By the time the ball was last kicked on against Montréal, preparations were already commencing for the 2016 Major League Soccer season. Toronto FC have made some moves already, some logical but others quite exciting from a tactical perspective.
First of all, Toronto FC have rid themselves of their “average goalkeeping conundrum” – both Joe “Big Shrimp” Bendik and Chris Konopka have departed the club, with rumours that Bendik will sign in Orlando City SC in the coming weeks. Konopka proved himself as an invaluable backup keeper, but as the season progressed the club knew he was due for a pay raise that they could not afford if they were to sign a solid, veteran starter that Bendik clearly was not.
Who will replace them? Clearly, the starting role is undetermined and is anyone’s guess. As for the reserve keeper, it’s now or never for Quillan Roberts to step up to the plate and deliver. He’s been in the organization for several years now, and his development has been steady. If it’s not him, then it’s his senior, the first round draft pick Alex Bono. Both played for Toronto FC II last year, but it was Bono who failed to impress as often as Roberts did.
There have been many rumours of late that the unemployed Italian manager Walter Mazzari will taking over for Greg Vanney. While they have been rampant across the seas, the new TFC President Bill Manning has squashed these rumours the instant they appeared in the local media. For the record, Mazzari has been living in Manchester attempting to learn English for his next managerial position, indicating that it will obviously be somewhere in the English speaking world. Frankly, the rumour mill generator is as simple as asking this question: who is an Italian that plays in an English country? 1) Graziano Pelle 2) Sebastian Giovinco 3) Andrea Pirlo 4) Angelo Ogbonna.
But I digress; the important aspect here is that Greg Vanney will return for a third year in charge. Third. For a team known for having as many coaches as seasons in existence, this is wonderful for the continuity. The only departures as of yet are Jackson, Robbie Findley and Manuel Aparicio. So far, this signals a positive foundation that the club realizes it must foster, something remarkable for Toronto FC. After nearly a decade, this is not a re-building process the club is embarking upon – it has yet to be built. The amount of players returning for the upcoming season are truly a record for TFC and their revolving circus.
Jackson has been replaced by Iranian international and former Whitecap Steven Beitashour, a player who is a natural right back unlike Jackson. Throughout last season, he was played out of position to cover for the injured Mark Bloom. Beitashour’s experience and attacking prowess meanwhile will reap dividends on the counter attack, but his defensive play is nothing to scoff at. He has a World Cup under his belt after all.
To stabilize the defence, Drew Moor has been brought in from the Colorado Rapids. He will be given much freedom to control the tempo along with Perquis in the middle. I would be shocked if Ahmed Kantari is allowed back into the squad; he was nothing but dreadful when called into action. If anything, that Josh Williams was starting ahead of him says it all – he’s a natural right back playing the in Kantari’s position ahead of him. It’s quite obvious that he played for the last place Ligue 1 team twice in his career.
Then there is the curious case of Manuel Aparicio. Once deemed one of the more promising Academy signings in Toronto FC history, he slid down the depth chart behind players like Jay Chapman and Chris Mannella, figuring mostly for TFC II this year. Really though, at just 20 years old with hardly any chances given to break into the first team, is this a fair move? It’s not like he had a hefty salary. It leaves the mouth a tad bitter, and one must think that Toronto FC have something else in store for the local talent. Perhaps he will sign to the USL affiliate on a USL contract as opposed to being loaned to them?
One move which makes the most sense for this team is the departure of Robbie Findley. Taking home upwards of $210,000, for a bench player it did not make much sense. Sure, he had quite the spell at Real Salt Lake, but this past season he was given a chance to prove himself north of the border and ultimately failed to take it. It shouldn’t have come as a surprise, what with the mid-season signing of Herculez Gomez and Luke Moore already being present, along with Canadian youth prodigy Jordan Hamilton struggling for playing time. It does signal the intent for a tactical adaption heading into next season – the lack of a true winger in the squad save for Dan Lovitz.
Yet so does the acquisition of Canada’s vice-Captain, MLS Cup winner, and former All-Star Will Johnson. Another central defensive midfield player, his signing demonstrates that if Toronto are going to play with him, Bradley and Cheyrou in the same lineup, then they will likely adapt to using Bradley in an attacking position. Given the chance to run at defenders, Bradley has been dangerous yet it also allows a permanent move to the wings for Osorio and Giovinco in the 4-4-3.
Truly, the acquisition of Johnson will benefit the freedom of Giovinco to cut into wherever he wishes, overlapping with Bradley whenever they desire – he won’t be isolated as he was at times while striking with Altidore. For a team not short on goals, their offseason so far is heading them into a direction where they will be even scarier next season, if that’s possible. The only problem foreseeable is the back, and Tim Bezbatchenko seems to be well on his way to addressing that. The offseason is young, and there will likely be several more moves made to bolster this exciting TFC roster in the coming weeks.
