TFC still subtracting from roster as training camp looms...

TFC training camp opens this week and it would be great to feel that anticipation for a new season rising in one's heart. New season, new faces would be a great motto for TFC to adopt. Toronto certainly seems to have roster spots available.
In the month of January we have spent more time waving goodbye than waving hello. Thanks for the memories goes out to the following players. Make that a tiny wave and a little thanks for the memories.

Mikael Yourasskowsky (released). You always felt that if he started to pursue goals the way he pursued yellow cards, he had a chance to amount to something. He joins an unfortunate group - TFC players who managed to score only one goal while wearing Toronto red and gray.
Andy Iro (contract offer declined) Sigh....I know he was a disaster. He was always a giveaway just waiting to happen. Yet he was the one MLS player that I had coveted from afar. Hope he finds a team (Andy Boyens is still playing in the MLS, so hope always remains). I hope Iro matures and turns into a player, yet reverts to his Toronto ways when he plays against Toronto.
Peri Mirosevic (contract offer declined) Some saw his potential, I can't say I was in that group. Scoring a goal in his first game was a good move, but after that he never seemed to find his spot in the midfield. Perhaps he was more suited to a classic 4 midfielder set-up.  Now we await the names of signings and players on trial. Stay tuned.

going...

going...

gone.

Plata signs with TFC

There was good news coming out of the TFC universe today as Joao Plata left the loan category and signed for Toronto. The deal was described as "multi-year" and no dollar amount was mentioned.
I like Plata, you have to admire the energy and dedication that he brings to the field. I am still convinced that he should be used as a super sub more often. Adding him fresh, late in the game, has to pay off with goals.
Seems like I am overdue with mentioning some of the off-season news of recent weeks.
- TFC to play the March Champions League game inside the Rogers Centre. I thought this was inevitable once Rogers was part of the purchase of MLSE. I have my tickets and hope for the best, but that dome inspires dullness and the turf surface is never a treat.
- College and Gen Adidas draft is tomorrow. TFC have both the 4th and 12th pick in the first round. I would like to think TFC will find a player in the draft, but the  Toronto record on drafting is questionable. When you cheer for a team that has only two on the roster (Frei and Plata) that were drafted by Toronto. Those two players are outnumbered by roster players who were recent drafts for other MLS teams and then found their way to Toronto through trades (Avila, Hall, Marosevic and Iro spring to mind).
- Of course there is plenty of room on the TFC training camp roster for draft picks to take since the end of last season meant the release of Martina, Omphroy, Gold, Viator, Davies, Zavarise and Griffit. Departures do not always add up to vacancies on the team. There were players with season ending injuries and that leads to an expanded roster. More tomorrow.

On the brink of a new year

I have difficulty with endings. I am not sure that I would like people who handle endings with detached aplomb. Now that I have used the phrase "detached aplomb', honestly it just popped into my head, I am wondering if this means I would not like James Bond and why do words such as "aplomb" stick in my head when I have trouble remembering the names of people I see every day.
2011 was a great year for me personally. There were people and places that wove through the year that I will remember and cherish for the rest of my life (or until the memory goes totally). The TFC season was not one of the things that made the year memorable, but hope for 2012 can only grow through the off-season.
So my best wishes to everyone for a Happy New Year. It is only months until we are all  back in Section 220 (by the way, if you are a reader who also knows me from the section, I have moved my seats. I have used my seniority to go down a few rows, but I will still be in talking distance).
May the winter fly and the soccer season come around the corner...and I promise to write a proper farewell to Nathan Sturgis any day now.

Bought and sold, but do new owners see beyond hockey?

Well, we don’t have the Teacher’s Pension Plan to kick around anymore.  The big bad media giants, Bell and Rogers have married and bought MLSE. Now what does this mean for our little TFC? I am hoping for either benign neglect or selling off the team, but not holding my breath for either.  Bizarre billionaires are rare in Canada.  I could get enthused about Belinda Stronach becoming owner of TFC, but that is just me. Maybe the increased role of Larry Tanenbaum is the silver lining to the deal?

Face it, this is a hockey thing and TFC is the afterthought to the afterthought (Raptors). I think that the Rogers side of the ownership will be baseball occupied all summer long and the BCE side will be hockey, hockey, hockey all year round. If CBC manages to lose HNIC to TSN can you imagine how hockey obsessed that sports channel will get?  TSN would rather cover zamboni races than anything soccer related.

So perhaps it is a dream that being owned by media giants will lead to better coverage of TFC.  I can have my dreams….

In another universe...or Chad goes north...

Ok, I am in a strange place mentally today.

Imagine that Toronto FC had instantly become the Barcelona of MLS and everything they had ever done had turned into football gold. Expansion draft day arrives for Montreal and their leadership says we must pick up all the ex-TFC players that we can, since their castoffs might still have some of the Toronto magic to them. Here goes-
Remember Montreal is allowed to pick 10 players in the draft and only one player per team.
Andy Boyens from Chivas USA
Dan Gargan (or Jon Conway) from Chicago
Carl Robinson (or Greg Sutton) from New York
Pat Phelan from New England
Maicon Santos from Dallas
Jeff Cunningham from Columbus
Tyrone Marshall from Colorado (they protected Joseph Nane)
Hunter Freeman from Houston
Chad Barrett from LA Galaxy
Kevin Goldthwaite from Portland
(there would still be Nana Attakora or Jacob Peterson - San Jose, O'Brian White - Seattle,)
There you have it, an all ex TFC expansion draft. The chances that any of these players will be selected by Montreal ? I would have to say slim.

TFC expansion protection list 2011

 Protected
Avila, Eric -TFC seems high on him, not sure myself 
Dunfield, Terry – on list, JDG off, suspect something 
Eckersley, Richard -young, energetic, potential and skill and fan fave 
Frei, Stefan (GK) - team foundation 
Frings, Torsten -team foundation DP 
Harden, Ty- salary cap bargain 
Iro, Andy- size and left foot? 
Johnson, Ryan- TFC weak in scoring, need his skill 
Kocic, Milos (GK) – too young/experienced to risk 
Koevermans, Danny - team foundation DP 
Plata, Joao - young, energetic, potential and skill and fan fave 


  Unprotected 
Borman, Danleigh - no surprise, TFC days numbered 
Bouchiba, Elbekay - injury comeback makes him tough to pick 
Cann, Adrian - injury comeback makes him tough pick or MTL=Canadian 
Davies, Kyle - mystery man, never saw him play 
de Guzman, Julian - I thought we had to protect DP? If MTL takes I suspect it is part of a deal… 
Gold, Matt – too much bench player to protect 
Griffit, Leandre mystery man, never saw him play 
Marosevic, Peri he might be a worthy pick 
 Martina, Javier – no surprise, TFC days numbered 
Omphroy, Demitrius - he might be a worthy pick, if only to trade back to TFC 
Soolsma, Nick - he might be a worthy pick, if only to trade back to TFC 
Sturgis, Nathan - he might be a worthy pick 
Viator, Eddy - mystery man, barely saw him play 
Williams, Dicoy - injury comeback makes him tough to pick 
Yourasskowsky, Mikael – no surprise, TFC days numbered 
Zavarise, Gianluca - too much bench player to protect

MLS Cup 2011 pre game musings

Here I sit watching television and waiting for coverage of the 2011 MLS Cup to start. I am hoping that Americans have a pregame show to watch. TSN2 is showing a heart wrenching documentary about a former basketball player who battles serious addiction problems. A worthy show I am sure, but hardly designed to get your mind into a "big game" mode.... Remember that a year ago we were sitting down at BMO watching Colorado defeat Dallas? I do recall thinking that 2010 would be the last time that the MLS Cup playoffs would be Toronto free. So much for that bright idea. On one hand I am critical of how low profile the MLS Cup is. Playing the game in late November does seem to be pushing the event into a season beyond soccer. On the other hand most North American sports end at an odd time. NHL and NBA collide with summer, Baseball leaves summer far behind at the World Series and then there is the Super Bowl in the dark depths of February.... Mr. Muscle Arms is the ref, I am not a big fan of his. Then again what MLS ref would please me?