After seeing his team end their stay in Bradenton with a goalless draw against D.C. United on Wednesday, Toronto FC coach Preki declared himself satisfied with the progress being made by his squad so far in preseason.
Preki watched his team dominate the game against their MLS opponents. "I thought the team played really well as a group today and we were very unlucky not to score three or four goals," he told Toronto FC TV. "We had plenty of opportunities and hit the crossbar and the post. Sometimes you have days like this where you totally dominate the game and you feel more like you lost the point instead of gaining a point."
"It was a good days work and the group is making progress. They are working hard for each other and that is very nice to see. The best thing about it is that our goalkeeper never touched the ball throughout the game. He didn't have to make a save," he explained.
The match brings to a close a ten day training camp at Bradenton for Toronto and Preki has been pleased with the way his players have responded. "Slowly but surely we are making progress," he said. "It might not seem like that because of the results, but we are not focusing on the results."
"We are focusing on how the group is playing and how they are working hard for each other and having a full commitment to this team. I like what I am seeing so far, they are working really hard and the commitment is getting better every day."
After a final training session on Thursday morning, the team will board a bus to Orlando for the next stage of preseason. They will compete in the Walt Disney World Pro Soccer Classic along with Houston Dynamo, FC Dallas and New York Red Bulls.
"The mindset going to Orlando is to keep making progress and make sure that we take advantage of our offensive play and convert it into goals," said Preki. "It is always easier said than done, but the group has shown a will to progress and that is a good thing to see. Going to Orlando will give us more time to put some guys on the field and to have a look at some of the guys who are here still on trial. Hopefully we will make some good decisions pretty soon."
