If at first, second, third, fourth, fifth time you do not succeed try, try again. It might sound like a peculiar response to an issue-to continue doing the same thing over and over again until things work out. But it has been the policy of Toronto FC for close to ten years and after five or six times it appears to have finally paid in the form of Sebastian Giovinco. The man known as the Atomic Ant has Toronto FC supporters not thinking about past failures but of something that once seemed foreign: playoffs.
For a league that likes to blow up every player signing as if the player is next coming of Pele news of Giovinco’s signing in January was bizarrely quiet. Sandwiched in between the signing of Jozy Altidore and the three ring circus that was the Frank Lampard saga, Giovinco came to MLS not under a bang but in rather subtle fashion.
Since quietly joining Toronto, Giovinco has taken the league by storm scoring 21 goals and assisting on 17 goals for this teammates. At times he has proven to be the lightning rod able to get TFC a the result that they desire. In other moments he has simply been unplayable, taking on entire teams and somehow always coming out on top.
His three goal performance against New York City FC is a perfect example of the latter. Down three goals on the road against David Villa, Andrea Pirlo, and the ghost of Lampard Giovinco made three stellar runs and helped lead his club back from the brink to secure a 3-3 draw.
So why has Giovinco worked in Toronto where previous major players like Jermain Defoe, Danny Koevermans, Torsten Frings, Preki, and Jurgen Klinsmann have failed? His attitude seems to play a major role. Whereas many of those players came to Toronto resting on their laurels, Giovinco at 27 still had much to prove. The former Italian national, Giovinco had really fallen off of the mark with his club team Roma and was more of a bench player. The other prominent names that have come to Toronto have done so to finish off their career; Giovinco came to save his.
The echo of Giovinco’s success in Toronto should serve as an example for the type of player that clubs should go after. While players like Steven Gerrard, Didier Drogba, and Kaka are nice they are short-term fixes. The league might not be able to afford the top players in their 20’s but beneath that 20-25 million dollar pound club are players like Giovinco and Giovanni Dos Santos, players that are affordable are certainly quality players that teams can build around.
While the Giovinco story has certainly been a nice story for Toronto franchise that has struggled to find good news in their brief history. But all of that will be for naught if TFC cannot make the playoffs. The club has yet to make MLS’ second season in their twelve year history and at times have been their own worst enemy. If the Atomic Ant can continue to push this squad beyond their sordid past then he will set a precedent not just for TFC in the future but for the league as a whole.
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