Toronto FC really has put itself in so many pickles through historical bungling.
Chief among them, obviously, is the disappearing fan base. Where soccer afternoons at BMO Field were one stacked and packed with ferociously loyal supporters, the club’s ongoing lack of success has slowly degraded all that tremendous passion. Now a certain apathy rules; matches in Columbus or Chicago are just as likely to be played before a full house as the contests at BMO in Toronto, and that wasn’t always the case.
But there are other tributaries on this flowing stream of organizational discontent. For instance:
The team’s history of failure means that officials probably do not feel they can be patient as they beat a path to success. (They tried the patient approach, for instance, with Dutchman Aron Winter and his efforts to remake the TFC way, and that turned out to be a fruitless exercise.)
The “here and now” on this inability to be patient, even if it might seem the prudent course of action, will continue to affect big decisions. One of them will be Ryan Nelsen’s future as manager.
At least he understands the situation. Here’s what he just told The New Zealand Herald, speaking to the newspaper in his homeland about a difficult first season in charge.