If Toronto FC coach Aron Winter is a dead man walking, he sure doesn't show it.
The Dutchman was his usual affable self after Thursday's practice at BMO Field, kidding around with one member of the office staff while sporting a mischievous smile. Then, as become his routine since he arrived in Toronto last year, he took the time to shake hands and greet every reporter in attendance individually with a "good morning" -- hard to imagine Toronto Maple Leafs coach Randy Carlyle going to those lengths to be so courteous, isn't it? -- before the media turned its guns on.
And with the club 0-6 and one loss away from tying a league record for the worst start to an MLS season, make no mistake about it: reporters' guns are firmly aimed at Winter.
Why is he so inflexible and insistent on using a 4-3-3- formation? Why doesn't he tweak his tactics? Why does he always call out his players, without naming names, instead of assuming more blame for the club's horrendous start?
The Dutchman coolly deflects all those questions away, and manages to stay on message, repeatedly insisting that the team has made progress since he took over, that there is no player turmoil in the locker-room, and how he is confident things will turn around.
Patience is wearing thin, though, especially with fans, and there is a growing sense that Winter has a bulls-eye on his back -- that if the team doesn't start winning and soon, he'll be replaced.
But two key starters for the Reds on Thursday whole-heartedly defended Winter and his formation and tactical approach, with both maintaining that their coach was right: it's on the players.
"For me, the coach is not the guy on the field. He's not kicking a ball, he's not doing anything to influence the game but making subs and tactics. For me, it's the players," forward Ryan Johnson declared.
"We have to take more accountability of what we do on the field, and we can't point fingers to the coaches. We have to look at ourselves first."
In a blunt moment of honesty, Johnson put the blame squarely on himself and his teammates: "You just have to man up, and be tough out there. I don't think we've been tough enough in some situations. ... You can't blame the coach."
But what about Toronto's formation? Shouldn't Winter at least try a 4-4-2 setup or use a more direct approach, as opposed to a possession game that relies on the attack to be built from the back?
Not according to defender Richard Eckersley.
"We just have to keep believing in it. We have to keep believing that the players can play this way. I said at the start of the season it's a case of adapting. It's a slow progression," Eckersley said. "There are times when we have looked vulnerable but then there's times when we're up the field counter-attacking with five or six attackers. It has its pros and cons but I believe in (the system)."
The Englishman later added: "The way the coach says we play, we've got to play. ... It's just a case of playing in the formation, we have to get on with it and win games."
Toronto's next match is in Utah on Saturday against Real Salt Lake, and another loss by the Reds would equal the league mark set by the Kansas City Wizards (0-7 to start the 1999 season).
While midfielder Julian de Guzman stated he's not thinking about it, Johnson admitted that the prospect of TFC tying the dubious mark fills his thoughts.
"For me, I can't help every day just to think about it. I think about it every day. At some point it just pops in my mind. It weighs on you a lot. To get this off our backs would be a huge relief for me personally. … it's tough, man. It's hard every day," Johnson said.
Eckersley is in the same boat, admitting that the record weighs on his mind "massively."
"I think about it all week. We just want to get to the next game and change it. It's grinding on the players a little bit because we know we're better than 0-6. ... I believe in this team. We just have to show it now," Eckersley stated.
NOTES: Winter said that midfielder Nick Soolsma (hamstring) and forward Danny Koevermans (groin strain) will not travel to Utah for Saturday's game. TFC's coach indicated that Koevermans will likely be fit for next Wednesday's match against the Montreal Impact in the Canadian club championship, and that Soolsma could be ready for next Saturday's MLS match at home against DC United... A club official confirmed that midfielder Luis Silva (flu) will also not make the trip... Winter revealed that Nigerian striker John Owoeri is on trial with the club... Winter also said that captain Torsten Frings, who last week played in defence, will start in midfield against Real Salt Lake.
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