We sit now just past the halfway point of the season, and enthusiasm is waning. We’re talking across the board too, not just on the fan or player level.

But we’ll start with the fans because, in a way, I understand it better. Frustrated is perhaps the best way to describe the average fan at this point. The team is just not living up to expectations. We’re expecting a highly competitive team and a style of play that befits the talent we were sure we had. Guevara, Robert, and Ricketts were all brought on and we suddenly saw flare and threatening attacks. And our expectations were raised.

I’ve been noticing something new at the games over the past two months – genuine anger. Fans are fighting amongst themselves, bickering, and taking elitist views of their role in the Supporter’s Section. All that is absolute garbage and the solutions are simple. Don’t be assholes, focus on the game not making a scene, and realize that we need to be a united front. There’s no room for elitism and, to be honest, you thinking and acting like you’re more of a fan than the next guy means you’re there for the wrong reason.

It’s all bread from the frustration of watching a product that doesn’t live up to our expectations, however. If we were always winning, or if we were satisfied with just scoring a goal (like last year,) things would be different.

So how did we get carried away?

We let our expectations for the team get unrealistically high – coupled with a five game, undefeated home stand and two road wins, and we were in heaven.

This is professional sport, however, and coaches and opposing teams do, in fact, learn. They made adjustments and learned to close down our threats. We got injuries and then something else that we’ve been unfamiliar with. Players started to look like they were “mailing in” their efforts. Robert looked slow some nights, Guevara was a tree lost amongst a forest, and Cunningham has had the least effect imaginable. Edu has played below the standard that made him the rookie of the year, Robinson was too below the standard that we expected, and even Captain Canada himself looked off, now and again. And even Marco Velez sometimes made a mistake (I know I’m going to take some heat for that comment…)

So, do we have a Shit team, all of a sudden?

Nope.

Reality check: We’re a second year team that is struggling to put the right pieces together. Certain things aren’t helping:

For one, the salary cap doesn’t allow up to buy a team quickly. But fine, it’s probably better that way anyway.

The Field Turf is killing our chances of signing some high level player. Let’s be honest, in one-way or another, most (former) elite players coming to the MLS are “damaged goods.” Hip and leg injuries shorten careers, and Darren Huckerby et al. aren’t interested in taking chances on a turf that Ronnie O’Brien and even our National Team have written off.

Things will improve. They already have – drastically – from last year. And if we keep making this steps forward (and replace Cunny with someone that isn’t mentally blocked from kicking a ball into and open net) we’ll be much better off next year. Not that I’ve written this year off – we still may make the playoffs – but I think that our chances of lifting the Cup aren’t the best.

There’s not that much difference between the best teams in this league and those mucking about in the middle of the pack. A couple key additions and a little luck, is all we need.