He wanted a squad that would be fit, play hard and make life difficult for the opposing team. Nine games into the MLS season and 12 games overall, that vision is starting to come to fruition.
“I think we’ve come a long way,” Preki told the media after TFC beat the New England Revolution 1-0 Saturday to stretch their overall unbeaten streak to five games. “The group is working hard. They believe in each other, they’re working for each other, and that’s why you see we’re getting a little bit of success.”
[inline_node:3889]The shutout win added to a string of stinginess that has seen Toronto not allow a goal in their last four matches. In that stretch, they’ve gone 2-0-2 to secure their third-place standing, while closing in on a repeat of their Nutrilite Canadian Championship title.
Just weeks ago, analysts and fans would have scoffed at the idea that the team could exhibit the form they have of late.
Defender Nana Attakora has been a big part of the club’s improved form at the back. On Saturday, it was Chad Barrett’s turn to show the team’s commitment to hard work up top.
Barrett was at his tenacious best against the Revs, especially in the first half when he had two glorious chances. He finally potted that elusive goal minutes into the second half. His look to the sky with arms spread at the final whistle spoke volumes about his effort on the day.
“I’ve been just trying to do everything I can to keep myself in the best possible form,” Barrett said. “The thing I’m probably most happy about is that I can go 90 and help the team out for longer whereas the years before I was cramping and I would be really mad at myself.”
The performance almost made people forget about the absence of leading scorer Dwayne De Rosario, who took his six goals and three assists to Buenos Aires for Canada’s friendly Monday against Argentina. And this might be just the beginning for Barrett.
“He’s getting into position to score goals and if he takes a little bit of breath and relaxes a little bit more, I think he’ll score even more,” Preki said.
More importantly, what Barrett and Attakora have shown is the message on fitness and work ethic that Preki sought to instill is coming to the fore and paying dividends.
“Everything starts in training,” Preki said. “They work hard in training, they make it difficult for each other in training. When they come to the games they are ready for hard nights and for hard days and right now it’s really paying off for them and I hope they just continue to work hard and we all know we have a long ways to go.”
