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With 12 games remaining in the 2014 Major League Soccer regular season, the current edition of Toronto FC is poised to qualify for the postseason and succeed where previous Reds squads have fallen short.
As the first player from Toronto FC Academy to graduate to the first team when he signed a professional contract back in August 2010, league success has been a long time coming for 21 year old Toronto native Doneil Henry.
According to the Canadian International and three time Canadian Championship winner, the mood around the squad this season is different compared to previous seasons and the current team possesses a laser like focus on achieving the goals that have been set out for them.
“First and foremost, the team is very professional in everything we do, on and off the field and from the coaching staff to the people in the office to the players themselves,” Henry told RedNation. “Everybody has a winning mentality and wants to do well. We are really buying into what our coach is saying and we just want to continue working under our manager.”
“We’re challenging ourselves,” Henry added. “We thought we did well enough during the first half of the season to keep ourselves in the playoff hunt and now we just want to keep plugging away and play each game with more of a playoff feel in order to try and get used to that environment.”
Currently sitting in 3rd place in the Eastern Conference and back home after playing four straight on the road, Toronto will now play an extended run of matches in the friendly confines of BMO Field.
In Henry’s estimation, how Toronto performs over the next month and a half will likely go a long way towards determining the heights the squad can reach this year.
“In these next seven games we have five at home and we have to get the maximum amount of points to put ourselves in a good position,” the young central defender said. “It won’t even be about just making the playoffs but about how high up the table we can go.”
In many ways, Henry’s individual performances have mirrored the overall performance of the team. While there have been some bumps in the road, the 6 foot 2 central defender has been a solid performer who has grown as the season has progressed.
Overall, the 2012 Canadian U-20 Players of the Year has been satisfied with both his own performances and how the season has panned out for his team.
“I’m still learning but I think I am a big part of the team,” Henry said. “I just want to continue to look forward and to help the team get points. I know that I am a good player and I definitely think that I can be one of the top centre backs in this league. I’ve been unlucky and also made a few mistakes, but it doesn’t take away from what I have done for this team and how much ground I have covered for this back line.”
As a young player who has both been an integral part of most of TFC’s victories and a defender who has seen some tough calls by the referee go against him, Henry is adamant that while he is focused on learning from his mistakes he also won’t change his overall approach regardless of whether he is experiencing high or low times.
“I come out and play the same way in every game,” he explained. “I’m not going to shy away from challenges and I’m not going to try and do things that aren’t me. I know what it takes to play my position and I’m not scared to make mistakes. I’m going to continue doing what I do and I am only trying to do well for this team. I think the referee has a job to do and I have a position to play. Unfortunately, I have sometimes been on the short end of the stick but I’m not going hold my head down.”
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