"It is a big challenge," Winter a news conference. "It is a young club. The feeling given to me was that we can build something together and (play) an attractive style of soccer."
The Major League Soccer club also announced that ex-England striker Paul Mariner will become director of player development while another Dutchman Bob de Klerk will be Winter's assistant.
Since retiring in 2003, Winter has been an assistant coach at Ajax, working with the club's renowned youth academy.
"Everybody is speaking of total football. Everybody knows we are used to playing with three strikers, attractive soccer," he told reporters. "Everyone is comparing (Toronto) to Ajax but we have our own identity, we want to play our own style."
While Toronto FC have been held up as MLS's model franchise, routinely selling out every match, the team have not enjoyed similar success on the pitch.
With the fans getting angry, Toronto brought in Juergen Klinsmann as a consultant and put the former Germany manager and striker in charge of overhauling the club's management team.
"We continue our work," said Klinsmann, who attended the news conference. "We are in the background and there to help.
"But today was an important milestone because now it is up to the new leadership to start working.
"Aron has an amazing career behind him. He went to the Ajax school, he already has an amazing knowledge. Now all he has learned he will implement as a head coach.
"It's a special task but he is up for it."
