC has jettisoned "plumbers" like Dan Gargan, Ty Harden and their ilk we have met the news with bemusement that their stars had even managed to shine so brightly here. It was usually a mix between Torontonians' odd love affairs with "blue collar" athletes and some savvy Toronto FC marketing that propelled lesser skilled players to stardom in the vacuum of talent. Terry Dunfield's release however feels a wee bit different.While Dunfield definitely fits into the "heart over skill" type of player of which TFC has had more than their fair share, his cult status was based on him being a seemingly nice Canadian guy. In an era where "nice" and "TFC" aren't usually appearing in the same sentence, Terry Dunfield's personality and team spirit have been a breath of fresh air. His enthusiasm definitely needs to be bottled and hand-fed to remaining Reds during halftime talks.
This being said, a (likely not-so popular) feeling this morning should be one of hope that perhaps TFC are thinking with their footballing minds and not their hearts or marketing department. We have seen depth players retained for too long here in the past due to their affinity amongst supporters. Kevin Payne promised that the roster would be very different by the end of the season and the tough truth is that Dunfield has no value going forward.
As likeable a man as Dunfield is, he is not going to get any better, he is coming off of injury and wouldn't likely be a starting member of any MLS playoff contender. TFC are obviously looking towards 2014 and blooding in future players is far more important than giving a feel-good fan favourite minutes just to appease the (understandably) angry crowd. It may seem cutthroat, but it is wise.
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agreed. as seen by morgan quickly finding the bench and a few starting lineups totally devoid of canadians (and i guess the Voyageur Cup lineups), Nelsen isn't all about wrapping himself in a maple syrup doused flag for marketing purposes (the draft suggested payne might be).
ReplyDeleteI'm happy with that, let's focus on winning, then ideally we can start mixing some canadian into that winning atmosphere when appropriate. Best for TFC and Canada that way
Agree with your agreement.
DeleteAll for Canadians getting the push but ONLY if they are equal to or better than the next option. Same goes for fan faves.
God speed sock tassels - no doubt see you as a coach real soon.
You asshols wouldn't know a great player if he was in front of you. Terry was the best guy on the team. TRue grit and heart. What has Laba done - NOTHING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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