So with the playoffs looming, and TFC not playing especially well lately should we be worried? All that hard work for most of the season can come to naught with one single bad performance. (I know it's two legs, but you know what I mean). Bono hasn't been sharp. The defence has been vulnerable to the press, and our offence has been rusty.
It has long been my belief that in professional sports (not just soccer) you can't build a champion. The best you can actually do is build a contender and be one of the three or four teams with a significant shot at the title. Once the playoffs hit, so much comes down to hot streaks or unlucky bounces that all you can do it watch and enjoy. Last year's playoff experiences against Montreal and Seattle are classic examples. Either outcome could have flipped with one little bounce. Yes, TFC has been a bit wobbly lately on both offence and defence. They've still won three of their last five and they have their full team back now. I think they'll be fine subject to my point above about the vagaries of playoff chance.
I think the latest dip in form has been because: 1) a number of key absences 2) they are playing teams that are a little stronger than before (LA and San Jose looked like they had just given up completely) 3) teams are starting to figure out how to compete against TFC #3 is the biggest concern, but it was bound to happen. The bottom line is that in the end the team is still winning games despite this. They are still a strong team and are able to make adjustments when things aren't going their way. As I've said before, they aren't going to just roll their way through the playoffs beating every team 4-0.