Toronto FC midfielder Marky Delgado had a very successful season in his first year in Canada. Starting the season as an afterthought, he became an integral piece of head coach Greg Vanney’s line-up. Whether it was at fullback or attacking midfield, Delgado was a consistent performer. Last season, I got to speak to Delgado and found out a lot more about his story of character and grit.
While everyone else was celebrating their sweet sixteens and worrying about prom dates, Marky Delgado was busy signing his first professional contract for former MLS club, Chivas USA. Things couldn’t have been any better for the California native. Home cooked meals, no rent, and living the professional athlete lifestyle; his dream.
Toronto FC Midfielder Marky Delgado Facing Stiff Test for Time
A few months later, he made his debut for Chivas as a fullback. He went on to make 36 appearances – all this before his 18th birthday. He was proving to be a mainstay on the Chivas team. As well as his defensive presence, his attacking talent was starting to be recognized. Chivas used him as an attacking midfield for much of his career there. Proving to be a dependable asset, his career as a footballer was taking the next step at his home team.
Everything was a Cinderella story until the Chivas USA folded prior to the 2015 season. Delgado and his team mates were going to be distributed around the continent as part of the MLS expansion draft. For an 18 year old trying to break into the league as a regular, Delgado was going to have to start from the bottom and prove his abilities as a footballer all over again, and he’d have to leave home. Toronto selected him 14th.
“At the beginning, it was tough for me – coming in here as a new player and a young player – getting situated and settled down. It was tough for me.” Delgado explained.
Things were going to be difficult in Toronto prior to the 2015 season. Toronto made a splash by signing two new designated players in Jozy Altidore and Sebastian Giovinco. Missing the playoffs for the last eight seasons, management in Toronto were determined to qualify this year. After the “Bloody Big” meltdown from the year before with Jermain Defoe, Toronto simply could not fail this season. It was playoffs or bust. This made the teenager’s job of cracking the line-up even more challenging, as there was not much room for failure. It didn’t look any more promising when Toronto sent the teenager to the U20 World Cup while the MLS season was underway.
After sitting on the bench for an entire month, he finally got to start in the 401 derby. Delgado never looked back. He ended the season with three goals and three assists in 20 appearances.
Delgado’s greatest strength is his ability to never lose the ball. He can pick a simple pass or an accurate pinpoint pass through traffic. Defensively he is rarely a liability, and while he may not be a bright dribbler who takes on players like Jonathan Osorio or Giovinco just yet, he is a smart player who maintains possession for his team. His movement is also smart.
Going into the 2016 season, Delgado will definitely have higher expectations. With the addition of midfielder Will Johnson, competition for roster spots will be even greater. Considering the fact that Benoit Cheyrou, Michael Bradley, Jonathan Osorio, Giovinco, Altidore, and Johnson will all likely be regular starters, playing time will be hard to find for Delgado. Add in the four defenders and the six players mentioned (other than Delgado), and that is likely going to be the entire starting line-up. Delgado will have to battle alongside the likes of Collen Warner and outperform these individuals to get any look in the first team.
Thus far in his career, Delgado has been encouraging and done a positive job. As he matures, he will need to make an even greater difference on an offensively gifted team to deserve more time on the field. Simply completing passes and throwing a couple of tackles will be the basic expectations. However, the young American demonstrated offensive ability many times last season. In his first 12 games, Delgado scored four points.
One of the key battles for playtime this season may be between Osorio and Delgado; especially if Toronto employ the 4-3-1-2 formation that has been talked about thus far in training camp. With the expectation that fullbacks Beitashour and Morrow will be the width the team needs, the midfield ‘three’ will be required to be solid defensively as well as offensively. Expectation is that the three in midfield will consist of Cheyrou, Johnson and Osorio. Generally a dribbler with great attacking instincts, Osorio could be a midfielder who struggles to defend. If he’s unable to maintain the midfield shape Vanney wants, Delgado may provide what the coach prefers. He may not posses the mercurial attacking talent that Osorio produces, but he is very strong tactically and defensively.
When I asked Delgado if he expected to be a key contributor after such an uncertain start, Delgado simply said, “Oh yeah, yeah, I mean, it had to eventually come, sooner or later. I had the hunger for it and it’s coming right now.” Delgado has risen to the top from a young age, even when the odds are stacked against him. With Toronto looking to build on their playoff berth last season, Delgado will have to battle again to become a regular first team player. It will be steely self-confidence like the type he posses that will be important to believing in his ability to be a key contributor.
Main Photo: Carlos Osorio, Getty Images
