SBNation.com User Blog: Dave Rowaan

Torsten Frings eyeing comeback, not with Toronto FC

Dave Rowaan — Thu, 23 May 2013 19:35:35 -0000

Could Torsten Frings be returning to the playing field this summer? Well, it seems that he might be on the comeback trail in Germany having retired from his professional playing career this February. His retirement came as a result of a series of injury that limited his playing time during the 2012 season and knocked him out after just one game of the 2013 preseason.

At the time of his retirement there was some question of whether it was completely his decision or if the club had decided to pay-out the remainder of his contract to free up the cap space and designated player slot which forced him out sooner than he would have liked. The 36 year old Frings was unlikely to have a lot of miles left in him but he did work hard to come back from off-season surgery and would not have done that if he was ready to retire.

Those suspicions might be true or Frings might just be having a hard time adjusting to retired life as he is now being linked to a comeback. Multiple German outlets reported on Thursday that the former German International is in talks with Alemannia Aachen about playing for the club once again.

Alemannia Aachen is where Frings began his professional playing career all the way back in 1994 having joined their youth setup back in 1990. He played for them until 1997 making over 50 appearances before eventually catching the eye of one of Germany's top clubs. In 1997 Frings moved on to Werder Bremen where he made a name for himself and eventually found his way into the German National Team.

Since Frings left Alemannia Aachen the club has faced a fair few struggles including a series of relegation. They did reach a German Cup final and reached the Bundesliga for the 2006-2007 season but they finished 17th and were relegated. After a good run of stability in the 2. Bundesliga the club faced financial hardships and were relegated to the third division following the 2011-2012 season and filed for bankruptcy in 2012. Things got worse for them this past year though as the club were recently relegated from the 3. Bundesliga and will play in the Regionalliga West next year which is Germany's fourth division.

With the club having fallen so far since their Bundesliga season with Frings it looks like they might be turning to the commanding midfielder for help once again. The reports suggest that the club has contacted Frings about potentially playing for them next season while helping the player work on his coaching education. The deal would allow Frings to attend courses four days a week while once again playing in Alemannia.

The reports also indicated that Frings feels that he is fit enough to help the club having overcome the nagging injuries to his hip that were cited as the reason for his retirement back in February. None of the articles quote Frings on the matter at this point in time but it seems that he has at the very least engaged in talks about making a comeback.

It was clear that Toronto FC needed to look elsewhere for younger players to help in the long run but it would be a shame to know that he still had games left in him when he left Toronto FC.

Would Frings suiting up for club in Germany's fourth division do anything to change your feelings about his retirement and the circumstances that surrounded it?

Canada names squad for Costa Rica Friendly

Dave Rowaan — Thu, 23 May 2013 18:22:38 -0000

Colin Miller, once again Canada's interim head coach has named his squad for the upcoming friendly against Costa Rica. The list includes a good mixture of players from Canadian clubs along with a lot of European players as Miller seems to have avoided calling in players who are busy with their MLS schedule and instead relied of players who just wrapped up their seasons in Europe to make up the bulk of the squad.

With the exception of the likes of Milan Borjan, Andre Hainault, Julian de Guzman, and Tosaint Ricketts it is a squad that consists of players who are on the fringes of the National Team and would be hoping to earn themselves a place in the Gold Cup squad or future World Cup qualifiers. The 18-man roster only includes one completely new face and that is Toronto FC's Jonathan Osorio who could earn his first cap against Costa Rica.

Osorio is just one part of a strong TFC contingent in the squad though as he will be joined in the team by Ashtone Morgan, Doneil Henry, and Kyle Bekker. Despite the club's struggles in recent weeks it will be good to see four of TFC's young players getting the chance to represent Canada once again and hopefully it will give the likes of Morgan a needed boost of confidence to bring back to the club.

The good news for Toronto is that with the match taking place on the 28th the players will be able to leave for camp following this weekend's match against the New England Revolution and be back in time for the following match which takes place on June 1st against the Philadelphia Union. Playing three games in the span of one week would probably be too much when combined with all the travel but none of the four players joining the Canadian squad have been regulars in Ryan Nelsen's lineup of late so that should not be a problem.

One interesting name on the list is that of Haidar Al-Shaïbani who could get the chance to earn his second cap for Canada. His first cap came back in 2010 when he played the final 20 minutes of a friendly against Venuzula. With Lars Hirscheld aging and Milan Borjan being the only proven option in goal it seems that the coaching staff and Technical Directory Tony Fonseca are looking to increase the pool of options in goal by giving looks to the likes of Al-Shaïbani and Simon Thomas in these camps.

With the game taking place in Edmonton it will come with extra meaning for two players on the squad as it will be a home coming for them. For both Tosaint Ricketts and Randi Edwini-Bonsu the game on the 28th will be their first chance for play for the National team in their home city. The game also marks the first time that the Men's National Team has played in Alberta since 2008 during World Cup Qualifying.

The team will only be together for the one match this time around as they continue to get ready for the Gold Cup. Canada's campaign gets underway on July 7th against Martinique down in Pasadena, CA.

Herdman names roster for US friendly

Dave Rowaan — Wed, 22 May 2013 15:24:38 -0000

Even without all the hype that comes with being the long awaited rematch of that Olympic semifinal, a match between Canada and the United States is always a big deal. Add to it the additional storylines and a sold out crowd at BMO Field and the stage is set for another great chapter in one of soccer's top rivalries regardless of gender.

The birth of the new NWSL has added another wrinkle to this long standing rivalry as it means that the majority of players on both sides of the border are now seeing each other on a regular basis in league action. With the bulk of both rosters being made up of NWSL players there is more familiarity than ever on both sides. Thankfully the teams in the league are willing to work with the national teams and all of the Canadian players will be in camp by May 27th giving them a good five days to work together prior to the match.

In the roster that Herdman named for the match against the United States there are a number of surprises. The first is that Melissa Tancredi returns from her absence as she has been off since the Olympics to continue her studies. Her last game was the Olympic bronze medal game but American fans will remember her as a villain from the semifinal thanks to an incident that saw her accused of stepping on the head of an American player.

Tancredi has been away from the field working on her masters program so may have some rust but Herdman was confident that she will still be ready to bring that grit and toughness that she normally contributes to Canada. She should come into the match fit having worked away from the field though and her return could be a boost to Canada's attack which has struggled to find goals in recent months.

Most of the squad are carryovers from that Olympic team but there are new faces in the form of teenager Kadeisha Buchanan, Rachel Quon, Tiffany Cameron, and Ashley Lawrence. Those inclusions fit with Herdman's movement towards younger players in recent months as he is looking to improve the squad and replace some of the aging players.

Rachel Quon will be a bit of an unknown name to a lot of Canadian soccer fans and that is because she was born and raised in the United States. Quon has represented the USWNT at basically every possible level including with their Under-23 team but the 22 year old defender has yet to earn a cap with their senior team.

Her eligibility to play for Canada is an on-going process though as it is still pending the approval of FIFA. Canada had to call Quon into a camp before starting that process with FIFA so it takes time to resolve the issue but Herdman was hopeful that it will be resolved in a similar fashion to how things went with Lauren Sessleman. She has been on the Canadian radar since last August though as the team was looking for a left-footed defender which they did not have in their current talent pool. Quon was injured during the winter meaning Canada could not call her in for either the Cyprus Cup on the April friendlies but she is now fit and playing for the Chicago Red Stars and looking to impress with Canada.

Herdman took time to address the fact that he has gone south of the border to find a player rather than calling up someone who had been developed in Canada. He was clear that it was not ideal to have to look for talent elsewhere but Canada had a need that was not being met in their player pool. Herdman is hoping that the plans they have in place will improve the player pool enough down the road so that they no longer have to turn to players like Quon and can rely solely on Canadian born and raised players.

With all the talk of this game being "The Rematch" it is a bit of a surprise that Herdman has gone with so many players on the roster who were not part of that Olympic team. He does have 14 players from his Olympic team, 10 of which featured in the match against the United States, so it is possible that come June 2nd the majority of the lineup will be Olympic veterans with the youth on the bench.

“It was important for us to bring in a blend of youth and experience for this game,” said Head Coach John Herdman. “We feel we have a good blend of players that have experience playing against USA – but we are also sticking to our task of preparing for the future."

Bringing in the younger players for a game like this should provide them with some very valuable experience to see what it takes to go up against not only the best team in CONCACAF but arguably the World. Considering that Canada ends up taking on the US on a regular basis that experience will be vital down the road if Canada is hoping to continue to close the gap on their rival.

In part the June 2nd match will be key in setting the stage for Canada hosting the 2015 Women's World Cup. Even though Toronto will not be hosting any games during that event a sold out crowd bringing the noise will only help to increase interest in the team and the sport. The fact that it took less than a day of tickets being on sale to the public for this match to sell out speaks to the fact that with success comes increased support and Canada will want to keep that ball rolling.

“The fans are going to play a massive part in the game,” said Herdman. “We will be playing in front of packed house and all of the pressure that goes with that. It’s important for this group of players, particularly the young ones, to get a real sense of the support we are looking forward to in 2015. We know the crowd will be in full voice and right behind us."

Despite having the crowd on their side and an experienced roster Canada will be in tough against the US. Canada is still trying to adapt to their improved playing style and have struggled for results in 2013 while the United States have hardly missed a beat since the Olympics despite changing head coaches. All-time Canada has a record of 3W-5D-44L against the United States. It has been fairly one sided as Canada has yet to win on home soil with a record of 0W-1D-5L in their six meetings.

Canada will need to be at their very best like they were in that Olympic semifinal if they want to come away with a result. That game was only close because Christine Sinclair put in one of the greatest performances of her storied career and counting on that happening again would be quite fanciful really. If Canada can get solid defending to keep the American attack quiet then they will be in with a chance as long as Sincy is on the field.

The good news for Canadian fans is that this time around they hopefully won't have to deal with the US having a 12th woman in the form of the ref.

Danny Koevermans eyes June 1st return date

Dave Rowaan — Tue, 21 May 2013 17:30:34 -0000

Toronto FC are spending the week preparing for a date with the New England Revolution but when they head out to Gillette Stadium they will do so without Danny Koevermans. He has been out since Toronto's last visit to New England when he suffered a torn cruciate ligament that required surgery to repair.

Koevermans suffered that injury on July 14th in the first half of the match. He was battling with A.J. Soares in the Revs penalty area and just before reaching the goal line went down with what appear to be a serious knee injury from the moment it happened. The play started off promisingly as Koevermans made his way in behind Soares and Shalrie Joseph but when he picked up the through ball he seemed to struggle with his control allowing the defender to get back and put in a challenge that caused the Dutch forward's left knee to twist leaving him in pain on the turf.

Two days later the club confirmed that the injury was as serious as it had appeared as an MRI revealed the player would require season ending surgery that would not only rule him out for the end of the 2012 season but also the start of the 2013 season as the normal recovery time for such an injury is nearly 10 months to a year.

Here we are in May of 2013 since Koevermans had his operation to repair the damaged ligament in his knee. He has progressed in his recovery fairly quickly and could be ready to return to the field in the coming weeks with the potential return date to MLS action coming on June 1st when the team takes on Philadelphia Union at Bmo Field. The game against the Revs comes too soon for the forward and it is probably wise to avoid using him on that turf anyhow.

Over the weekend Koevermans played his first minutes in over 10 months as he featured in TFC's 3-1 reserve win over the Columbus Crew that followed the team's 1-0 defeat in MLS action. Koevermans was thrown into the starting lineup for Toronto and completed the first 45 minutes before being replaced at the half. He did not get his name on the score sheet but was out there for Toronto's first two goals as Jonathan Osorio and Jeremy Brockie both scored late in the first half.

Having spent over ten months watching from the sidelines Koevermans is not likely to be at the level he was at prior to his injury any time soon. We saw at the start of last season that he was a bit slow to get going when dealing with some fitness issues but once he did he again proved to be one of the top strikers in MLS. There will be pressure for him to returned to that level quickly as Toronto is in serious need of some scoring punch as Robert Earnshaw, Justin Braun, and Luis Silva just don't seem to be getting the job done.

In the 10 appearances leading up to his injury Koevermans contributed 8 goals and was a huge part of Toronto showing improved form following Paul Mariner replacing Aron Winter as the head coach. His ability to create space for himself and make chances with very little support and to convert those chances consistently was making the team look a lot better than they were and that is what the current squad could use right now. The Dutchman continues to have one of the best strike rates in MLS history having scored 17 goals in 26 league appearances as he has proven to be a top class finisher.

Toronto could use some finishing these days as the team has been wasteful with the chances that they have managed to create. Early in the season they rode the form of Earnshaw to some surprise results but now that his goals have completely dried up the losses are starting to pile up once more. The team has only managed to score 2 goals in their last five matches including that 6-0 game against Montreal. That dry spell has left them with just 11 goals through 11 MLS games with 5 of those coming from Earnshaw during his early season run of form.

With the goals all but dried up of late and fans once again getting very restless about the direction the club is heading in there will be a lot of pressure on Koevermans to make an instant impact. His value as a proven goal scorer will be huge but it hard to know what to expect from any player that is coming back from this sort of injury let alone one that is 34 years old and has no previous experience with long-term injuries.

Even if it takes him some time to get back to form having Koevermans back should be a boost for Toronto as he brings more than just goal scoring when he is in the squad. He is a far more complete player than Braun and should be able to open up space for Earnshaw and Silva as well as providing quality passing in the final third. That is something Toronto has also lacked as it is not just a matter of poor finishing costing them points in recent games. They have struggled to create chances and just having Koevermans on the field should make that a bit easier.

Before Koevermans can make his return to the lineup the club will have to figure out how to create space on the roster for him. The current count on internationals stands at 9 as the arrivals of Jeremy Brockie and Steven Caldwell combined with the departure for Taylor Morgan left TFC using all of their current international slots. Koevermans does not currently count in that total of 9 but for the club to include him on the active roster they will need to have an international slot available. That means that if he is going to make his return on the 1st the club will either have to make a deal for a spot or cut ties with one of their current internationals.

With so many of the internationals on loans (or short term deals) that end at the end of June trading for a spot that they would only need for a month would seem a bit unnecessary. They could cut ties early with one of the players likely to be on the way out come the end of June anyhow and after some poor performances by loanees I am sure TFC fans probably have a few names they would not really miss.

In the end, it is just good to see Koevermans getting close to making his return to competitive soccer. The DP forward has been a fan favorite thanks to his goal scoring and should be welcomed back with open arms by TFC fans who are longing for something to get excited about. His long term future with the club may be a question mark as the team looks to bring in at least one big named DP during the summer window but for now it will just be great to see Danny Koevermans back doing what he does best and that is play soccer and score goals.

New York City FC confirmed as MLS' 20th Franchise

Dave Rowaan — Tue, 21 May 2013 16:14:18 -0000

What happens when the New York Yankees and Manchester City come together to form a new soccer franchise? Well, you end up with an offer that is just too good for MLS to turn down. The combine influence and financial wealth of the two clubs was enough to cover the $100 million expansion fee (and over 300 million for that stadium) and land New York City FC the spot as MLS' 20th franchise. The new franchise will be the first team in New York City, sorry Red Bulls, and will begin playing in 2015 despite their stadium not being finished in time for that start date.

The Manchester City group will be the majority owners of the club with Ferran Soriano, CEO of Manchester City Football Club, being tasked with filling key positions in the organization over the coming weeks. He will be working closely with Randy Levine, President of the New York Yankees, who will be the point person for that organizations involvement in the project.

"We are thrilled to contribute to the energy and growth of New York City Soccer.," said Soriano. "In the Yankees, we have found the absolute best partner for developing a world-class sports organization and a winning team that will carry the New York City Football Club name with pride."

"We are pleased to be associated with this major move by MLS to increase its presence in the New York market and to enhance the opportunity for New York soccer fans to enjoy high-level play in their own city," said Hal Steinbrenner, managing general partner of the Yankees. "We look forward to the opportunity to work with Manchester City to create something very special for the soccer fans of New York -- and to bringing another terrific team to this city for all sports fans to enjoy,"

There will be plenty of questions to be answered about the club over the coming years leading up to their joining the league but one thing we know is that by combining the influence of the Yankees in the New York market with the brand of Manchester City in the soccer world they have the potential to create a branding giant.

Creating that brand will be key for the club and even if the name, New York City FC, is already likely to put some fans off for its clear ties to Manchester City and being just one more example of soccer team choosing to put FC into the name in North America. If they can avoid further poor brand decisions like dressing their players in Sky Blue with pinstripes or having a crest that is almost identical to that of Manchester's they could form the most popular soccer brand to come out of North America since the New York Cosmos were in their prime.

The club will also need to find a place to play in New York City until their fancy new soccer specific stadium is completed. There is no way they are going to go out to Jersey and share Red Bull arena which leaves them with a limited number of options. It has already been suggested though in a New York Times report that the Yankees may be willing to open the doors to Yankee Stadium to the club. The stadium is capable of hosting soccer matches and will get the chance to do so once again this weekend as Yankee Stadium plays host to a friendly between Chelsea and Manchester City (nice timing!). It would not be the ideal venue but it would allow the club to play their games in the heart of New York City and take full advantage of their connection to the Yankees.

Make no mistake about the time of this move and how much it could help MLS out in the long run. The league is about to get down to serious work negotiating new television deals with NBC and ESPN so getting NYCFC confirmed for the 2015 season and having the power of the Yankees connected to the league will provide the league with a lot more negotiating power when they go to the bargaining table with the networks. A boost in tv revenue for be good for everyone in MLS as it continues to be an area where the league has failed to make major strides.

The money that both the Yankees and City could bring into the league has the potential to be a huge boost to the game. If they can increase the TV revenue and push for the salary cap to be increased more than it has in recent years it could usher in a new age of success for MLS. It is not the first time the league has worked with owners that have deep pockets and influence but in the past there has been mixed results. A quick look at the city of L.A. and you see both sides of the coin as the Galaxy have thrived thanks to the backing of AEG but Chivas USA have struggled to be a functioning club despite their connection to one of Mexico's most storied franchises. Both the Yankees and Manchester City seem to know what they are doing so it is unlikely that NYCFC will end up being a repeat of what is going on with Chivas but until they have success on the field there will be fear that the club could turn out to be little more than a gimmick for owners who are focused on bigger things.

The club's connection to two powerful sports franchises also assure it of going right to the top of the list as many MLS fans most hated club. If you happen to be a fan of the New York Red Bulls, the Boston Red Sox, the New York Mets, Manchester United, or the the Toronto Blue Jays chances are you have at least one good reason to despise this team even before it ever steps on the field. Both the Yankees and Manchester City have a lot of people who dislike them as a result of their success and some element of that will carry over to this new franchise. That is okay though as rivalries have long been a key part of any sport.

Some might fear that the two brands would be enough to keep many New Yorkers from attending games or getting behind the club but chances are that fans looking for the chance to attend live soccer will be quick to get behind the team if they put a quality product on the field despite who they are connected with.

From a Toronto FC perspective the move does not really make that large of an impact. It will lead to a shift in the Eastern Conference when NYCFC joins as it is likely that the Houston Dynamo will be move to the West to make room and balance the tables. Toronto will probably be glad to have to go to BBVA Compass Stadium less often and trade trips to Houston for trips to nearby NYC and it could make for a nice away trip for fans looking for an excuse to head to NYC. Losing Houston from the conference could possibly make things easier but it is likely that the new NYC franchise will be setup to hit the ground running in 2015 thanks to the spending power of the owners.

So MLS now have their 20th franchise and it is the NYC club that they have long been interested in adding. What will the introduction of NYCFC mean for the future of the league? Will it be the massive boost that some think it will be or could it turn out to be little more than another Chivas USA?

Titus Bramble eying MLS switch

Dave Rowaan — Tue, 21 May 2013 15:13:37 -0000

Darren O'Dea, Steven Caldwell, Richard Eckersley, and Darel Russell have all spent time in Toronto FC's defense this season. They have also spent time playing in the English league system just like Toronto's head coach, Ryan Nelsen. The team seems to have an eye on English talent so it should not really come as a surprise to see TFC being named as a potential landing place for Titus Bramble.

The Sunderland defender has played his final game for the club with his contract set to expire this summer. He is now looking for a new club and a number of reports from England are suggesting he could be on his way to MLS. One such report came from fellow SB Nation blog, Roker Report, who even went as far as to throw Toronto FC into the mix as a potential landing point.

The link to TFC is purely speculation at this point but considering the other players that the club has brought in recently would it come as much of a surprise to find out that Nelsen and Payne are actually interested in taking a look at Titus Bramble?

Bramble would come with a handful of questions no matter what MLS club he may end up at. His time at Sunderland was marked by a number of injuries that limited him to just 42 appearances over three seasons. Now that he is closing in on his 32nd birthday it is unlikely that the injury problems are just going to go away. With his knee being the main source of the problems that is concerning as the MLS schedule can be every bit as grueling as that of the Premiership or even the Championship.

There is also the fact that Bramble was one of the highest earners on Sunderland and unless he is willing to take a fairly large pay cut that would rule out a number of potential landing places. After what happened with Olaf Melberg it is a safe bet that MLS would not be too eager to allow any club to extend Bramble a DP level offer.

Add to that the off field issues that have followed Bramble around including being brought in for questioning by police about allegations of rape, sexual assault, and possession of drugs. He was never charged though in any of those incidents which would at least leave the door open for him to secure a work permit to play in the United States as any criminal past can quickly put the brakes on a move to play in the US.

Despite all of the questions marks that surround him Bramble has proven that he is more than capable of being a solid defender when he is fit and in the lineup. Before making the move to Sunderland he enjoyed fairly successful stints with Ipswich Town, Newcastle United, and Wigan Athletic making over 150 Premier League appearances between the three clubs. Bramble also made a name for himself with England's Under-21 squad making 10 appearances for his country but has failed to earn a single cap at the senior level.

What is interesting is that in a number of the reports (including this one) there is the suggestion that MLS would be an easier league for Bramble than playing in the Championship. Yes, it does not have the 46 game schedule of the Championship and multiple cups to potentially deal with but what it lacks in the number of matches it makes up for in travel and playing surfaces. If a player feels his knee can't hold up for a season in the Championship how is it going to survive having to go to places like Gillette Stadium in New England and playing on that surface.

The reports seem to be fairly flimsy at this point as they do not suggest much more than the fact that several MLS teams have been made aware of the player's availability and there may be some interest in him from clubs in MLS. With Bramble under contract until July 1st there is still time for this story to develop and hopefully for some clubs to be named as being interested in him but for now it looks like a longshot that he comes to MLS and even longer that he winds up with TFC despite their habit of signing similar players in recent weeks.

If these initial reports prove to have something to them would Bramble be the kind of player that you would want to see Toronto make a serious push to try and sign?

Gleison Pinto Dos Santos on trial with Toronto FC

Dave Rowaan — Fri, 17 May 2013 14:43:38 -0000

Toronto FC already has a growing collection of CBs between Darren O'Dea, Danny Califf, Steven Caldwell, Gale Agbossoumonde, Doneil Henry, and a couple of others who are capable of playing the position but are used elsewhere instead like Logan Emory or even Richard Eckersley. They also have a growing collection of international players that has already reached the threshold of the club's international slots and forced the team to waive Taylor Morgan just to make room for the arrival of Caldwell and Jeremy Brockie.

All that has not stopped them from taking a look at another international who plays CB though as the club confirmed on Friday that Gleison Pinto Dos Santos (or just Santos) had joined them on trial. Santos is a 31 year old Brazilian CB who spent the majority of his professional career playing in Italy's lower leagues. He did reach Serie A for a time though with spells at both Genoa and Reggina in the country's top flight.

Santos left Italy following the 2009/2010 season with Reggina and has had spells in China, with Guizhou Renhe, and Greece, with AO Xanthi. He was released from his club in Greece in January and has been looking for a new home since then.

His resume was solid while he was in Italy but he was never able to lock down a starting position during his time in Serie A when he had the chance. Having made the move to Italy as a 20 year old to join Atalanta in Seria A, Santos first had to make a name for himself in the lower divisions. He found success in Serie B and Serie C before getting a chance to make the return to the top flight and finally make an appearance.

Santos is listed as being a left footed CB who is capable of playing on the left side when needed having done so in a back three at times in his career. That does sound like something that Toronto FC could use more of with the only real left sided CB in the team right now being O'Dea and if the coaching staff is serious about pushing players to do better then having someone to press O'Dea for minutes could be a good idea.

The question is what will happen if the club does decide to sign Santos. They are able to sign him because he was released from his contract prior to the MLS transfer window closing and he is available on a free transfer but even with that hurdle removed they would still need to clear up an international slot to make space for him. There would also be the matter of having too many CBs and not enough minutes to go around.

In recent weeks it has been Califf who seems to be the odd man out and it already seemed likely that the arrival of Caldwell would bump him down the depth chart even further. If the club were to add another CB to the roster could that spell the end of Califf? Is it possible that TFC is hoping to move O'Dea out in the summer window to shed his fairly expensive contract?

It is clear that the club is not done changing up the roster and making moves so bringing in a player on trial is no surprise. At least it is a change for the stream of loans and Premier League cast-offs. It remains to be seen if Santos will stick around with the club but his arrival on trial is a clear sign that the roster moves are nowhere near done.

Topps and MLS launch trading card partnership

Dave Rowaan — Tue, 14 May 2013 18:01:12 -0000

MLS has a new partner in the collectibles World. Their new deal with Topps will have nothing to do with the on-field product or the way that fans watch the game but it does help the league take another step into the traditional North American sports market. The trading card market is not quite as big as it once was among sports fans but it is still an enjoyable pastime for many fans and now MLS may be in position to delve deeper into the market.

In the past MLS trading cards have been produced by Upper Deck but there was very little value to the series. The cards were not all that collectable and have not seen much of an increase in value over the years but that might just change with the league now partnering with Topps.

Topps have not produced a series of soccer cards for the North American market recently but they have been doing some nice work for collectors in Europe over the years. Their return to the North American market with the 2013 MLS series should be exciting for MLS fans. With the new partnership being for multiple years it will give Topps time to grow the brand and Topps will be hoping to cash in on the rising popularity of MLS.

In interview with Beckett about the partnership Topps Brand Manager Jeff Heckman was quick to offer praise of the league for its growth and also seemed genuinely interested in using the exclusive rights to produce more than just a basic trading card set like happened with Upper Deck. That could mean the introduction of sticker sets, other collectibles, or even multiple trading card series with items of higher value.

"I just think it’s a league that is really on the rise," Heckman said. "Soccer is an interesting place for us right now. As far as professional leagues, it’s always a bit slower. But with fan support and adoption, I think you have seen it grow in the last five to 10 years."

"There is nothing we are ready to release. But you have seen some of the things we have done in baseball. We are looking at those types of products."

If Topps treats MLS as more than an afterthought it will be very exciting news for MLS fans who are looking for even more collectibles. Their initial offering is set to be released on July 15, 2013 and that set will include a decent number of Toronto FC players.

That initial offer will be available in in Hobby Boxes that will include 24 packs of 10 cards each. There will also be two autographs and three relic cards in each box. Some of the more exciting sub-series will be SuperDraft autographs and MLS Maestro Autographs which will feature some of the leagues brightest young stars as well as the top players. They will also offer a number of variations on cards that will feature a number of limited runs.

This years base set (may change before release) will include a variety of TFC players but some of the names that did not make the list may surprise fans of the club. The current list is Ashtone Morgan, Danny Califf, Danny Koevermans, Darren O'Dea, Hogan Ephraim, John Bostock, Joe Bendik, Reggie Lambe, Richard Eckersley, Robert Earnshaw, and Terry Dunfield. The lack of players like Luis Silva, Stefan Frei, Doneil Henry, or Matias Laba may be rectified before the series is released but what should surprise a lot of fans is that Topps have included a number of players who are on loans with Toronto and those deals end before the mid-July release of the series.

TFC also gets some love in the sub-sets with a number of autographs and shirt cards available for fans to collect. The SuperDraft autograph series will include both of Toronto's first round selections as Emery Welshman and Kyle Bekker make the cut for the 8 player set. Fans will also be able to get John Bostock and Danny Koevermans autograph cards as part of the MLS Maestro Set.

The set will also include a "This is Soccer" sub-set with Robert Earnshaw and John Bostock making the cut. Bostock will also be included in the minis set while Danny Koevermans will make the relic set which will include a sample of one of his shirts.

The final Toronto FC card available in the series will be part of the MLS Rivalries sub-set which will feature the club's rivalry against the Montreal Impact.

As someone who has collected hockey cards for years and always wished there was more available in terms of soccer collectables this series is certainly an exciting development.

Beckett's look at the new series includes a number of photos to help pique your interest.

So what are your thoughts? Planning on picking up some new trading cards or is that not your thing?

Toronto FC waives Ashton Bennett and Taylor Morgan

Dave Rowaan — Tue, 14 May 2013 15:48:58 -0000

Well, they managed to last longer than many Supplemental Draft picks but on Tuesday morning Ashton Bennett and Taylor Morgan were given their walking papers as Toronto FC made the decision to waive the pair of attacking players. The two of them managed to make a combined total of two substitute appearances this season with Bennett coming off the bench in the Voyageurs Cup game in Toronto and Morgan making his lone appearance late in the first game of the season against the Vancouver Whitecaps.

Both players were selected by Toronto in the Supplemental Draft with Bennett being taken with the first pick of the second round (20th overall) and Morgan following with the first pick of the fourth round (58th overall). They both managed to outlast fellow draftees Nik Robinson and Jose Gomez but with roster slots suddenly at a premium for Toronto FC they both paid the price.

When Bennett and Morgan were signed it came on the back of fairly strong performances in the preseason but it was at a time when Toronto was in dire need of attacking help. Since then though the club has brought in a number of more experienced options both up front and on the wings. With Danny Koevermans nearing his return, Robert Earnshaw doing well, and Justin Braun making a contribution there really was not a lot of playing time available for someone like Morgan. The same was the case for Bennett as he found himself well down the depth chart out on the wings with the likes of Hogan Ephraim, John Bostock, Reggie Lambe, and even Emery Welshman keeping him out of the 18.

The biggest impact of this move of the roster slots that are now open for Toronto to work with as they continue to rebuild the roster. Taylor Morgan was taking up an international slot and with the recent additions of Steven Caldwell and Jeremy Brockie (plus Tal Ben Haim possibly coming) the club was in serious need of additional international slots. They will still need to open up another slot though at some point prior to Koevermans making his return from injury.

Bennett's departure opens up a less pressing need though as the Jamaican attacker did have Canadian residency and was not taking up an international slot. Toronto is right around the 30 man limit on their roster though so if they do plan on adding more players in the coming weeks someone was going to have to be shown the door.

In the end, Bennett and Morgan had little time to make a contribution and having been signed initially to fill roster slots when the team was desperate for players are now surplus to the club's needs. Like the majority of Supplemental Draft picks they will now be looking for playing time elsewhere.

Road to 2015: Asian Qualifying set to kick off

Dave Rowaan — Tue, 14 May 2013 13:49:28 -0000

If you happen to be from a nation in Asia that is not a typical powerhouse of women's soccer you might just be in luck when it comes to qualification for the 2015 World Cup. Not only has the expanded tournament field granted two extra qualification places to the Asian Football Confederation, but North Korea is also out of the running for 2015.

North Korea has been banned from qualifying for the 2015 World Cup because a number of their players tested positive for performance-enhancing substances during the 2011 World Cup in Germany. They are the first women's team to ever be banned from a World Cup, and having qualified for every event since 1995 would have been a prime candidate to reach the event once again prior to being handed their ban.

The North Koreans' loss will surely be the gain of another country in the region as now the 20 remaining nations will compete for the five available places in the World Cup. Their qualifying process is built around the Women's Asian Cup which will take place in May 2014 when the final 8 teams will contest a tournament to determine the five World Cup berths.

Australian, Japan, China, and South Korea already have their places booked in that final 8 due to being part of the top 5 (along with North Korea) in the 2010 edition of the competition. That leaves the remaining four places up for grabs over the coming months with 16 countries in the running. The qualification field ranges from tiny countries like Myanmar and the Philippines all the way up to the likes of India and Vietnam. Of the field of 16 teams taking part in this round of qualification only one has ever taken part in a previous World Cup as Chinese Taipei qualified for the event back in 1991.

On May 22nd the AFC qualification will get underway with the two of the four groups kicking off on that date. The third group will get underway on the 22nd while the final group will be contested started on June 5th. Each of the four groups will be played out as a mini-tournament with each team only getting 3 matches to try and claim top spot in the group and a place in next year's Asian Championship.

Group A will take place in Jordan from June 5th to June 9th with Jordan, Uzbekistan, Lebanon, and Kuwait making up the field. If FIFA ranking are your thing then Uzbekistan should be the favorites to come out of this group as they are currently ranked 41st while Jordan are second highest ranked in the group at 57th. The two countries meet in the final match of the group on June 9th in what could very well be a battle for top spot and the continued dream of reaching the World Cup.

Group B is scheduled to take place in Bangladesh from May 21st until the 25th with the hosts being joined by Thailand, Iran, and the Philippines. The favourites for the group should be Thailand who are the highest ranked country taking part at this stage of qualification. They are ranked 29th in the World while Iran are the second best in the group at 53rd. Those two will meet on the final day of matches on June 25th which could be a showdown for top spot. The host country, Bangladesh, are unlikely to make much noise in this group despite playing on home soil but countries would be foolish to look past them or the Philippines. The Philippines are an interesting country as they have been working to find players in other countries, including searching the United States, that would be eligible to play for their national team. One such player they have added to their roster is Jesse Shugg who has played for Burlington Soccer Club and the University of Miami. If they succeeded in bringing in some additional talent they could spring a surprise or two in this group.

Group C takes place from May 22nd until May 26th with Bahrain playing host to Vietnam, Hong Kong, and Kyrgyzstan. Vietnam are the top seeded team in the group as the 30th ranked country and they have been a regular in the Asian Cup reaching every event since 1999. Hong Kong has the next best ranking at 66th but they have not reached the final stage of the Asian Championships since the 2003 event. The group is rounded out by the 70th ranked Bahrain and the un-ranked Kyrgyzstan neither of which has ever made the Asian Championships. Like the other groups the top two seeds will meet on the final match-day with Vietnam and Hong Kong meeting on the 26th.

The final group, Group D, will take place in Palestine from May 21st to 25th. The group will include the host country, Myanmar, Chinese Taipei (or Taiwan if your prefer), and India. Chinese Taipei are the top ranked team in the group at 43rd which is just slightly better than the 47th ranking currently held by Myanmar. With the two teams having such similar rankings it should set up an interesting group with Chinese Taipei trying to return to being one of the top nations in Asia. They were a World Cup quarter-finalist all the way back in 1991 and have won the Asian Championships on three previous occasions with the most recent being in 1981. They have finished 2nd twice and 3rd twice in the years since then but thy have not made it beyond the group stage since 1999 and even missed the cut in 2010. They may be a nation on a bit of a decline in recent years which opens the door for a rising country like Myanmar who have made three of the last four Asian Championships thanks to their nation injecting a fair bit of money into the program. India is another country on the rise in this group that could end up surprising a few people if they have continued to progress since a half decent showing in Olympic Qualifying after the program took a hiatus of nearly a year leading into 2012. The host country Palestine will likely be the weakest team of the group but it should still be an interesting competition.

By June 9th this entire round of the Asian qualification field will be wrapped up and the field will have been narrowed down from 20 teams to just 8. When you consider that the region now has five World Cup berths available it means that at least one of the countries taking place in this round of qualification will end up making it to Canada 2015. With only one of these countries having been to a World Cup before it leaves the door wide open for any one of the 15 other counties to make their World Cup debut come 2015 in Canada which is certainly something worth being excited about.

Toronto FC's Roster Puzzle contains too many International pieces

Dave Rowaan — Fri, 10 May 2013 19:10:52 -0000

Building a roster in sports is quite similar to building a puzzle. It can look like a mess of pieces and you often wind up with plenty of wrong pieces along the way to finding the one you are looking for but when it does all come together it can be a thing of beauty.

Toronto FC are still in the early stages of trying to put the puzzle together under Kevin Payne and Ryan Nelsen. They may have managed to add a few of the needed pieces to the puzzle but for now it still looks like a mess rather than a team. It is clear that they are trying every piece they can to see if they fit into the puzzle but in the meantime where does the roster stand?

The club is heading into a weekend off and don't have another game until May 18th when they take on the Columbus Crew. The time off leaves the staff with time to assess the current roster picture and make some decisions about which players are going to be a part of their long term plans. With the MLS transfer window now closed until July 9th the club will have to wait to make further additions to the squad but that does not mean they won't be able to cast aside some of the pieces that just are not fitting.

The current roster for the club stands at 31 players in total with the more recent addition being Tal Ben Haim on loan. That count does include Danny Koevermans who is still inactive as he continues to work his way back from a knee injury. That means that when the big Dutch striker is set to return, the club will have to release at least one player to make space for him on the active roster. That is likely still several weeks away at the earliest though and by the time he is ready to return, the slew of loan deals will likely be nearing their end anyhow, so someone could be returned to their parent club early to solve that problem.

The biggest issue is the international slots, which are always at a premium around MLS. With the league only allowing for 152 international slots (8 per club before trades) the majority of them are currently filled. The best estimates of the international slot picture leave only 24 slots currently not in use with Sporting Kansas City and the Philadelphia Union both having 4 open slots each.

Toronto currently has 9 international roster slots at their disposal but the problem is that they have more internationals around than their total number of slots. With the additions of Jeremy Brockie, Steven Caldwell, and Tal Ben Haim on loan the club will have to make some moves to allow all three players to be added to the roster. Even with Koevermans not taking up a slot due to his injury the club still has John Bostock, Robert Earnshaw, Hogan Ephraim, Richard Eckersley, Matias Laba, Reggie Lambe, Darren O'Dea, and Taylor Morgan. Some have questioned if Morgan requires an international slot though as he is currently on a developmental contract but there is nothing in the MLS rules to suggest that would be the case.

Toronto's international log jam would be even worse but thankfully Gale Agbossoumonde, Stefan Frei, Darel Russell, and Ashton Bennett all count as domestic players for various reasons. Even with that relief the club is still looking at having to find space for 11 internationals with only 9 slots. Even if Morgan did not count they would still be one over their allowed total and that is before trying to figure out how to add Koevermans to the roster.

With Bostock, Ephraim, Brockie, Caldwell, and Ben Haim all being on loan deals that end at various points this summer would it be wise for the club to try and make trades that would net them some much needed international slots? The slots are set up in such as way as to prevent a single team from stockpiling them as all deals that include international slots also include a date at which the slot reverts back to the original clubs. That means that even if Toronto does trade away assets to pick up additional slots they would just be renting them for either one or two seasons. It would be the easiest solution to the problem but unless the club already has a deal in place to secure the needed slots, they would not be trading from a position of strength as any potential trade partner would be aware of their current international count and the fact that TFC is in need of additional slots ASAP and could drive up the asking price.

The other option would be dropping internationals that are currently on the roster to make room for the latest additions. At this stage most fans could probably make a list of players that they would probably be okay with shipping out as the case could be made for dumping almost any of the current group of internationals.

The easiest ones to remove from the roster would be the players who are with Toronto on loan as the club could terminate the loan early which would free up space on the roster immediately. Neither Bostock or Ephraim has really been impressive so far this season and both would likely appear at the top of the list of who to get rid of for some fans.

The club could also waive players who are currently under contract. Reggie Lambe was a name being suggested early in the season but considering that he has been one of the team's more consistent wingers he may be worth keeping around for now. Darren O'Dea and Richard Eckersley are both over priced and under-performing but if the club wanted to waive them it would still cost them in terms of cap space. They could also get rid of Taylor Morgan who has barely seen the field since preseason and probably only earned a contract due to the clubs lack of better attacking options at the time.

There are certainly a lot of different ways that this problem could be solved but it is clear that the club is going to have to do something. The club certainly has surplus pieces in a number of different positions (8 forwards for one) and it would not be a surprise to see them making roster moves over the coming days.

If Toronto wants to add their three latest loanees to the roster for the game against the Crew something is going to have to be done. If you were running the club what would you suggest doing to make all of the current puzzle pieces at least fit within MLS rules?

Toronto FC Academy, territories, and exceptions

Dave Rowaan — Fri, 10 May 2013 19:55:46 -0000

Have you even wondered just how Canadian players end up training with Real Salt Lake or how young players from Ontario end up developing their skills in the Vancouver Whitecaps residency? Well, then today is your lucky day as an article on MLSsoccer.com by Nick Firchau shed some much needed light on the territories that MLS academies are able to recruit from and the exceptions granted to each team.

MLS has put a system in place for academies around the league that is designed to help level the playing field for smaller market clubs. A club like the L.A. Galaxy has all kind of soccer talent right in their own backyard but the same is not the case for the likes of Real Salt Lake. That is why the MLS has worked with each club to put together territories that define where they are able to draw players from to stock their academy teams.

The starting point for each club's territory was a 75 mile radius around their training center. For some teams that radius is enough to give them access to a very large pool of players and they have stuck with that initial figure. For LAG, Chivas USA, Chicago Fire, D.C. United, and San Jose Earthquakes that is all they are allowed to draw from. The rest of the clubs in the league have negotiated with the league to allow them to scout a larger territory than that to make up for the fact that the player pool around their training facilities not being large enough.

The following is the list provided in Firchau's article that explains the territories for the remaining MLS clubs:Five MLS teams stick to the league's 75-mile radius rule to develop Homegrown talent for their academies (Chivas USA, Chicago, D.C. United, LA and San Jose), but a number of clubs operate under a different set of guidelines agreed upon by the club and MLS.

Colorado Rapids: The state of Colorado.

Columbus Crew: The state of Ohio.

FC Dallas: A 75-mile radius of the club's training facility and all of Texas north of Dallas and Fort Worth.

Houston Dynamo: A 125-mile radius of the club's training facility.

Montreal Impact: All of Canada excluding the provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, and a 50-mile radius of Toronto's training facility.

New York Red Bulls: A 75-mile radius of the club's home stadium, excluding a 25-mile radius of the Philadelphia Union's home stadium.

New England Revolution: A 75-mile radius of the club's training facility, plus the state of Rhode Island.

Philadelphia Union: A 75-mile radius of the Union's home stadium, excluding the state of Maryland and a 25-mile radius of the Red Bulls' home stadium.

Portland Timbers: The state of Oregon and Vancouver, Wash., and its environs.

Real Salt Lake: The states of Utah and Arizona.

Seattle Sounders: The state of Washington, excluding a 50-mile radius from Portland's home stadium.

Sporting Kansas City: The states of Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma.

Toronto FC: All of Canada, excluding the provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba and Quebec.

Vancouver Whitecaps: All of Canada, excluding a 50-mile radius of Toronto's training facility and the province of Quebec.

As you can see there is a wide variety in the territories with some being simply limited to the boarders of specific states, some just being an increased radius, and others being quite complex to try and wrap your head around. It is also worth noting that their is a lot of overlap in the territories allowed.

Take the three Canadian clubs as an example of how teams are still in competition for certain regions. The Montreal Impact have sole rights to the province of Quebec while the Vancouver Whitecaps control Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and their home province of British Columbia. The rest of the country is shared by all three clubs though with each being able to draw players from the Maritime provinces as well as the territories.

Where it gets interesting is the province of Ontario. All three clubs are allowed to draw from Ontario with the only area reserved for Toronto being a 50-mile radius around the Downsview training facility. That gives Toronto control of most of the GTA as the 50 mile radius reaches south to the lake, north to Newmarket, west into Burlington, and east out to Oshawa. Once you get outside the GTA though you are free to pick between Canada's three MLS academies which is why a player from Kitchener-Waterloo, London, Windsor, or Ottawa could end up at any of the three academies without it being an issue.

Sharing Ontario between all three clubs makes sense for the league due to the fact that according the CSA's 2012 Annual report 41.79% of registered soccer players in Canada are from Ontario. When you go with just male players under the age of 18 the percentage is only slightly lower as Ontario still comes in at 40.79% of the total registered amount. Quebec and British Columbia are second and third respectively but remain some way behind Ontario in terms of registered players.

In fact, even when you add together all of the Whitecaps territory (excluding Ontario) it still only combines for a total of 36.13 percent of total registered players. Add in the portion of Ontario that they are allowed to draw from and it would still leave them with less players to choose from than TFC because so much of Ontario's population is located in the GTA. Vancouver has exclusive rights to four provinces but they combine to 28.99% of registered players which is only slightly more than the 22.08% of players that are located in Quebec.

MLS allows all three clubs to compete for players in so many parts of Canada because that allows them to have similar player pools to draw from while ensuring the best possible coverage of Canada. Even if each club were allowed to recruit from all of Canada that would give them access to a total of 402,622 registered male youth players which would still be fewer than a club like LAG have access to right in their own backyard.

That is why MLS added a second element to the equation to ensure that clubs are able to bring in enough quality players to stock their academies. That element is exemptions which allow them to sign a certain number of players from outside their territory to their various academy teams. Fichau's article also lists the exemptions allowed for clubs in both 2013 and 2014.

Territory Exceptions - 2013
New York, L.A., Chivas, Chicago, Philadelphia - 2
Dallas, D.C., Houston, New England, Seattle, San Jose, Toronto - 3
Montreal - 4
Columbus, Colorado, Kansas City, Salt Lake, Vancouver, Portland - 5

Territory Exceptions - 2014
New York, L.A., Chivas, Chicago, Philadelphia - 2
Dallas, D.C., Houston, New England, Seattle, San Jose, Toronto - 4
Montreal - 6
Columbus, Colorado, Kansas City, Salt Lake, Vancouver, Portland - 8

As you can see, for the majority of clubs the total number of exemptions allowed will rise in 2014 with only four clubs staying put with their current allotment. Clubs that have a smaller player pool to draw from are given additional exceptions to help compensate for the fact. That is why Toronto has the fewest exceptions of the three Canadian clubs and is in the second group of clubs.

Recruiting players for MLS academies is certainly not a straight forward process but all of these mechanisms have been put in place by MLS to achieve a pair of goals. The first goal to avoid having clubs competing with one another to sign young players when possible which will help to avoid driving up asking prices and the second goal is to ensure the most level playing field possible.

Leveling the playing field may be impossible regardless of the steps MLS takes though as certain areas have a long history of developing high numbers of talented players while other areas have very little history of producing that kind of talent. That means early in the game clubs like LA and Toronto have benefited from talent already being produced in their own backyard but if other clubs want to keep up with LA in signing homegrown players like Jose Villareal they are going to have to get serious about youth development.

Toronto has taken the first step by building their top class facility out at Downsview but the second step is to ensure they attract the best players their territory has to offer to that facility and then provide them with the best possible training. With Ontario's history of producing some of Canada's brightest soccer stars the talent should be there for the picking.

Steven Caldwell: A Birmingham fan perspective

Dave Rowaan — Fri, 10 May 2013 18:33:59 -0000

This past week Toronto FC have added Jeremy Brockie, Tal Ben Haim, and Steven Caldwell to their roster as Ryan Nelsen once again turned to loan deals to try and strengthen his side. With Brockie having two years left on his deal with Wellington Phoenix his loan is a bit different from the other two as both Ben Haim and Caldwell are on contracts that will expire this summer. That means that both of them could sign for Toronto FC on a permanent basis at any point during their loan spell should they manage to impress the coaching staff. Bringing in Brockie long-term would be more complicated and almost certainly involve paying a transfer fee of some kind to Wellington to secure him beyond the end of his initial loan deal.

Caldwell and Ben Haim have both made names for themselves playing for some of England's most storied clubs for much of their careers. Despite Kevin Payne's over-the-top statements about their abilities neither player has ever been a top Premier League defender even though Ben Haim has spent time with Bolton Wanders, Chelsea, Manchester City, and most recently Queens Park Rangers. He has not played a whole lot of competitive soccer in recent years though so it is hard for anyone to really say what he is going to bring to Toronto.

Ben Haim has only managed to make 5 appearances for QPR since signing a short-term deal with the club in January. Prior to that he was playing in the Championship with Portsmouth where he made 33 appearances during the 2011-2012 season but that ended in a bit of a mess in August of 2012 with the club facing severe financial troubles. Ben Haim was making a large wage so when the club was liquidated he would have been forced to take a large pay cut but instead he came to an agreement to leave the club. That means that since the spring of 2012 when Portsmouth's Championship season wrapped up until now he has only made 5 competitive appearances leaving questions about just what he will be able to offer with TFC.

Steven Caldwell is more of a known commodity. He has spent time playing in the Premier League with Newcastle United, Sunderland, Burnley, and Wigan Athletic but the bulk of his career has been spent as a solid Championship defender. Caldwell has also been a fringe international for Scotland over the years but would be best characterized as a journeyman player as he never really managed to make a name for himself on the biggest stages.

Caldwell spent the last two seasons playing with Birmingham City in the Championship and until recently was a key member of their defence. Towards the end of the last season he found his place in the lineup being filled by younger players and was eventually informed that the club would not be offering him a new contract. That is what led him to move to Toronto FC on loan as he continues to look to land a permanent deal somewhere.

Waking the Red caught up with Eric Jones who has been a fan of Birmingham City since 1955 and despite living in Victoria, BC is the leader of Canada's official Birmingham supporters group. He saw plenty of Caldwell over the past two seasons and this is what he had to say about Toronto's defensive addition:

During his time at Birmingham City Steven Caldwell has been an outstanding team player. He was captain of Birmingham in the 2011/12 season when Blues did very well in the Europa League. He is a central defender who reads games very well and is a leader on the pitch and in the dressing room. During the 2012/13 season Steven did not play as much with a different manager. I think this is in large part because he is an older player who lacks pace. Toronto F.C. will welcome him as a strong presence in the team. On another note his brother also plays central defence for Wigan and will be in the F.A. Cup Final this weekend.

The description really lines up with the resume in that he is a solid player but is not going to bring much more than that to the team. Granted, Toronto is in no position to turn down solid defenders as the back-line continues to show a real lack of leadership as they continue to concede late goals. Caldwell brings with him the kind of experience that one would hope will provide a calming influence and only make those around him better. The fact that his lack of pace was one of the reasons given for losing his place in the team this season is slightly concerning though as Toronto fans have seen their fair share (and then some) of defenders undone by a lack of pace.

With his brother Gary Caldwell gearing up for an FA Cup final and having played over 100 matches for both Wigan and Celtic it seems that Toronto has settled for the lesser of the two brothers but at least it is good to see that Bluenoses have good things to say about Steven Caldwell and aren't excited to be getting rid of him.

It remains to be seen what kind of role that Caldwell is used in with Toronto FC and what the arrival of three more internationals means for the roster but it is a safe bet that change is in store as Nelsen is clearly growing frustrated with his defenders conceding late goals game after game.

With Toronto getting the weekend off it is possible that some of the recent additions will be ready to play when they take to the field against Columbus on the 18th. With all three just wrapping up seasons fitness should not be an issue and they could be looked to for an immediate contribution.

Could Brockie’s MLS loan be the start of something good?

Dave Rowaan — Thu, 09 May 2013 20:10:34 -0000

Could Brockie’s MLS loan be the start of something good?

Michael Orr is in a bit of a rare position of following both MLS and A League closely enough to be able to comment on either league so when Jeremy Brockie was loaned to Toronto FC he decided to write about the relationship between the two leagues. The article includes comments on the loan move from Wellington Phoenix's GM, David Dome, and goes a bit deeper into the relationship between the leagues and now the clubs.

MLS Salary Picture: Looking at some of the main talking points

Dave Rowaan — Tue, 07 May 2013 17:07:00 -0000

Any time that the MLS Players Union releases the league salary information it leads to an inevitable flurry of articles calling for increased spending, discussing who are the most under/overpaid players around the league, comparing the league to the big spenders across soccer and even in other sports, as well as trying to figure out just how much cap space your favorite team currently has.

You also get a stream of articles available to remind us all that these numbers need to be taken with a grain of salt because of the source. The MLS Players Union is in place to represent the players and their interests so there is always the suggestion that these numbers may be released to help paint the picture that many players are being underpaid and keep fan support on the side of players heading into the next round of CBA negotiations which are already on the horizon.

The release of the salary figures has enough information in it to write a large collection of articles but considering that we have already covered the Toronto FC perspective and asked who is represents the best bang for the club's buck this article will run down some of the biggest talking points and direct you to some of the better articles out there to help shed light on many of the questions listed above.

The best place to start really sinking your teeth into the salary numbers is over on Sounder at Heart where Liviu Bird posted this excellent rundown of things. His article notes that in 2013 the mean salary in the league sits at $141,903.13 (all his figures are using the base salary number) while the mean salary drops to $102,661.81 when you remove the designated players from the equation. It is also worth noting the the league minimum salary rose 4% over last year and now stands at $35,125 with a total of 62 players around the league making that figure. The data also shows that MLS salaries on the whole are down this year by over 10 million dollars but that makes sense when you consider that the league lost four players last off-season that were bringing in well over one million dollars each season with David Beckham, Rafa Marquez, Julian De Guzman, and Torsten Frings making up for a large chunk of that decrease.
You can head to any number of articles to find out just who the top paid players in the league are this season. That number always seems to grab the headlines (or maybe just the search hits) as everyone wants to know just how much Robbie Keane and Thierry Henry are making this season. The million dollar men in MLS this year (based on guaranteed compensation) are: Landon Donovan (2,500,000.00), Robbie Keane (4,333,333.33), Marco Di Vaio (1,937,508.00), Tim Cahill (3,625,000.00), Thierry Henry (4,350,000.00), Obafemi Martins (1,725,000.00), Danny Koevermans (1,663,323.33), and Kenny Miller (1,132,492.00).
Taking a look at the top paid Canadians in the league there is a change at the top now that Julian De Guzman is no longer in MLS. That leaves Dwayne De Rosario as the highest paid Canadian as he is set to bring home $645,333.33 in guaranteed compensation this year which also makes him the highest paid player in the league that is not counted as a DP. Other well paid Canadians include Ante Jazic (132,187.50), Dejan Jakovic (303,341.33), the highest paid Canadian on a Canadian team: Patrice Bernier (162,333.25), Will Johnson (243,750.00), and Terry Dunfield (120,000.00).
South of the border there is plenty of talk about how there are not enough Americans among the league's highest paid players. As SoccerAmerica points out only two Americans, Landon Donovan and Chris Wondolowski, bring in more than $400,000 a year in guaranteed compensation. So if Americans are underpaid in MLS what does that say about Canadians when you consider that the above list included every Canadian making more than $100,000 in guaranteed compensation.
Wondering how Robbie Keane's salary compares to the big money makers in other US sports? Well, as Sean Nolan points out it really does not. Consider that the average salary in the NBA is 5.15 million and you get the sense that even the biggest names in MLS are making peanuts compared to the stars of other sports. Kobe Bryant makes nearly 30 million each year before factoring in endorsements, Alex Rodriguez made roughly 30 million last year for swinging a piece of wood, the top three NFL QBs (Drew Brees, Payton Manning, and Aaron Rogers) all make nearly 20 million, and even in the NHL you have Alexander Ovechkin bringing home 9.5 million. So even if you are the top paid player in MLS you still are not in the conversation for top paid athletes in the US.
Back in Canada there are a couple of articles on Canadian Soccer News that take a closer look at the numbers but Phillipe Germain's look at each clubs return on investment is worth checking out. The article offers a lot of numbers but includes the list of total spending on salary where all three Canadian teams appear in the top 6 spenders. The Montreal Impact at 5.29 million are 4th, the Vancouver Whitecaps at 4.81 million are 5th, and Toronto FC comes in 6th by spending 4.76 million. They all trail some way behind New York and LA as both clubs spend over 9 million. There are plenty of other interesting numbers in there was well such as cost per point and cost per goal but with the season still young those numbers can be a bit skewed.
Over on the Gaurdian's website Graham Parker provides some insight into why these numbers are made public. This article was posted last when when the numbers were released for the final time in 2012 but the point that can be taken away from it still applies this time around. The article quotes Players' Union President Bob Foose's explanation for making the figures public, "It's something we've always done. It's not to our bargaining advantage for it to be kept secret. If anything the owners might want it to be kept secret... Occasionally it can make a player from another country or league uncomfortable, and I can see it could be embarrassing – but we explain our reasons to them and it has actually been put to the vote by players before, and they've backed it so we'll continue to do it if we think it helps us." Having the numbers publicly available helps the Union when it comes time to bargain with the league over the CBA but it also helps individual players with their own negotiations. When Chris Wondolowski was looking to get a new deal from the San Jose Earthquakes he could easily point out what other top scorers around the league were making and ask for similar compensation.

There are certainly other talking points that have been explored but if your goal is to dig a bit deeper into the numbers the above articles should at least help put things into perspective and provide a few more talking points. The release of salary data happens twice a year (sometimes more) and is something that is unique to MLS and it certainly adds an interesting element to the way players are viewed as it allows fans not only to assess their performance on the field but also compare it to their salary.

If you come across other good articles of come up with some questions of your own share them in the comment section as it is always enjoyable to dig a little deeper into these numbers.

Toronto FC to bring in Jeremy Brockie on loan from Wellington Phoenix

Dave Rowaan — Tue, 07 May 2013 13:07:03 -0000

The MLS window is about to slam shut but it seems that Toronto FC is keeping busy in the closing hours trying to find a few pieces to strengthen the squad. With Steven Caldwell being looked at to provide some added quality on the backline the club is also reported to be looking towards Australia and Wellington Phoenix's Jeremy Brockie. Reports from Australia state the following:

Wellington Phoenix star Jeremy Brockie won't be available for the clash because he's heading out on loan to Major League Soccer club Toronto FC, a club managed by Brockie's former New Zealand teammate, Ryan Nelson.

The 25 year old attacking player is coming off a season with Wellington Phoenix where his team finished on the bottom of the A League but he was one of the club's few bright spots. In his 24 appearances for his new club he notched 16 goals and added 2 assists. It was an impressive season following his transfer from Newcastle Jets last May.

The attacking midfielder has a strong connection to Toronto FC in the form of having spent a fair bit of time playing with the club's new head coach. Both Brockie and Ryan Nelsen have been key contributors for the New Zealand National team in recent years as Brockie has made 34 senior appearances for his country.

Brockie seems to have found a home in Wellington having bounced around to a number of clubs in both Australia and New Zealand early in his career. It was not until 2010 when he signed with Newcastle Jets that he really started to make a name for himself as a player in his early 20's playing internationally and contributing in A League.

The deal for Brockie will be a loan though as he signed a 3 year contract when he joined Wellington last spring. He still has two years remaining on that deal but after his strong season the 25 year old could be in for interest from bigger clubs around the World.

Brockie was named to the A League All Star team but if the reports are true that he will be heading to Toronto this week he would have to miss that game as he would no longer be in the country.

If Caldwell would be an addition that does not quite make sense due to the current group of players TFC has then Brockie is the opposite and should excite fans who have seen him play in A League. His ability to play on either wing and provide a consistent scoring threat from a number of positions could prove to be valuable for TFC with Hogan Ephraim and John Bostock struggling to make consistent contributions to the attack.

Brockie fills a clear need for TFC and would be an addition that makes sense. He was one of the top scorers in A League last year while playing on a poor team and a would come to TFC already in form having just wrapped up his season. It could be a valuable pickup to help provide a short term boost to the team's scoring threat.

If you want to get excited about this potential move then sit back and enjoy all his goals from the past season!

With the transfer window about to close in MLS it is likely that this story will develop quickly and we will keep you up to date on any new changes.

Steven Caldwell joining Toronto FC on loan

Dave Rowaan — Tue, 07 May 2013 12:28:42 -0000

STV Sport is reporting that Steven Caldwell has already agreed to join Toronto FC on a short-term loan deal. With the central defender being told his contract with Birmingham City will not be renewed following the season he has already begun looking for new options and that seems to have led him to MLS and TFC.

The STV report states that Caldwell would be on loan only until June 30th when his contract with Birmingham expires at which point Toronto would have the option to sign him on a permanent basis. It would be a similar kind of deal to what the club worked out to bring in John Bostock earlier this season and what they seemed to be working on with Kevin Davies.

Caldwell is a 32 year-old defender and a Scottish international who has played for Newcastle United, Sunderland, Burnley, Wigan Athletic, and Birmingham City as well as spending time on loan with Blackpool, Bradford City, and Leeds United. He has had a fairly successful career in England over the years having made over 80 Premier League appearances but spent many years going back and forth between the top division and the Championship. His biggest highlight was captaining Burnley to the Championship title and helping them secure promotion into the Premier League.

With Scotland he has made a total of 12 appearances since 2001 with his most recent cap coming back in 2011. Caldwell has taken part in World Cup qualifying for Scotland but has never had the chance to represent his country on the big international stages.

This season Caldwell has made a total of 38 appearances for Birmingham City including featuring in 34 Championship matches. With Birmingham stuck in the middle of the table and little left to play for down the stretch Caldwell saw his place in the team taken away as the club looked towards younger options who will likely be around come the new season in August.

With Toronto already paying a large chunk of money for their current group of veteran CBs it would be a surprise to see them splashing out cash to bring in another one. With Darren O'Dea and Danny Califf supposed to provide the veteran leadership on the backline it would be interesting to see just where Caldwell would fit in should this report prove to be true.

When you add in Doneil Henry and Gale Agbossoumonde TFC has four CBs that take up a fair bit of cap and should all be looking to get minutes this season. Could the addition of Caldwell make one of the current crop expendable? Would it even be possible to dump off a player like Califf who has not been playing much in recent weeks and is a very expensive option to just have sitting on the bench.

There is also the fact that a CB does not seem to be the most pressing need for Toronto FC these days. The recent collection of injuries has exposed just how thin the club is at fullback and with Ashtone Morgan struggling this season there is room to upgrade that area of the team even when it is healthy.

We will follow the story as it continues to develop which could be soon if the initial report is correct that a deal is already in place for a short term loan.

Update: Birmingham City confirm the following on their official website "Steven Caldwell will spend the remainder of his current Blues contract (due to expire on 30 June 2013) on-loan at Major League Soccer outfit Toronto." With that it seems the deal is more than just a loose rumor and it should be a done deal with only confirmation from Toronto FC still remaining.

Canada's Under-16 squad finds mixed results at Torneo delle Nazioni

Dave Rowaan — Mon, 06 May 2013 15:43:39 -0000

It is never too early to start preparing for the next Under-20 World Cup cycle and that is just what Canada's Under-16 squad were doing this past week. All of the players on Canada's roster for a recently completed 11 day camp were born in 1997 which will ensure the entire group will be eligible to take part in Canada's U20 squad come 2017. That is the long term goal but in the short-term the squad kept busy with training in Italy.

The training camp got underway on April 26th and ran through the Torneo delle Nazioni. The squad worked under the watchful eye of head coach Rob Gale for 11 days, and by taking part in the Torneo delle Nazioni they got the chance to go up against some very strong European squads.

The results in the tournament were not quite what the team would have been hoping for but considering the level of the opposition it should serve as a good learning opportunity for the young players. The group included players with connections to all three of Canada's MLS clubs (as well as one from Real Salt Lake's Academy) with Toronto FC academy sending a total of four players. Donte Henry, Julian MacDonald, Kwame Amoah, and Luca Uccello all got the chance to represent the club making TFCA the top represented program on the 18-player roster.

For the event Canada were drawn into Group B along with Croatia, Montenegro, and Norway in what was a fairly tough group. The other two groups included the likes of Italy, the United States, Mexico, Slovenia, and Israel among others. It was a strong field for the event and Canada would be in tough just to reach the knockout round with only the group winners and the best second place winner advancing to the semifinal round.

Canada opened their tournament against a very strong Croatia squad and came out on the wrong side of a 3-0 scoreline against the eventual finalists. All four Toronto FC academy players got a chance in the starting lineup for the match with Amoah and MacDonald playing the full match in a losing effort. Canada were overrun early in the match by Croatia and by the time they reached the 5th minute of play they were already down 2-0 and had left themselves with far too deep of a hole to dig out of.

The second match went far better for Canada as they took on a Norway side that were coming off a 0-0 draw in their first match against Montenegro. Gale again went with a strong TFCA contingent in his starting lineup with Uccello, Amoah, and MacDonald all included. The later two would again play the entire match while Uccello was substituted off for the player who would score the game winner. Canada got second half goals from Hayden Simmonds-O'Grady of Capital United and substitute Derek Cornelius of Unionville SC. Norway would answer with a late goal of their own but it was not enough as Canada picked up their first win of the event with a 2-1 final.

With Croatia knocking off Montenegro 2-1 in their second match Canada was in position to challenge for second place in the group or even catch Croatia for first place but it would mean needing to grab a very lopsided result in their final match against Montenegro. With Canada's chances of reaching the knockout stages dependent on picking up a dominant win Gale again went with three TFCA players in his starting lineup while Henry came off the bench for MacDonald. With Montenegro also looking to claim second spot in the group with a win they came out pressing and ended up knocking Canada off 2-0 giving them four points and second place in the group.

The scoreline was not enough for either team to reach the knockout stages though as Croatia was the only team to move on from Group B having collected the full 9 points in convincing fashion. They knocked off the United States in the semifinals with a 2-1 final score setting up a date in the finals against Japan who relied on a second 1-0 win over Mexico to book their place. The final went the way of Japan who came out 2-0 winners completing a very strong tournament for the Asian squad.

Canada can take some pride in holding their own through much of their three matches but the results of the tournament should also serve as a reminder of the work that remains to be done. With both Mexico and the United States making it to the semifinals it goes to show that Canada has some work to do if they want to close the gap on their CONCACAF rivals and keep pace with the top sides.

The good news is that Canada had seven players on the squad coming from MLS academy programs where they are hopefully getting the best possible coaching and development opportunities. Add in Sonny Bircham, son of former crazy-haired Canadian international Marc Bircham, who is at Queens Park Rangers academy and you get a core group of players that will hopefully continue to develop and put Canada's youth squads in position to compete with the top teams in CONCACAF over the coming years.

CANADA

GK- James Pantemis | CAN / Lakeshore SC
GK- Dayne St. Clair CAN / Ajax SC
D- Andre Baires | CAN / Phoenix SC
D- Sonny Bircham | ENG / Queens Park Rangers FC Academy
D- Donte Henry | CAN / Toronto FC Academy
D- Julian MacDonald | CAN / Toronto FC Academy
D- Mateo Restrepo | CAN / Woodbridge SC
D- André-Cédric Zibi | CAN / Académie Impact Montréal
M- Kwame Amoah | CAN / Toronto FC Academy
M- Joshua Doughty | USA / Real Salt Lake Academy
M- Jashandeep Sangha | CAN / Phoenix SC
M- Francesco Saporito | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC Residency
M- Aymar Sigue | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC Residency
M- Hayden Simmonds-O'Grady | CAN / Capital United
M- Emmanuel Zambasis | CAN / Mississauga Falcons SC
F- Jacob Bolton | CAN / Halifax City SC
F- Derek Cornelius | CAN / Unionville SC
F- Luca Uccello | CAN / Toronto FC Academy

Daily Mail links Jermaine Pennant to Toronto FC

Dave Rowaan — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 18:50:08 -0000

The MLS community is slightly abuzz today with talk of Jermaine Pennant potentially coming to the league this summer with his days at Stoke seemingly coming to an end. It would just be the end of another fairly disappointing chapter in the career of the once highly touted English winger. Pennant was once a star player for England's Under-21 side and moved from Notts County at just 15 years of age but it has all gone quite wrong since then.

Pennant has been given looks to a number of top clubs over his career having made appearances for Arsenal, Liverpool, Birmingham City, Real Zaragoza, and now Stoke. He has also gone out on a number of loan spells that have taken him to the likes of Watford, Leeds United, and Portsmouth. He also spent time on loan to Wolverhampton Wanders this season having fallen out of favor at Stoke.

His contract with the Premier League club is up this summer and Pennant will be looking for a new club. Chances are there are still a few English clubs that would be willing to give him a chance to play at some level but 30 year old winger is also being linked to other leagues. One of the leagues that is reportedly interested in him is MLS as was reported by the Daily Mail.

Their report links him to a pair of MLS clubs in Toronto FC and the Vancouver Whitecaps. They may actually be the only clubs in MLS that Pennant could possibly be linked to because no American club would be able to sign him due to the fact that it would be impossible to secure a work permit for him to play in the United States.

MLS fans will remember former New York Red Bull player Luke Rodgers who had to be shed by the club following his inability to secure the required paperwork to return to play in the United States following some legal issues in England during the offseason. Rodgers legal issues and bad boy ways actually pale in comparison to the list of legal issues that have followed Pennant throughout his career. From drunk driving convictions, to claiming to be Ashley Cole during police questioning, to compiling five months worth of tickets on a car he claimed to forget that he even owned.

There is basically no chance that Pennant would secure the proper permits to work in the United States so that would leave only three MLS clubs as potential new homes for him. With the Montreal Impact saving all of their international roster slots to sign aging Italians they would not likely be in the running for Pennant leaving just Vancouver and Toronto.

As you can tell I am not really a fan of this report and feel that anything coming from the Daily Mail needs to be taken with a sizable helping of salt. The report is scant and offers nothing to support the claims that the clubs are interested in signing the player other than piecing together a series of obvious things.

Pennant does have a lot of talent but his entire career has been marked by the fact that he has never been able to consistently make the most of that talent. There are reasons why he has bounced around to a series of different clubs and never developed into the player Arsenal and England were hoping he would become as a teenager. Now he is entering his 30's and is still not on track and at some point you have to feel that his potential has passed him by and you are only getting what you see which is a pacey winger who has seen his pace fade in recent seasons and has spent his entire adult life marred in legal issues.

Sure Pennant could serve as a nice upgrade over the likes of Reggie Lambe, Hogan Ephraim, or John Bostock on the wings for TFC but he would likely still be looking to command a fairly sizable wage. With all that in mind does he really seem like the kind of player that TFC or any MLS club should be interested in?

The Mail also offered three sentences on the long-standing Park Ji-Sung to MLS rumors but failed to add anything new to the story other than what has been reported by others for several weeks already. The report is worth clicking on though just for the comedic disparity between the size and amount of pictures and the tiny smattering of text.

So the Mail has two rumors that have people talking but my problem with both reports is that they basically did not say anything in either report. MLSsoccer.com even picked up on the reports in a couple places this morning which also added little to the speculation on the signings but did contain a useful reminder about MLS transfer window rules.

The MLS primary transfer window closes May 6 and the secondary window opens on July 9. But the windows wouldn't be a requirement depending on when the player is released from his contract, as the reports in England intimate.

If Park is released before May 6, he can sign with an MLS club at any time. However, if QPR cut ties with him after May 6, he'd have to wait until the July 9 window should he choose to become an MLS player.

Toronto @ Montreal: Voyageurs Cup semifinal second leg

Dave Rowaan — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 13:36:11 -0000

The job is halfway done for Toronto FC but as fans have seen in recent weeks this club is not one that you can really count on finishing the job until it is actually done. The reds head into the second leg of their Voyageurs Cup semifinal against the Montreal Impact with a comfortable 2-0 lead but will likely be in need of at least one away goal to put this tie out of reach.

Toronto got the win in the first leg with what was clearly a weakened starting lineup as Ryan Nelsen made the choice to rest a number of his key players during a busy part of the schedule. The move paid dividends due to the fact that Marco Schällibaum also left a number of key starters out of his lineup and even left the likes of Alessandro Nesta and Marco Di Vaio back in Montreal.

The Impact paid the price for their weakened lineup in the first leg as they seemed to be lacking any real threat up front. That was to be expected though as a Montreal has struggled to find consistent scoring in MLS despite sitting on top of the Eastern Conference. Other than Di Vaio and his four goals in league play there is no one else on the roster that has found the back of the net on more than one occasion. Through their first seven league games and one cup match the Impact have just 9 goals to their name and that comes off a total of 77 shots so not exactly an efficient shooting display. No matter how you spin it it is becoming clear that a lot of their success if going to come down to the play of Di Vaio in scoring goals and Patrice Bernier in pulling the strings from the midfield.

To be fair Toronto FC's attacking prowess has not been much better this season as they have relied on the scoring of Robert Earnshaw for the majority of their 10 goals through 8 league games. They have also gotten their 10 goals off of 77 shots making them slightly more efficient than the Impact. The good news for Toronto was that in the second leg they found some other goal scorers and with Jonathan Osorio and Luis Silva looking like scoring options from the midfield the scoring depth may finally be improving.

The big question for the second leg is going to be surrounding the lineups. If the Impact decide to play the kind of lineup that has helped push them to the top of the Eastern Conference early in this season then they will certainly be in with a chance of overturning the result for the first leg.

That is just what their fans want to see take place. In fact, during Montreal's home game this weekend against the Chicago Fire one of the club's major supporters groups, UM02, displayed their displeasure with a series of banners. Their feelings were that the club should be taking the Voyageurs Cup more seriously and resting players against the Fire instead as they are the bottom team in the east. There was also the added wrinkle of the fact that it was Montreal's first time on NBC and the fans felt the club was prioritizing looking good for that over the domestic cup. You can find more about their protest and motivations on the Voyageurs Forum.

If the fans get their way TFC might be in for a long second leg of having to deal with the Impact pressing. If Nelsen fields the same lineup from last week's win at Stade Saputo and they have to go up against Montreal's A-team it could be a recipe for disaster. It could prove to be key for Nelsen to find some balance in his lineup that allows him to retain the players who performed well last week but drop some of the weaker performers to bring in a couple more first choice players.

The other question for TFC will be whether or not Matías Laba will be ready to make his debut for the club. He was not available for selection on the weekend against the New York Red Bulls but he will be available come Wednesday night and could see action if the coaching staff feels he is ready to be thrown into the game. With Terry Dunfield still on the shelf with his injury chances are fans will be seeing Laba in one of the two matches coming up this week so there is just one more thing to be excited about.

As noted before the first leg the Impact are on quite a winless run in this competition and on Wednesday night they are going to need to do more than just win this game. They need to win by at least two which is something that they achieved for the first time this season with the 2-0 win over Chicago on the weekend. Their last two goal win in the Voyageurs Cup was actually their last win in the competition and that was a 2-0 win over Vancouver back on June 25, 2008.

So once again history is on the side of Toronto FC and they really are clear favorites thanks to that 2-0 win but the job is clearly not done yet. With Montreal likely to field a stronger lineup and push for 90 minutes the tie is certainly not over. It would be dangerous for TFC to try and sit on their 2 goal lead because if the Impact do score the first goal on Wednesday night then it would suddenly become an entirely new game. The key for Toronto may be to score that one away goal to put the game beyond reach as if Toronto does get on the board on Wednesday night it suddenly forces the Impact to score 4 goals instead of 2 and that would probably be enough to get the job done.

The game should also give Stefan Frei a bit more action to deal with in goal which will be good to see after he spent over a year on the sidelines and got very little testing in his first game back last week. With Montreal likely to press he might have a chance to remind fans and the coaching staff just what he can bring and show if he is back at the level that has made him one of the club's most valuable players for several seasons.

Wednesday night will add just one more chapter to the growing history between Toronto and Montreal and hopefully it will be another good one for TFC as they have owned Montreal in cup play since 2008.

Matías Laba: On DPs, Young DPs, and Transfer Fees

Dave Rowaan — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 16:09:19 -0000

The young Designated Player program is relatively new to MLS and has only been used three times prior to the signing of Matías Laba by Toronto FC. Simply put there is no data available yet to analyze how successful it has been and it will still be several years before it is even possible to do so.

Laba becomes just the third player currently in the league that we know is on a young DP contract. He joins Rafael of D.C. United who signed this past offseason and Fabian Castillo who has been with FC Dallas since 2011. The Portland Timbers were in line to sign Jose Valencia to a young DP contract but he arrived to the club injured and when they did eventually sign him it was at a reduced price which meant he was never a DP for the team.

That is the entire history of the program in the league and it is a very short one. In the case of Castillo his status as a DP has to do with the fact that Dallas reportedly parted with a fairly large transfer fee to bring him in and that is counted in his cap hit. His guaranteed compensation in the last MLS Players Union figures was listed as only $56,250 so that means his cap hit includes at least $150,000 in transfer fee each season for him to be considering a young DP with a cap hit of $200,000.

Chances at that Laba will be similar to Castillo because Toronto has paid a large transfer fee to bring him in. The exact number that Toronto paid will never likely to known but what the club was willing to confirm was that not only was the fee the highest in Toronto FC history but it was one of the highest ever paid by the league.

That statement should be put in historical context though as MLS does not have a long history of making big money transfers. It has been a league that was built on free transfers and paying small fees for much of its history with most years seeing more money coming in from player sales than was going out to purchase players.

The league has reportedly received fairly high fees in exchange for the likes of Jozy Altidore, Maurice Edu, Tim Howard, Clint Dempsey, Freddy Adu, and Eddie Johnson. Again the numbers are hard to pin down but add in the likes of Brek Shea, Andy Najar, and Geoff Cameron in recent months and MLS does have a growing history of selling players in that million plus range.

The history of expensive players coming in is a lot shorter and in most cases the players that are coming in for big sums are ones with long proven track records. Robbie Keane reportedly demanded the highest fee in MLS history in a deal that was reported to be in the $5 million range. The Seattle Sounders also reportedly parted with a fair bit of change when they signed Obafemi Martins earlier this season with the number being thrown around for that deal coming in around 4 million USD.

So there is a history of MLS spending big money to bring in players but when it comes to deals reportedly worth over that million dollar mark there have not been that many. If the 1.35 million USD mark that was reported for Laba is accurate, Payne's remarks suggest it might just be, then he joins that exclusive list.

Laba also joins one slightly less exclusive list and that is the growing group of MLS DPs coming from Argentina. In the history of the DP program no other country has had as many signed in MLS as Argentina has with a total of 10. That puts them ahead of the 6 from Brazil, the 5 from both Mexico and Columbia, and even the 4 from the United States, and the lonely one from Canada.

Laba joins Guillermo Barros Schelotto, Claudio Bieler, Milton Caraglio, Marcelo Gallardo, Federico Higuaín, Claudio López, Javier Morales, Mauro Rosales and Diego Valeri to bring the list to 10 in total. With six Argentine DPs now active in the league the country is proving to be a hotbed of talent for MLS clubs.

As for Toronto FC's history with Designated Players the club already has one of the longest histories in the league. Since the introduction of the program Toronto has had Julian De Guzman, Mista, Torsten Frings, Danny Koevermans, and Eric Hassli. Add Laba to that list and the club has now acquired a total of six different DPs since 2009. That is a high number considering a team can only have three at any given time but Laba stands out as being unique in that group as he is by far the youngest acquisition of the group.

Laba becomes the third different midfield DP for Toronto FC which also a high number compared to the rest of the league. Of the 27 other DPs currently listed in the league their are just 9 midfielders compared to 18 forwards and the majority of those midfielders fill a more attacking role. There are very few other DPs in the programs history that as defensive of a role as either JdG or Frings. Sure there was the complete failure also known as Rafa Marquez but for the most part DPs have historically been players who are going to score goals or set them up rather than players who are going to be making tackles and working in the engine room.

The big money striker has a long history in MLS but the big money box-to-box midfielder has about as much history to look at as the young designated player program does. There may come a time when more MLS clubs are willing to invest DP money in players who play in less attacking roles but for now the fact that goals win games means teams are more focused on investing in attacking players.

In some ways Laba fits into the historical context of MLS signings in that he is not the first Argentine DP or the first player to command a large transfer fees but in other ways he is very unique. There are so few other young DPs or DPs that play in a deeper role that it is hard to compare him to previous signings.

With is being so hard to place Laba into context he takes on more of an experimental feel. That is nothing new for Kevin Payne though as he has often been at the front of the line to try and bring new innovations to MLS. With DCU he was a leader in using the DP rules to bring in slightly lesser known players as he did not have the same kind of money to work with that the L.A. Galaxy or New York Red Bulls did when they signed David Beckham and Jaun Pablo Angel. Instead Payne went looking for deals and wound up finding mixed results in signing the likes of Luciano Emilio, Marcelo Gallardo, Branko Bošković, and Hamdi Salihi. He likely also played a role in DC lining up a deal to bring in Rafael as a young DP before he made his move north to Toronto.

Payne was always an innovator in MLS and was one of the influential people who pushed for the introduction of the young DP rule so it should come as no surprise that he is near the front of the line to try and cash in on it. The results of his innovation have not always been great in the past but hopefully with MLSE's deep pockets behind him now he got the best player available rather than seeking a good deal.

With no real historical context to put Laba into the best thing that fans to do is consider him as something completely new to MLS and Toronto FC both as an individual player but also as this kind of signing. The worst thing fans could do now is start to compare him to Frings or JdG before he even gets on the field which would be a good way to set a 21 year old with a lot of promise up for failure before he even touches the ball.

It will likely be several seasons before we can really judge this move but for now it is something new and exciting and that is hopefully how fans will view it. It is clearly different from TFC's approach to building a squad in the past and based on history that can only be a good thing.

Tim Leiweke appointed President and CEO of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment

Dave Rowaan — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 17:22:36 -0000

Ask any MLS fan who they would consider to be the league's model franchise and chances are you would get a number of responses, with varying degrees of enthusiasm and disdain, that indicate that Los Angeles Galaxy is that team. That comes from their history of winning titles on the field and the big splashes they have made in signing the likes of David Beckham and Robbie Keane. A big part of building the LAG franchise into what it has become today comes directly from their owners, Anschutz Entertainment Group, and their former President Tim Leiweke.

AEG is a Worldwide business that includes ownership a number of different sports and entertainment venues around the world as well as owning the LA Galaxy, the LA Kings, and a share in the LA Lakers. The three sports franchises that they are connected with have the kind of winning tradition in recent years that Toronto sports fans can only dream of with the Galaxy and Kings both winning titles in the last year and the Lakers being one of the two most successful franchises in NBA history. AEG are also part owners of the Houston Dynamo where they have also had success on the MLS field.

Now though, Tim Leiweke is looking to bring some of that success north to Toronto as he has officially joined Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment as the new President and CEO. The move was announced on Friday by MLSE Chairman Larry Tanenbaum and will be completed when Leiweke takes over his new position on June 30th.

Leiweke will join the existing leadership team at MLSE which does still include at least one face that is quite familiar to Toronto FC fans. He will work along with Tom Anselmi, who currently fills the role of Chief Operating Officer, which is a relief to many Toronto sports fans who were worried that Anselmi would fail his way all the way up to the top job at MLSE.

The best part of the move for TFC fans is that it means there is another person in MLSE that has a strong history of success related to soccer. When folks connected to the Galaxy like Head Coach Bruce Arena offer high praise of Leiweke you know that he was doing the right things to support their team. With Kevin Payne already in place it looks like MLSE has gone from having no soccer minded folks in positions of power to having two with long histories of success in MLS.

Of course, Leiweke will not only be focused on TFC and will be working with all of MLSE's properties as he takes control of the growing empire which was recently acquired by a partnership between Bell and Rogers. He has the resume for the job though having filled important roles for clubs in a number of different sports over the past 30 years.

He has spent time serving as the President of the Los Angeles Kings, the President and CEO of U.S. Skiing, the President of the Denver Nuggets, Vice President of the Minnesota Timber Wolves, all the way back to when he began his career as the Assistant General Manager of the St. Louis Steamers of Major Indoor Soccer League back in 1979.

His history spans a number of sports and includes taking on a major role in the development of both the Target Center in Minnesota and the Pepsi Center in Colorado. His history makes him the perfect fit for MLSE as they look to continue to grow their already large empire but also to bring success to their various franchises.

In the official MLSE release on the hiring, Larry Tanenbaum had the following to say about the new hiring:

"Tim Leiweke is one of the top sports executives in the world, renowned for his ability to build championship teams, premier entertainment events, and innovative brand and marketing opportunities. Tim is a leader who understands what fans want and what it takes to build winners. With his deep leadership experience and unparalleled success at the highest levels of professional sports, Tim's the right CEO at the right time to lead the transformation of MLSE."

In the same release Leiweke had this to say about his move to Toronto:

"I'm honoured and excited to be chosen to lead MLSE, a world-class sports and entertainment organization with the major league teams, premier facilities and employee team that rank with the very best across North America and internationally. MLSE is woven into the character of Toronto. The loyal and passionate fans of MLSE's teams want sports championships for this great city. They want excitement on the ice, on the court, on the pitch and on the stage. And they want MLSE to be an active part of their community. I am committed to delivering for them when I begin my new role as CEO of MLSE."

On the surface it looks like it could be a match made in heaven. MLSE is looking for an innovator to help them return to being a leader in sports and entertainment and Leiweke has a resume that is marked with success wherever he has gone.

The tangible effects for Toronto FC are not likely to be major but with Leiweke having overseen successful MLS teams in the past he is likely to provide the club the kind of support it needs while allowing Kevin Payne the freedom to do his job to the best of his abilities. The hiring also helps to push Anselmi just one step further from having any real say over what takes place at BMO Field which is a good thing. It was also nice to see that the official release made sure to mention Toronto FC as more than an afterthought which is a promising sign considering the way the club has sometimes been treated in the past.

The hiring begins a new era for sports in Toronto and fans will certainly be hoping that the new President of MLSE can bring some of LA's winning ways to a city that has been longing for success in recent years (Argos and Rock aside). The pressure will be on Leiweke to bring success to the city but if any man is up for the job it seems like he might just be the one.

Toronto's young lineup provides mixed results in win over Montreal

Dave Rowaan — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 17:56:28 -0000

The good news for Toronto FC fans is that Ryan Nelsen rotated his squad, rested many of his key players, and came away with an impressive 2-0 win over the Montreal Impact despite a dire first half of action in the Voyageurs Cup. The job is only half done though as Toronto will still have to ensure they get the job done in the return leg at Stade Saputo before they can book their place in the final once again.

Toronto got the result with a lot of their regular starters sitting comfortably on the bench while others were given the entire night off from action. All the changes to the lineup opened the door for some of TFC's young players to shine and while some of them made the most of their opportunity others did very little to show the coaching staff that they are deserving of more playing time.

With Stefan Frei starting in goal the only real concern was going to be if he could shed the thick layers of rust that have likely developed on his game having not made a competitive appearance in over a year. Frei was not overly tested by the Impact in the game with the stats showing the visitors failed to manage a single shot on target. He looked okay when he did have to deal with things but until he actually gets tested it will be hard to tell just how far along he is in his comeback.

Frei anchored the defense along with Danny Califf who got into the game having seen his minutes in league play take a hit following an injury. With Gale Agbossoumonde taking over his spot in the center of Toronto's defense and doing a solid job it is unlikely that Califf will just be handed his starting spot back any time soon. The good news is that Califf was up to his usual tricks on Wednesday night make life tough for any Impact player who came near him and dealt with the few problems that the Impact caused him quite comfortably.

Califf was joined in the backline by a duo of young Canadians who both turned in their best performances in recent memory. Doneil Henry was very solid defensively playing his part in keeping the clean sheet and got himself on the score-sheet with an impressive effort from the top of Montreal's 18. Ashtone Morgan was also solid in what was arguably his best game of the season but a lot of that had to do with the fact that he had very little defending to do and was free to spend the majority of his time looking to get forward and that is when he has always been the most comfortable.

Ryan Richter rounded out the defense for Toronto and showed once again that he is more than capable of defending at this level. His tackling and marking were both on point for the entire game and he was solid at the back even managing to cut out a couple of Montreal's better chances. Problem with Richter's game was that anytime he tried to get involved in things going forward he showed just how poor his passing ability is. If he can keep putting in solid defensive performances fans might be seeing more of him but that passing game needs to improve fast if he wants to push for minutes at fullback when other options such as Richard Eckersley return to fitness.

The midfield was where fans really got to see the good and the bad of the squad last night. There was the outstanding performance from Jonathan Osorio who looked completely at ease in the middle of the park despite having to go up against one of the top MLS midfielders in Montreal's Patrice Bernier. Osorio put in his best performance for TFC so far and should be in line for more minutes if he can keep playing like that. The players next to him though did not have the same kind of impressive performances.

Both of Toronto's 2013 draft picks showed that they still have quite a ways to go before really being ready to contribute at a high level. Emery Welshman looked totally out of place on the wing for Toronto and did very little to inspire confidence in the club's decision to trade down the draft board to pick him up in the first round. He is just coming back from injury but considering he spent more time falling down than he did actually challenging defenders there seems to be reason for concern that he will need a lot more time to develop. Kyle Bekker was slightly better but still left a lot to be desired with his performance. Fans got glimpses of his ability to take set pieces and pick out a pass but he also showed that he is not playing the game with the kind of speed needed to be a difference maker as he was often slow to make a run or pick out a pass and it cost TFC a number of openings. If he can speed his game up the little bit that is needed it would allow him to show the potential that had scouts around the league raving about him during his time at Boston College.

John Bostock encompassed the good and the bad all in the same player last night. He hit one nice free kick from long range, he ran at defenders every chance he got and was lively on the ball but at the same time he was fairly out of control and completely predictable which led to him turning the ball over frequently when running at defenders. The talent he has is clear to see but his reliance on doing everything with only one foot seems to be easy for defenders to pick up and limits his danger on the wing. He also showed that he was slow to pull the trigger on shooting chances which is something he needs to improve considering he has shown that he can strike the ball well with his one foot.

In front of them Andrew Wiedeman and Justin Braun both turned in solid performances and could have helped Toronto to an even bigger margin of victory had they been slightly more clinical. Wiedeman got his name on the score-sheet with a nice finish but the best finisher of the modern era really should have added a second goal later on when he had the chance to put the game away. Braun was again lively in the attack as he worked hard to track down balls and cause problems but for the most part his hard work was without any real results which will hopefully come with more playing time and sharpness but for now it is all work with little reward.

The two subs that Toronto did make came after 72 minutes as Nelsen brought Luis Silva on for Bekker and Hogan Ephraim on for Braun. Silva came in and made an instant impact which really demonstrated the gulf in class between himself at Bekker at this point in time. It was Silva's pass that setup Toronto's second goal of the game as he was lively and sharp showing that he is ready to take his game to the next level like many were hoping he would following a solid rookie season. Ephraim came in and had little time to do much to impress or eliminate some of the questions surrounding his performances in recent weeks.

Based on the game on Wednesday night there are a number of players who did enough to earn themselves more minutes and hopefully a place in the lineup for the return leg. Even with a 2-0 lead though Toronto can't afford to coast through the second leg and I would not be surprised to see a few of the players who struggled in the first leg dropped to the bench in exchange for a slightly stronger lineup. Unless Montreal plans on waving the white flag you can bet they will be fielding a stronger side and it will be up to TFC to respond to that.

Who were your standout performers for Wednesday night and who do you think should spend a bit more time in the reserves before being given another shot in the lineup?

Matias Laba reportedly on his way to Toronto

Dave Rowaan — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 15:20:39 -0000

Matias Laba may have played his final match for Argetninos Juniors and if he has done so he managed to go out with a bang. With his club taking on Tigres in Argentine Primera Division action earlier this week Laba was shown a red card early in the second half of what turned out to be a 1-0 defeat for his club. With Argentinos now stuck down near the bottom of the table and staring relegation in the face Laba is set to leave for MLS.

The club's official website reported yesterday that the team has accepted Toronto FC's offer for the player and that he would travel to Toronto today to finalize the personal terms of the deal. The statement from the club on their site was very brief confirming that the deal had been accepted and pointing to the fact that it will give the club funds that they need to operate.

En reunión de Comisión Directiva se aceptó la oferta del Toronto FC de la MLS por el volante surgido de las inferiores, quien viajará mañana rumbo a Canadá. Sus representantes y allegados solicitaron expresamente la aprobación del pase, que dejará un ingreso de dinero muy beneficioso para el club.

With Laba expected to arrive in Toronto at some point on Thursday it fits the timeline that has been talked about for the past week as the player could be officially signed by the start of next week and though he is unlikely to be available on the weekend against the New York Red Bulls it might not be long after that before he suits up for TFC for the first time.

Further reports from South America are indicating that the transfer fee which was initially speculated to be 1.5 million USD will be only slightly lower with TFC splashing 1.35 million USD to land the midfielders signature. The second report also indicates that Laba is expected to leave at 10:30 pm, so presumably getting to Toronto on Friday morning.

The interesting note in the second report is that when the Board at Argentinos voted on the sale of the player opinions were split. With 8 votes for the sale, 1 against, and 3 abstentions it is clear that there are mixed emotions about the sale as the club tries to balance the need for funds and trying to avoid relegation. That vote also fits with the delays that had been mentioned by Ryan Nelsen and several reports as some in the club were opposed to the sale as it would hurt their chances of survival in the league.

With two other deals falling through in the final stages already this week TFC fans will likely be rightly skeptical about this transfer until they see Laba in a TFC shirt. The good news is that they may not have to wait much longer for that to happen.

Kevin Davies puts brakes on move to Toronto FC

Dave Rowaan — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 15:40:56 -0000

Our friends over at Lion of Vienna Suite remain on top of the Kevin Davies story and have reported this morning that their club icon will not be making the move to Toronto which they first reported earlier this week. The move is not completely off the table but Davies' own comments confirm that it will not be taking place in the coming days as was being widely speculated.

Speaking with The Bolton News Davies issued a statement indicating that he will remain with the Bolton Wanderers until the end of the season despite having been reportedly offered the chance to leave sooner and join Toronto. The following is his statement on the matter:

"It has been a complete rollercoaster since first speaking with Ryan Nelsen on April 18. As it stands today I will not be leaving for Toronto FC, as reported.

My young family and I were naturally very excited about the opportunity of going to Toronto on a short term deal but after legal advice we felt that certain obstacles put in our way were too large to overcome.

"Whilst it has been the toughest month of my 10-year BWFC career I remain, as I always have done, 100 per cent committed to the club. I will finish the season here and continue with my high standards as a professional footballer. I will be ready if the manager needs me and hopefully have a part to play in helping the club return to the Premier League.

"I would like to thank all the fans for their support. As the season and my time with Bolton comes to an end, we will look at the offers received from clubs in both the UK and abroad and decide where my family's future will be.

"I have some fantastic memories of the last 10 years and feel honoured to have been the captain of this great club for the last five years. Hopefully, it will finish with a fairytale ending."

Davies is clear that he will be playing out the rest of the season for Bolton but what he leaves open is his plans for the offseason when he will be out on contract. The issue there is the fact that his move to Toronto was likely going to be on a short term basis as cover until Danny Koevermans is hopefully fit in the coming months. If the move is now delayed until after his contract with Bolton runs out it could mean that he would not be able to make the move to TFC until around the time that Koevermans is hoping to return to full fitness which would make Davies surplus to requirements.

Since he has had talks with Toronto and Ryan Nelsen it is too soon to completely close the door on Davies making a summer move to BMO Field but his statements on Wednesday make the chances of him playing for TFC a lot slimmer.

With deals for Maximiliano Urruti and now Davies falling apart in recent days the question now is where will Toronto turn to find that additional scoring threat that the club seems so keen to add to the roster?

Toronto FC v Montreal Impact opens Canadian Championship

Dave Rowaan — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 19:17:38 -0000

Five. That is the target for Toronto FC when they kick off cup play for the 2013 season. When Toronto takes to BMO Field on Wednesday night against the Montreal Impact they will do so as the four time defending Voyageurs Cup Champions and chances are they will not want to let that streak come to an end without putting up a good fight.

Come kick of Wednesday night the debate about what kind of squad TFC should field will be put to rest and things will get down to serious business. The simple fact is that no matter what kind of squad you want to see from Toronto in cup play the Impact are one of the clubs biggest rivals and if we have learned anything in recent meetings it is that these games tend to be very competitive.

A massive part of the rivalry between the two clubs was born from their meetings in the Voyageurs Cup dating back to 2008. The history has included the Montreal Miracle and last year saw Toronto knock off the Impact in the semifinal second leg despite playing with 10 men for much of the game. The cup forms the corner stone of the rivalry and Wednesday night will add another chapter to that growing book.

Heading into the game we do know that both teams are expecting to make some changes to their regular side from recent league matches. The two confirmed changes come in goal with both teams planning on using a different keeper from the one who has been carrying the load in MLS action. For Toronto that means Stefan Frei will be making his first competitive appearance in over a year. The last time he played in a competitive game for Toronto seems like ages ago as his 2012 season was ended after just one game, first by being dropped in favour of Milos Kocic, then by an ankle injury, and his 2013 season got off to a delayed start with a broken nose in the club's first preseason game. Frei will surely be motivated to come in against the Impact and show that he is capable of taking back the starting job which he lost to Joe Bendik following his injury. With Bendik proving to be solid over recent weeks Frei will have to be at his very best to even begin to push him for MLS minutes.

The Impact are also planning a change in goal as Evan Bush was confirmed as their starter for Wednesday night. It will also be his first competitive start of 2013 and he will be looking to show that he has enough ability to push Troy Perkins for some minutes in goal this season.

The Impact roster for the game will be slightly weakened with Matteo Ferrari missing out on traveling to Toronto due to injury. They do have their newest Italian addition to help ease the loss though as Daniele Paponi received his international transfer certificate making him available for the match.

Toronto will be dealing with a number of injuries of their own though and could be forced to turn to a patch-work defensive group for the second game in a row. Terry Dunfield is still a few weeks away from making his return while Darel Russell, Ashtone Morgan, Logan Emory, and Richard Eckersley will all be question marks for this game.

With the injuries starting to pile up Ryan Nelsen will be forced to make some changes to his preferred starting XI. The question will be just how many he is willing to make with the club in the middle of the three game week. He is not alone in facing that question though, the Impact are coming off of a bye-week in MLS but that is the calm before the storm for them as they now head into a stretch that will see them play a total of 6 matches over 18 days. That kind of stretch of games will leave Marco Schällibaum with little choice but to make use of his squad depth.

The last time these two teams met it ended in a 2-1 win for the Impact. That match saw Toronto FC fans break their own record for traveling support as thousands of reds flocked to the Big O earlier this year but they were left disappointed by the end result. That was league action though where Montreal has managed to have success against Toronto during their short time in MLS. The Voyageurs Cup is an entirely different proposition for Montreal as they have never beaten Toronto FC in this competition despite having met on 8 occasions. Over that time the Impact have managed just two draws and even when the Impact last won the Championship, in 2008, they did so without beating TFC.

It actually gets worse for the Impact though as they are winless in the entire competition since winning in 2008. They have managed 4 draws to go along with 8 defeats. Their last win in the competition was a 2-0 defeat of Vancouver back on June 25th of 2008. That means that IMFC are currently caught up in a 13 game winless streak which will hopefully continue on Wednesday night.

The two clubs met at this same stage last year and despite Toronto being without a single win in the league they battled to an extremely boring 0-0 draw in Montreal before things got far more exciting in the return leg at BMO Field. Toronto took the lead in just the 2nd minute through Reggie Lambe but then had to overcome Richard Eckersley being sent off in 17th minute. They barely missed a beat though as Ryan Johnson added a second goal before the half and Toronto rolled to a 2-0 win and a place in the final.

Chances are that this year will take on a similar feel to last year with neither team wanting to lose the semifinal in the opening game. Toronto will have home field advantage in the first leg but chances are they will be looking to play defensively and ensure they keep things close. That is to be expected though considering the fact that Toronto has also been prioritizing playing solid defense in MLS.

It will likely be up to the Impact to dictate the tone of the game which is something they did quite well when the teams met earlier this season. Canadian Patrice Bernier controls things from the central midfield for the Impact and has been proving in 2013 that he is one of the best midfielders in MLS. Toronto will be hard pressed to find an answer for him though with Dunfield out of the lineup.

The battle in the middle of the park will likely be key in determining this match as both teams have shown in recent weeks that they are more than capable of taking their chances when they arrive. If both teams do make changes in the midfield then the battle will be there for the taking but if the Impact who are coming into the game well rested, decide to field a strong lineup, Toronto's young midfielders may have their hands full just trying to get a hold of the ball now and then.

History is clearly on Toronto's side heading into this game and hopefully they can keep Montreal's miserable run going for one more year. The drive for five begins on Wednesday night!

Urruti to Toronto FC deal off

Dave Rowaan — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 17:25:42 -0000

Well, the end of the month is almost here and we finally have a formal update on the status of Toronto's pair of Argentine transfer targets. It is not the news fans were waiting to hear though as the deal that would have brought forward Maximiliano Urruiti from Newell's Old Boys to Toronto FC is not going to happen.

Speaking at training with select members of the media TFC head coach Ryan Nelsen confirmed that the deal was now dead and the club would be moving on.

Nelson confirms Urutti is NOT coming. Hinted that Labba signing is imminent. #TFC
— John Molinaro (@JohnMolinaro) April 23, 2013

After his comments last week about there being a battle at the player's club causing a delay in the deal being completed and suggesting that at some point the club would need to move on this news can hardly come as a surprise to fans who will surely be frustrated.

The issue here is not that the deal has fallen through but rather the fact that the deal has been trotted out as a reason for hope and optimism for fans by the front office staff for several months now only to have it come apart at the last stage. To be fair, it was not the club that put the name Urruti out where fans could see it (at least not directly) and it was a Canadian Press report that suggested the deal was nearly done a few weeks back, but that does not absolve them of blame for the fact that they have spent the past couple months mentioning Argentinians and Hondurans and to this point have nothing to show for all of that talk.

More: Reports: Maximiliano Urruti to TFC done.

The simple fact is that TFC fans have had a lot of big talk over the past seven years and are rightfully sick and tired of the end results not living up to the talk that proceeded them. That goes not only for the results on the field but also the moves behind the scene. Promising the fans that you plan on bringing in new players is only going to further the disappointment when that fails to materialize.

There was a bit of good news from training as John Molinaro's tweet suggests that the Matias Laba deal has life left in it and when he questioned Nelsen regarding that Kevin Davies to TFC report the coach did not deny things so it seems like this one has legs, though he was not willing to confirm that any talks have taken place.

Nelsen evasive about whether he's had formal talks with Davies. #TFC
— John Molinaro (@JohnMolinaro) April 23, 2013

Nelsen also confirmed on Tuesday afternoon that Stefan Frei would be starting on goal for TFC come Wednesday night. The Canadian Championship match will mark the keepers first competitive appearance in over a year having had to work his way back from injury twice including a broken nose suffered in preseason.

Canada v Honduras for Under-17 Bronze

Dave Rowaan — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 16:31:30 -0000

When Canada's Under 17 team takes to the field on Friday evening against Honduras down in Panama it will be the first ever meeting between the two nations in international soccer* (*note: all previous meetings have been erased for the sake of the authors mental well-being). Both teams have achieved their goal of reaching the U17 World Cup this fall in Dubai but were outclassed in the semifinals by Panama and Mexico. The game does not have a whole lot of meaning other than the fact that the winner gets a medal to bring home with them but don't tell that to the players who will surely want to finish the event on a high note.

Based on the way the event has unfolded so far the two strongest teams are probably meeting in the finals on Friday night as Mexico and Panama advancing was not really stunning. Both countries sent strong squads and Panama benefited from having their team together year round and being fueled by the home crowd. Mexico is just a talented team that had little issue brushing aside the opposition so far in the event. It sets up an exciting final with Mexico a slight favorite despite Panama likely having the support of over 10,000 fans.

The bronze medal match includes the one surprise of the tournament. With the favorites winning for the most part Honduras pulled off the biggest upset of the event when they knocked off the United States in the quarterfinals assuring that for the first time ever the US would not be sending a team to the U17 World Cup. Coming from the side of the draw that included the United States and Mexico the Honduran team can be proud of just making it this far and reaching the World Cup for the first time since 2009 and the third time in their history.

Canada on the other hand benefited from what could be called a favourable draw as they knew coming into the event that their road to the World Cup would not include the potential of meeting Mexico, the United States, or even Honduras until the finals or bronze medal match. That left the door open for them to claim a return to the World Cup but as any Canadian soccer fans know you can never count your chickens before they hatch. Canada took care of business in their group with a 2-0 win over Trinidad and Tobago and a 1-1 draw with Costa Rica which was enough to comfortably claim top spot.

Canada was tested in the quarterfinals having to fight their way back twice before claiming a 4-2 win over Jamaica thanks to a second half in which the young Canadians showed just how dangerous they can be when they get rolling. The semifinal against Panama was far less kind though as the hosts controlled the ball for much of the match and despite Canada opening the scoring inside five minutes of play the host country were deserving of the 2-1 win.

Honduras on the other hand have looked convincing against anyone that is not Mexico. They got out of their group in second place thanks to a 4-1 win over Cuba followed by a 2-0 defeat to Mexico in the battle for top spot. The quarter final was when they really looked their best though as they outclassed the United States are were good value for every bit of their 3-1 win. The semifinal was another meeting with Mexico and this time they lost 3-1 after scoring a late consolation goal.

So what can Canada expect from this match? Well, they can look for a very balanced attack from the Hondurans who have already totaled six different goal scorers on their eight goals so far in the event. They do not have a single standout attacker but Christopher Alegría does have a goal in each of their last two matches and looked the most dangerous over the course of those games. They are a hard team to judge though as they were simply outclassed by Mexico twice and in their other two matches have faced a weak Cuban squad and an American team that really lacked any spark.

The semifinal round showed that both Canada and Honduras struggle when they are the team on the back foot and have a hard time countering against sustained pressure but when they do get the ball and can keep it for a period of time are capable of looking dangerous going forward.

That will be the key to this game on Friday night as both teams look far better with the ball than they do without it so the team that is best able to control the possession and sustain pressure will likely be the one that comes out on top in this game. Both teams showed they could do that against weaker sides but it remains to be seen if they can sustain that kind of pressure in what looks to be a fairly even match-up.

Despite my previously stated denial of all meetings between Canada and Honduras in international soccer they do have a brief history in this event. In 2011 they were drawn into the same group and with both teams opening by beating Barbados it came down to the final match to decide top spot. That went to Canada on goal difference following a 0-0 draw as their 8-0 win over Barbados was far better than Honduras' 2-1 win. They were also in the same group for the 2009 event in which Canada was basically terrible but the good news is that Canada picked up their only point of the event in 1-1 draw which featured a goal from Russell Teibert. In 2005 they were again in the same group (this was back before the knockout rounds were included) but this time there was no draw as Honduras claimed a 2-0 win. If you go all the way back to 1985 they met in the final stage with Canada finishing in third place thanks to a 2-1 win over Honduras in their final match.

So like I said, a brief history at this event that only goes all the way back to 1985. The history also shows that over the years the two countries have been fairly evenly matched in the limited samples. Obviously the teams are completely different each time with so much turnover at this level but Canada does have one player who will recall playing Honduras at this level as Jordan Hamilton was on the bench for that 0-0 draw in 2011.

It will be interesting to see how Sean Fleming decides to attack this game. He has gone with Hamilton coming off the bench in the past two matches in favor of starting Chow, Gordon, and Boakai in the attack but that could change as Canada may be in need of the additional size that Hamilton can add to the attack. The defensive side of things will likely remain pretty much unchanged as they acquitted themselves well against Panama holding up against sustained pressure for the majority of the match.

The game will again be on Sportsnet World and kicks off at 6:00 PM Eastern. For those wishing to follow along and comment this comment section will serve as the game thread.

Joe Bendik the top form keeper in MLS?

Dave Rowaan — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 18:08:03 -0000

When Toronto FC traded Ryan Johnson and Milos Kocic off to the Portland Timbers for Joe Bendik, a draft pick, and some allocation money it seemed like an okay move. Kocic had been a solid keeper for Toronto but was not going to sit around and play number 2 to Stefan Frei and for all the good that Johnson brought to TFC, his finishing was just too inconsistent for a player on his salary. Toronto was looking at another rebuild and both players were parts that could be replaced easily enough despite being key contributors in 2012.

The move made sense because it opened up salary space to help rebuild other areas of the roster and it landed Toronto a draft pick which was the 3rd overall selection and could be turned into a useful player that could become part of the club's long term plan. At the time it seemed like Bendik was nothing more than an afterthought in the deal as Portland did not need him with Kocic coming in.

Prior to coming to Toronto Bendik had just five appearances with the Timbers and only three of those were starts. His 326 minutes of MLS action in 2012 were not a lot to judge him off of. In his three starts with the Timbers last season he picked up two draws and a loss, allowing a total of five goals. The numbers were not all that impressive for a player who had come to MLS after helping his club in Norway earn promotion to the top flight.

It was safe to say that before arriving in Toronto Bendik had done very little to get the attention of anyone around MLS and that seemed to be okay for the soft spoken 23 year old. Not one to seek out the spotlight he came to Toronto ready to fill the backup spot behind Frei and looking to continue his development.

Then Frei went down in his first game of the preseason with a broken nose and the whole plan was thrown into turmoil. Bendik was thrown into the spotlight having to start the rest of Toronto's preseason matches down in Orlando and doing an acceptable job in goal. His effort in the preseason didn't have anyone forgetting about Frei but he showed that he was capable of filling the void for the few weeks that Frei was expected to be out.

When the season opened Bendik was given the chance to take over the roll of starter as it was unclear how long Frei would be out. Frei is healthy and back in training now with TFC but Bendik has shown in recent weeks that he is not just going to hand the starting job over without putting up a good fight.

Similar to what happened with Milos Kocic, Bendik has used Frei's injury as a chance to make a name for himself and prove to the coaching staff, fans, and pundits that he is more than capable of getting the job done. His performance against the Philadelphia Union has seen him named player of the week on a number of different sites while finishing second in MLS voting for the honour. He was also nominated for "Save of the Week" for his last gasp save on Kleberson's deflected shot. He was also up for "Save of the Week" back in week five when he stoned Mike Magee of the L.A. Galaxy.

The awards are nice and they show that people are taking notice of Bendik but just how does he stack up against other MLS keepers? Is the attention he is receiving just a result of having to deal with a lot of shots and chances by virtue of being in net for Toronto or is there more to it than that?

If you want to decide who is the best goalkeeper based on the number of saves that they make then Dan Kennedy is your man. His 28 saves so far this season have no doubt kept Chivas USA in plenty of games and his total is 5 more than Nick Rimando in second place. Bendik though is right around the average for starting keepers with 20 saves in 6 matches.

Maybe you prefer to judge you keepers by the number of goals that they have allowed. If that is the case then Bendik, who has allowed 9 goals so far this season, has the second worst total in the league behind just Luis Robles of New York Red Bulls who has conceded 11 goals in 8 matches so far. If you break it down in terms of goals against average then Bendik is still second worst as his 1.5 GAA is second only to Chicago Fire's Sean Johnson who has a 1.6. The league leader in that regard is Jimmy Nielsen from Sporting Kansas City who has only allowed 3 goals in 7 games which translates to a 0.43 GAA.

How about if we look at save percentages? Well, that is not going to help Bendik's case either as his is currently sitting at 67% which is well below the league leaders. Troy Perkins and Nick Rimando lead the way in this category with percentages just north of 80 while the average MLS started is somewhere in the 70's. Bendik does not have the worst number in this category though as Tally Hall, Luis Robles, Carlo Cudicini, Donovan Ricketts, and Zac MacMath all have worse numbers with five or more appearances.

So if you want to go by any of the simple stats then it looks like Bendik is somewhere between the lower end of average and below average and the fact that he is not being peppered by a massive number of shots does not even help his cause in this case.

So how do his numbers in 2013 compare to the career numbers for both Milos Kocic and Stefan Frei? Well, that is actually a favorable comparison.

Name	Games Played	Goals against Average	Save Percentage
Stefan Frei	81	1.55	69
Milos Kocic	41	1.75	64
Joe Bendik (in 2013)	6	1.50	67

In terms of TFC's last three keepers Bendik's numbers so far this season are right about where you would expect them to be and are actually the best of the bunch all be it in a much smaller sample.

The issue is that it is impossible to qualify the play of a goalkeeper based on any single stat because so many factors come into play. Not all saves are created equally and not all keepers get to play behind Sporting Kansas City's defense where they face a quality shot about once a game.

This is where someone with a better mind for stats is going to be able to go a layer deeper to push the discussion that much further. In this case Whitecaps blogger Ben Massey comes in handy because he has a love of numbers and recently took a look at some numbers for goal keepers over at Maple Leaf Forever.

Massey's numbers do not include Kocic or Bendik because their sample is not high large enough for his purposes but he does show Stefan Frei's numbers and shows that there is some level of correlation between total shots faced and save percentage.

In his data Frei ends up having one of the better save percentages over the five year sample period. Massey lists Frei as having a 0.716 save percentage which is the 16th best mark in his data. Looking at just 2011, Frei's last full season, that number is a still respectable 0.684.

Like the basic numbers Massey's expanded stats show that Frei and Bendik both have save percentages right around the average of what you would expect from a starting goal keeper.

So having looked at the numbers it does not really make sense to say that Bendik is the best form keeper in MLS. He gave up three goals in his last two starts yet he has still been garnering praise from around the league. You can tell by watching the game that Bendik is making a difference and coming up with a couple of big saves to keep Toronto in matches week after week but nothing on the stats sheet can quantify that.

The good news for Bendik as Daune Rollins points out over at Canadian Soccer News is that when you combine his distinctly average MLS numbers with his low salary Toronto is getting a very good deal on him. Frei on the other hand is making a fairly average salary for a starting keeper in the league and his numbers are right around what you would expect considering that.

So it is safe to say that Bendik is a good deal and that is numbers are solid but based on watching the games he has been more than solid. The question then is how do you really quantify his performances? Is there a fair way to rank keepers around the league other than save percentages and goals and average or are we stuck waiting for more advanced stats becoming common?

There is of course another option where none of the stats matter when it comes to keepers and that is the traditional attitude that still dominates in many soccer circles. The attitude that the only way to judge a keeper is watch him play because there are just to many elements to their game to be able to quantify them with a single stat. That school of thought still holds some validity but as stats continue to grow in prominence managers will be looking for more and better ways to rank players and make sure they are getting the return for their investments.

Voyageurs Cup: A brief history

Dave Rowaan — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 17:23:14 -0000

Canada's domestic cup championship may still be in its infancy but the fact that it has even been around as long as it has been is due to the efforts of a group of Canadian soccer fans. That group, the Voyaguers, worked with the CSA to try and create a national cup but when things were moving along much too slowly, they took the initiative to raise the money needed to commission a trophy and out of a fundraising drive on an online forum was born the trophy that is still presented to the winners of the Canadian Championship.

Voyageurs_Cup3 (via canadasoccer)

The trophy was first contested back in 2002 when the Voyageurs announced that the cup would be awarded to the most successful Canadian team in the A-League (later the USL first division or USL Pro). That meant that in the first year four teams were eligible to win the prize with the Montreal Impact, Toronto Lynx, Calgary Storm, and Vancouver Whitecaps all taking part in the A-League. The winner of the trophy would be determined by who collected the best record against the other Canadian teams over the season.

In 2002 it was the Montreal Impact who won the trophy with 15 points from their 6 qualifying matches while the Toronto Lynx wound up in second place with 13 points. That finishing order would remain the standard result for the Voyageurs Cup over the following years as Montreal dominated the early years of the competition winning the cup each year up until 2008.

Over that stretch of Impact dominance the Toronto Lynx finished in second place in four of the five seasons that they were included in the competition. The best finish by the Whitecaps was also second place as they were the runners up in both 2005 and 2006.

The trophy continued to be awarded to the top USL side in Canada up until 2007 when it was contested between only Montreal and Vancouver. Starting in 2008 it took on a new format with the arrival of Toronto FC in MLS. Starting that summer, the second of TFC's existence, the Voyageurs Cup winner was determined by a round robin tournament between Canada's top clubs. For the next three years Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver would battle for the Cup.

2008 was the final year of Montreal's dominance as they won the trophy with 7 points in 4 matches edging out Toronto who managed just 5 points. Toronto's surprise 1-0 defeat to Vancouver that year combined with a pair of draws cost them a chance to bring home the trophy. The final match was at BMO Field with TFC needing to beat Montreal, but failing to do so, allowing the Impact to receive the trophy in front of the less than amused TFC faithful. with John Carver memorably going off on Jeff Cunningham in a post game interview.

The dominance began to shift in 2009 though as Toronto claimed their first of what is now four straight titles. That year may have been the most dramatic edition of the Cup as it came down to goal difference between Toronto and Vancouver after both clubs finished with 9 points having split their head-to-head meeting. It all came down to which team finished with a better goal difference and heading into the final match it looked like Vancouver had it all wrapped up with a +4 advantage over Toronto. Then the miracle in Montreal happened (Vancouver like to talk about surrender or something like that) as Toronto went into Saputo Stadium and notched a 6-1 win. Up until Chad Barrett got Toronto's fifth goal in 82nd minute the trophy would have been headed to Vancouver but thanks to that Barrett goal, and Dwayne De Rosario hat-trick, and a brace from Amado Guevara the Whitecaps saw the trophy slip away, much to the chagrin of the watching Teitur Thordarson and many of the players who were in attendance.

Toronto won again in 2010 but with a lot less drama as they ended up 4 points clear of Vancouver in the final standings who were in their final season of play before joining MLS.

The trophy was clinched before the final game was even played in Toronto, quite possibly the most dramatic moment of that year's tournament being Roberto Brown's punching Nick Garcia.

From 2011 onwards the tournament saw another shift in its format. With Vancouver joining Toronto in MLS for 2011 and Montreal set to follow in 2012 the competition was getting tougher and with the addition of FC Edmonton to NASL, fitting in a four team round robin would have been next to impossible.

So for 2011 the group stage format was gone and it was replaced by more of a cup format with the teams contesting semifinals and a final with both taking place over two legs. The semifinal matchups would be decided by league positioning from the previous season with last place in MLS considered as being ahead of first place in NASL.

That format meant that in 2011 Toronto would take on FC Edmonton for the first time ever in the semifinals. Toronto won the first leg at Commonwealth Stadium 3-0 before coasting to a 1-0 win in the return leg. On the other side of the bracket Vancouver disposed of Montreal with a 2-1 aggregate win.

The final saw the rivalry between Vancouver and Toronto get ratcheted up another notch as Vancouver could only managed a 1-1 draw in their home leg as a Maicon Santos goal cancelled out Eric Hassli's effort, in a game which probably should have finished at least 3 or 4-1 to the 'Caps. That left the tie very much in the balance for the return leg but after Hassli scored early in the game to give Vancouver the lead, the weather decided to turn against them and the match had to be abandoned just after the hour mark due to a thunderstorm that would not letup. Teitur Thordarson was once again filled with rage, and that would be his final chance at Voyageur Cup glory as he was fired before the rescheduled game took place.

The match being abandoned wiped Hassli's goal off the board and gave TFC a fresh start. It also moved the game from May 25th until July 2nd which gave TFC time to get on better form. The Caps took the lead early again, this time thanks to a goal from Camillo but TFC fought back with Joao Plata converting a penalty early in the second half before Mikael Yourassowsky got the winner handing TFC a 3-2 aggregate win.

In 2012 Toronto went up against Montreal in the semifinals after much debate over how the seeding should work considering Montreal's move to MLS meant they had a whole new roster and were much stronger than the team that finished poorly in NASL the previous season. A dull 0-0 draw in the first leg set up a dramatic clash at BMO Field which Toronto won 2-0 despite Richard Eckersley seeing red in the 17th minute of play. With Vancouver cruising to a 5-1 aggregate win over Edmonton, the rematch in the finals was on.

With Toronto unable to do anything right in league play the Whitecaps should have been the favourites to finally win the trophy but once again luck was not on their side. It took a stunning goal from Eric Hassli in second half stoppage time just for the Caps to salvage a 1-1 draw in the first leg to set the stage for a fiery return leg. That meeting saw Julian de Guzman sent off for gently touching the face of Jun Marques Davidson and Sebastian Le Toux pick up his second yellow moments latter in the scuffle that followed. With both teams down to 10 men for the final half hour Toronto took advantage late with a goal from Reggie Lambe in the 83rd minute proving to be the winner.

The Voyageurs Cup has now been handed out a total of 11 times with the Montreal Impact winning the first seven editions, followed by four straight Toronto FC wins, and with Vancouver's name still not sullying the trophy. It has been contested by both the USL and MSL version of the Vancouver Whitecaps and Montreal Impact, Toronto FC, Toronto Lynx, Calgary Storm (also competed under the Calgary Mustangs name), Edmonton Aviators, and FC Edmonton over its short history.

The trophy was originally bought and paid for by a group of Canadian supporters but is now under the care of the Canadian Soccer Association who have agreed to loan it from the Voyageurs to present to the winner of the awfully branded Amway Canadian Championships. The winner of the Cup now gets the title of Canadian Champions and with that a spot in the CONCACAF Champions League but it still continues to have strong ties to Canada's leading soccer supporters group, with members of the Voyageurs doing the presenting honours each year.

Over its history the Voyageurs Cup has become a key element of the rivalries that have been formed between Canada's top three professional clubs. Montreal may have their early years of dominance to take comfort in but since winning the title in 2008 they have failed to win a single match. Vancouver has never won the trophy but their fans will point to a number of instances where they were "screwed" and assure you that this will be their year.

It is a short history but one that is full of drama which should make any Canadian fan excited about the 2013 edition of the competition. It may not be the priority for Toronto FC this season as they continue to rebuild and don't really need the extra games of competing in the CCL, but as someone who respects the history of the Voyageurs Cup it would be hard to stomach the team giving anything but their best effort to claim Canada's top soccer prize.

SBNation.com User Blog: Dave Rowaan

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