More stats
By Ben Knight
Did you further know?
If you add up the MLS regular season, Voyageurs Cup and CONCACAF Champions League, Toronto FC played 36 competitive matches in 2009.
Overall, they won 13, lost 13 and drew 10. You can’t really be any more of a .500 club than that.
When Danny Dichio started, they were 5-2-1.
History won’t remember this, but the bald-headed fan favourite from England played the full 90 minutes in five of those games – including consecutive 1-0 home victories over Chivas USA and the Kansas City Wizards, who just happened to be the two MLS division leaders at the time. He also went the distance in a certain 6-1 win over the Montreal Impact you might just vaguely remember.
The numbers for Dichio as a sub are a little harder to get a read on. He came in 16 times, and the team won 4 and drew 5. They conceded 5 more goals than they scored with Dichio on the field, having broken even before he appeared.
You’ll find this is a common ailment across the roster. Toronto FC conceded an appalling number of late goals, and Dichio’s average run-out as a sub came in the 71st minute.
When Dichio didn’t appear, Toronto FC went 4-4-4.
Soccer stats are notoriously hard to wring any solid conclusions from. So many numbers are simply unavailable, and 36 games is small sample, statistically.
But I can certainly tell you the Reds scored almost 2 goals a game when Dichio started, and just 30 in 28 games when he didn’t.
I also know, from multiple directions, that he was concerned and unhappy as the season wore on, and it became increasingly clear the eternally struggling Chad Barrett was starting, and he wasn’t.
In the unhealthy, weakly guided, oft-divided atmosphere of the Toronto FC dressing room, this set off a chain of circumstance that ended with Dichio retiring from the game to accept a coaching post in September.
Whatever tooth and killer instinct the TFC striker crew had, up to that point, clearly retired with him.
In fairness, no less an expert than CBC colour man and former Canada standout Jason DeVos has told me – to my face, with emphasis – that Dichio was physically done as a player. I certainly don’t make a point or habit of disagreeing with the man, but the evidence of my own eyes – all season – said otherwise.
Even injured, Dichio gave his all. Opposing defences had to work harder – and bend further – to cover him than any other striker TFC could deploy. Once he was gone, shutting down the Chad Barretts and Ali Gerbas of the world got significantly easier – and it wasn’t all that hard before.
For me, the team’s handling of Dichio – the franchise’s first true fan hero – was the single biggest on-field reason Toronto FC didn’t make the MLS playoffs for the third consecutive season.
I think we all have a right to know exactly which players, coaches – and team officials – stood against him.
Onward!
November 2nd, 2009 at 11:20 am
I think you’ve picked the wrong story here to criticize Ben, anonymous. I have criticized Ben too but he’s no loser, he’s a nice writer with a terrific passion for this game.
And what he’s done above is great work. It’s no accident these Dichio stats he presents.
good work Ben
November 2nd, 2009 at 11:29 am
Nice article.
It makes sense and im surprised we have not heard more on the DD situation. I thought he was a fantastic player and made a difference on the field as far as being a presence the opposition had a tough time handling. This freed up other players on the field and well stats don’t lie.
I think that Anonymous has his head up his…
November 2nd, 2009 at 11:41 am
Insulting, anonymous posts get cut here. FYI.
November 2nd, 2009 at 11:50 am
The internet has been mainstream for a long time now and I’m still stupefied by comments and people like that who without a shred of doubt have the equivalent of a Grade 6 mentality and intellect. I’m against internet regulation but when we disallow people to operate motor vehicles until they hit 16, there’s a good case to keep people off the internet until they hit social markers like graduating primary school or anger management class.
Moving on… yes a .500 season mathematically but on the performance scale a failure for missing the playoffs. And in anything: failure = change. It will be interesting to see what that is. And keep an eye on the players removed from the mix - they’ll be the one’s Cummins was hinting are the problem. Whether someone new can rise a phoenix from the ashes only time will tell. And if they want to be successful, whoever they hire is going to need consummate player management skills.
November 2nd, 2009 at 12:55 pm
Mike: I think the reason we haven’t heard more about the Dichio story is that there is very little actual reporting being done on TFC. TFC coverage is pretty much just game reports & opinion/analysis from bloggers - some of this is very good, but it needs to be in conjunction with reporting.
November 2nd, 2009 at 12:59 pm
T. Ephsea, I think the team performed at 0.500 on the performance scale as well. The two stated goals in the preseason were to win the Canadian Championship (check mark) and to make it into the playoffs (no check mark).
November 2nd, 2009 at 5:00 pm
Real ballsy calling out the TFC locker-room after its to little to late to do anything about it.
This is what we see in all major media no real reporting just allot of innuendo.
Dichio was to old and slow, and I hate to say this, because I think anyone with a passion for the game is entitled to write about it and offer their opinion. But you really would have to have played at a high level of football or any sport for that matter to understand what DeVos was going on about.
November 2nd, 2009 at 6:20 pm
You mean like Brett Favre who’s 5 years older and has had his clock cleaned weekly for 20 years? Speed? Linford Christie, Olympic 100m Gold age 33 (and double-faults in the final again at age 37). Aerobic and anaerobic? Chris Chelios who played 70 games as a 46yr old? Or Gordie Howe who got over 40 points in his 50’s? They often take more abuse in a night than Dichio does in a season.
Many athletes bodies quit mid-thirty but there are also a lot of people who’s don’t. De Vos applies the context of his 35yr old body to the comment. Period. End of story. Nothing more there. And had a lot of professional athletes listened to a comment like that they would have missed not only the twilight of their careers but the highlights. Roger Milla became a star at 38 scoring twice against Romania and Colombia in the ‘90 World Cup.
“anyone with a passion for the game is entitled to write about it and offer their opinion”
Anyone with a passion for the game is also entitled to play. But there is a very big difference between pickup and pro. Remove the stadiums and the fans and uniforms and most soccer fans can watch a Premier League game and a Division 3 game and not be able to tell the difference. It’s the same thing with writing. Very few people can tell the difference in quality. But those who can can sure respect and appreciate the difference.
November 3rd, 2009 at 11:05 am
T. Ephsea,
3 Cheers to your response. That was real knockout!
November 3rd, 2009 at 12:23 pm
OK bright eyes… gloves are off…
You’re comparing Danny Dichio? Dichio?! to Favre, Chelios, Christie, and Howe, ROGER MILLA!!? These guys are sporting legends, they’re a cut above everyone else, 100% end of story, period and what ever else you wrote.
DeVos is not applying it to himself he’s applying it to reality. Anyone could see that (by your example) Chelios still had the fires burning, and he was producing. Favre? well its fucking Brett Favre duh… Hall of fame?. Is Dichio on the way to the MLS hall of fame or better yet is he gonna sign with another team, say a rival like Columbus? Give your head a shake bud.
Ridiculous, take off the TFC rose coloured glasses everyone…Dichio was just a Mediocre forward who could barely cut it in the MLS at the end of his career, there’s no disputing what he means to TFC but saying that his “forced” retirement was a catalyst for the faliure of TFC is …