BMO Field finally turned into a fortress in 2009. (Getty Images)

2009 was expected to the be year that Toronto FC turned the corner and really made a splash in Major League Soccer. The moves were made to get local star Dwayne De Rosario at the start of the season and things looked promising early on but midway through the first full month of action manager John Carver stepped down and if you ask me the club never really rebounded from that change.

Chris Cummins took over as interim manager for the rest of the season and even with the moves that brought in guys like Ali Gerba and the club’s first designated player Julian De Guzman, Cummins never really took control of the locker room and the club. Guys like Danny Dichio never really got their full run under Cummins.

The club never got real consistent with their play under Cummins. One week they’d play so well many including myself figured they would be a lock for the post season. Then they’d do what they do best and suck up the place like they did on the final day of the season when they got spanked 5-0 by the lowly New York Red Bulls.

What Went Right In 2009?
To be honest few things really went right for this club this season. But pinpointing a few items would certainly start with their 6-1 beating of Montreal in the Canadian Cup to secure their bid in the play-in round of the CONCACAF Champions League this year. TFC needed a handfull of goals to advance and some how on a night that saw them on the road in Montreal, the Reds pulled out all the stops and stole a trophy away from a Vancouver club that was looking on from the stands. Another would certainly be the play of Dwayne De Rosario. The club wouldn’t have nearly been as good as they were had it not been for DeRo. Lastly their home play this season was finally something to brag about as they turned BMO Field into the fortress that we all knew it could be. Eight of their 10 wins on the year came from the friendly confines at Exhibition Place.

What Went Wrong In 2009?
Consistency was a killer and so was their defense. Mo Johnston made a bold move to get veteran defender Nick Garcia from San Jose and it was a move that never panned out for them. Even though they had a solid group of rookies like keeper Stefan Frei, the defense would constantly let him down. Offensively they never seemed to find a go-to scorer other than DeRo. Chad Barrett and Pablo Vitti constantly let folks down in front of the net.

What’s Next?
For this club finding a manager that will pull the right strings with this bunch will be key. With so much talent in the midfield they need to find a way to keep the pressure off their defense and find ways to score. Finding a classy finisher around the net will go a long way for this club and finding a true central defender will really help out. This club is so close but yet so far away.

It seems like trader Mo is just getting started. He got Dwayne De Rosario to come home to Toronto and now it looks like he is expected to try to bring in some more depth before the 2009 season kicks off in a couple months.

Trinidad and Tobago international midfielder Keon Daniel is set to possible come in on a trial with the Canadian side soon. The 22-year-old has 5 goals in 15 appearances with the Soca Warriors and has previously had trials with Manchester United and West Ham United.

Daniel is a young midfielder that would more than likely complete the core group that Mo Johnston is looking to have in the midflield for Toronto. Already having Carl Robinson, Amado Guevara, Rohan Ricketts, and de Rosario in the mix, you have to think adding one more solid player like Daniel to the group would easily make them the best midfield group in the league.

Another player that is being link to try out with the club is Gregory Richardson. The Guyanese striker currently plays with Joe Public FC in Trinidad and Tobago. Some may recall his hat-trick for them in their 4-0 win over the New England Revolution in the CONCACAF Champions League last year.

Earlier reports had linked Richardson to Columbus but it looks like the Crew’s rival to the north is trying to sign up Richardson before they do.

A lot of buzz after the draft surrounding Toronto continues with possible moves and other discussion around the club. Its fair to say that Toronto should have much more depth this year than in the previous years. It would be hard to imagine them not contend for a CCL spot out of Canada this year if they sign a few more guys like Daniel and Richardson.

With the sale of midfielder Maurice Edu still in holding over a work permit, Toronto FC is trying to figure out what to do with that $5 million transfer fee. Apparently they are looking to go green, as in installing natural grass at BMO Field.

Mo Johnston, director of football for Toronto FC, said Tuesday he may try to use his club’s share of Edu’s US$5-million transfer fee to replace the FieldTurf at BMO Field with natural grass.

Most people have complained to the end over the FieldTurf at BMO Field but with the sale of Edu, the club looks to answer those complaints.

If the club was to replace the stadium turf, it would need to build a nearby practice facility with turf to meet commitments to the city of Toronto, which provided the stadium land in exchange in part for a year-round facility that could be used by local residents. In winter, a bubble is put over the field to allow that.

We all know that the club will receive a hefty allocation portion for the sale of Edu with part of the fee going to the league. But the rest actually goes to the club for operations and club programs such as youth programs.

Honestly this is great news, while I haven’t been against the turf as much as most people have I know this would be a great move for this club.

What do you make of this news? About time or do you think they were waiting for a sale of a player like Edu?