TFC and Whitecaps trade - Nathan Sturgis for the first round draft pick

Today TFC traded their first round pick in the upcoming college draft (8th pick, I think) for Nathan Sturgis. Sturgis had become a Whitecap through the expansion draft only yesterday, chosen from Seattle's unprotected list. He is listed as both a midfielder and a defender, although his playing time in Seattle this year was as a midfielder.
This move makes some sense, although it would have made less sense had TFC kept Sam Cronin. Sturgis is only 23 , but since he was a Generation Adidas pick (2006) he already has 5 years  in the MLS.  Whether Toronto attends the college draft with 5 or 6 picks is not a big issue.  The first round choice last winter was Zac Herold, the young man whose health ended his pro career before it began.

6 players gone - OBW in the draft, 5 released with a farewell and a train ticket

Today saw the selection of O'Brien White in the expansion draft. The Vancouver Whitecaps took him in a move that I have been predicting for months. It is an understatement to call him a struggling striker in his time with Toronto. May he rejuvenate his career out in B.C., but not to the extent that he scores against Toronto.
Once the draft was over TFC released five players;  Gabe Gala, Martin Saric, Maxim Usanov, Raivis Hscanovics and Mista.
Gabe Gala has been with the team since year one and you knew when the team started adding Academy players to the roster that Gala's opportunity to grab a spot on this team had passed. He is only 21 years of age though, so he may find a pro soccer path one day. He retains his claim to fame, the only Toronto player to have scored against Real Madrid.
Saric, Usanov and Hscanovics' departures are also no surprise. This trio were Mo and Preki's big moves for 2010 and we all know how the season went. Saric was a tough tackler, but you felt that he was just a red card waiting to happen. Usanov showed some flair with bringing the ball forward. Enough flair that in the summer I thought that maybe he should be playing as a winger. That was also due to his habit of getting lost on defensive assignments far too often. Hscanovics had no impact and gave way to Nick Garcia at the left back position. That has to haunt him.
The departure of Mista was the least surprising of all moves today. He did score in the game against Cruz Azul. That might have been both his debut and his one highlight for the season. Economical of him. Economy was seldom a consideration when talking about Mista in Toronto. He was here on designated player money and it was a total waste of time. Adios Mista.

Toronto FC exposes a few for the expansion draft

According to SBI (Soccer by Ives) Toronto FC have made the following players available to the two expansion teams, Portland and Vancouver, for the expansion draft this Wednesday.

Toronto FC

Chad Barrett, Julian deGuzman, Gabe Gala, Nick Garcia, Raivis Hscanovics, Fuad Ibrahim, Milos Kocic, Miguel Angel Ferrer Martinez, Joseph Nane, Amadou Sanyang, Martin Saric, Maxim Usanov, O'Brian White.

That means that the protected players are ;

Jon Conway
Nana Attakora
Dan Gargan
Adrian Cann
Dwayne De Rosario
Ty Harden
Nick Labrocca
Jacob Peterson
Stefan Frei (I)
Maicon Santos (I)
Emmanuel Gomez (I)
Home Grown:
Nicolas Lindsey
Doniel Henry

A few shockers and a few developments in that information. Protecting Gomez must be an indication that his health outlook is a positive one. Expose Chad and protect Peterson has me scratching my head. Protecting Nick Labrocca and exposing Amadou Sanyang is another puzzle.

 On one hand, perhaps the Designated Player salary of JDG makes him a tough pick for expansion teams, yet I thought he had a no-trade contract. Remember that TFC can have a max of two players taken and once one is picked they can protect another. So lose Chad, you protect JDG or vice versa. 

I think that Chad is tempting for Portland, OBW tempting for Vancouver. I am afraid that Chad Barrett is now the most likely unprotected Toronto player to be selected on Wednesday.

Conway protected and Kocic exposed seems to be a big vote of confidence in the big back-up keeper.

I would say that protecting Ty Harden is a pleasant surprise, he seemed to me to be one of the best salary bargains on the team. Keeping Gargan, Cann, Attakora makes a lot of sense.

Stay tuned, the expansion draft is only one aspect of the changes possible. Already there have been trades made as teams would prefer to get another player in return rather than the one way selection route.

Helping Herr Klinsmann take the TFC pulse or their is no there, there

I watched the press conference on TFCtv of Jurgen Klinsmann's introduction to the Toronto media today. It was a touch short of inspiring, what with Klinsmann being wise enough to promise little at the outset. However, I was a little worried when he talked about finding out what style of play Toronto wants and then hiring the folks that would deliver that brand of play. I think talent drives the style and we have had the hardest time attracting the talent. I think we want Klinsmann to graft on an aura of success more than merely provide feedback and analysis. Welcome to Canada, Jurgen. Do you remember the silky Canadian style of 86 in Mexico? Thought not. We will take whatever style allows the Reds to beat Columbus by four goals.

If you really need a Toronto style, here's my stab at it.
Speed and skill, strategy and depth.
The speed and skill part is a reflection of the gap between MLS and whatever league your average TFC fan has grown up with (EPL, Serie A, etc.,). The players we watch on tv from around the world think fast, move fast and have a silky first touch. We watch Toronto field players who lack speed and skill and seem to be learning on the job.
As for the strategy and depth part, the years have rolled by and the players on the bench seem to offer little. When Toronto FC makes a substitution it always seems that it is due to the starter picking up an injury or running out of gas. It never seems that the player coming in is bringing something specific, never mind something special. We know it is a salary cap team, but it would be nice to see more talent than we can play at one time and a coach who has more to say than "try your best".

Klinsmann - the consultant chosen to steer TFC out of shallow waters??

Superstar German coach and player Jurgen Klinsmann may be hired by Toronto FC as a consultant. This according to a report from The Globe and Mail . The report was written by Stephen Brunt and I am incapable of imagining that Mr. Brunt could ever be wrong.
He writes...

Though Klinsmann will not take on the role of general manager or coach himself, he will be asked to make a recommendation as to Johnston’s replacement.
But it is more than a simple head hunting assignment. Klinsmann and his company will look at the club’s infrastructure, at its academy and scouting system, will suggest a playing style, and then find someone to accomplish the goals they set out.

Klinsmann, who lives in California, brings impeccable credentials to the task.

Never before has "impeccable credentials" been this much of an understatement. When I checked the TFC site moments ago it was down, so I await full confirmation. Meantime, allow me to return to my drooling.

DC United 2 – TFC 3 Emotions, good and bad

Last night’s game had everything that TFC’s entire season had, except that it ended positively.  Maybe I’m a sucker for all the positive stuff that has happened this week, the Tueseday academy win over  Arabe Unido, the personal nature of the town hall meetings and the victory against DC, but I feel that the my faith is restored in the club.  Corporate damage control has worked, I can’t wait for next season.  I hope the boys in charge don’t screw it up again.

The story of this game is the line-up.  What we saw out there was a squad which represents our hope for next year.  With the exception of Nick Garcia, all the players that stepped on the pitch could feasibly be there next year too.  Yet, there are many of those players who might not be here or will be pine riders.  All indications point to Julian de Guzman staying, as both Earl Cockrane and Jimmy B. both were apologists for his play and role this year.   Also, the play of both Nick Labrocca and Jacob Peterson of late has been wonderful.  The Lindsay to Peterson to DeRo goal was the best we’ve seen all season and had me up and shouting expletives of joy at my tv.

Another line-up story to be considered is the absence of Stephan Frei.  My pet theory suggests that he is being rested so that he won’t pick up a knock before the January transfer window.  But his absence could be that he has a knock, or that Dasovic wants to share the playing time, or that the club wants a look at the reserve keepers with an eye to next year.  It could be for any of a thousand benign reasons that Frei has been out the last several  games, I just prefer the conspiracy theory.

The single player story, and this has been for the past few weeks, has been Nicholas Lindsay.  He seems to be the rapidly maturing winger that we expected Jacob Peterson to be.  Last night he was effective on both ends of the pitch, being involved in the second DeRo goal and saving a goal as well.  He is the pride of the academy, the poster boy for what could happen when things are done right and, at this point, he helps to bring all the warm feelings back.

The game contained all of the things we want to see as fans, and all the things we have come to expect from TFC.  An early goal by the opposition on a horrible defensive play was typical of all the bad we’ve seen over several years.  A penalty score from Jamie Moreno in his last game in the league, gaining him top scorer status again, is typical of TFC’s penchant for giving goals to famous and former players.  But then the good goals arrive, thanks in large part to Maicon Santos, who’s play has been a boon for the team.  His arrival may have been the only good thing Preki did for the club.

Overall the final game of the season, unlike the last few years, has left us with positive things to dream about.  There will be changes for next season, possibly as dramatic as this year.  Hopefully all the changes that come will build on the positive changes that have happened this week.

And, just as a parting shot, by my calculations MLSE could have paid every season seat (that’s seat, not season seat holder) $62 for the salary they paid Mista.  I won’t hold my breath for my $124 refund cheque from him.  Congratulations Mista, you rank with Denilson and Louis Angel Landin as one of the worst designated players in league history.  Don’t let the door hit you on your way out.


Trout

It was breath-taking to read the letter to season seat holders from TFC this afternoon. Wow. Unexpected speed. Unexpected news. They listened to a lot of things that were written and said. Forgive me for hurting my elbow while I pat myself on the back here, but I truly feel that they listened to ME!
I think that they understand that praising the passion of the fans came across as patronizing. It made the conversation seem more based on "us and them" than ever before in TFC history.
Sure the content of the letter was fantastic, the price freeze, a gesture of thanks by making the opener next season a freebie, the willingness to continue the town halls in 2011 all have me smiling. But more importantly, the tone was improved. The phrasing of the second paragraph grabbed me.

The Town Hall sessions were passionate, vocal and candid. The meetings were crucial to helping us understand your concerns. Toronto FC fans are unique - you love your club, you feel a part of the club, but your club has let you down on and off-the-pitch. We've now digested your feedback with the goal of identifying actionable items.

I have no evidence, just a feeling, yet I think that these words were a direct answer to my question last night "What makes this a club"? The something magical about loving this club just might be more widespread than I would have thought in that moment when Julius James scored in September. (I am reading that one over wondering if it even qualifies as a sentence. I am rolling with the words today, coherence can mosey along later).

I chided MLSE in this blog in reaction to the apology letter for many things. The apology letter was not signed I said, this one was clearly signed by all four leaders involved in the town hall meetings.

I chided MLSE in this blog in reaction to the apology letter for declaring a new era. I said it was up to others to decide that. Today's letter sure feels like a new dawn (and a new era of dialogue sure seems possible)
So, I take it back, they are not knuckleheads after all. We all have knucklehead phases in life, they get credit for getting out of theirs quickly. Tom Anselmi should not be fired. He and I can be members of the same club, passionate fans of Toronto FC.

Well I will have to postpone my second part of my town hall report until after weekend. If a timely report on the DC United game appears here it will be due to the efforts of my great friend Trout.  I have a weekend away to visit my daughter who is attending Bishop's and my pvr will be holding the TFC at DC game until my return.