They will not only succeed in Major League Soccer, Toronto FC will help usher in a new era of soccer in North America.
In a post-Beckham LA Galaxy world, Toronto FC has the potential to become the biggest team on the continent. On paper, they are poised to make an MLS Cup run at the very least. In reality, they are just commencing their annual preseason training sessions in Florida, many, many months away from playoff soccer. As Tim Leiweke exclaimed during the unveiling of Jermain Defoe and Michael Bradley, “Why can’t we be great?”
The answer to that question will be answered come October 2014 by their off-season personnel transactions, who have set the stage for a make or break season. Jermain Defoe, Michael Bradley, Gilberto, Dwayne De Rosario, Justin Morrow, Bradley Orr and Jackson come to mind as players who will have an immediate impact on the starting XI that this club will field, while youngsters like Nick Hagglund and Jordan Hamilton are building blocks for the future. These acquisitions ebb with excitement, experience and potential. They also provide depth in the event of a CONCACAF Champions League run – perhaps I am getting too far ahead of myself.
Of the bunch, the three with easily the most hype are the Designated Players: Jermain Defoe, Gilberto and Michael Bradley. As of now, the trio are yet to register a single minute of action for the club. Despite this, their images have spanned sporting news outlets around the world and have captured the hearts of Toronto fans and casual MLS fans alike. Let’s hope for TFC’s sake that they stay in the news for positive reasons.
Defoe’s resume speaks for itself. The fifth-highest scorer in Spurs history and the 14th highest in the history of the Premier League is a proven poacher to put it mildly. Defoe is also a World Cup veteran with 55 England caps to his name. The star of the “It’s a Bloody Big Deal” campaign, players of his pedigree and class are far from being a dime a dozen in any league let alone in MLS – he will thrill fans at any opportunity he gets.
Gilberto on the other hand possesses striking capabilities yet to be exposed to a wide audience. Playing for a club which languished in the bottom of the table in Brazil, he still managed to convert enough chances to be unanimously christened as a clinical finisher by scouts worldwide. Toronto FC were quite fortunate to acquire Gilberto as they were not the only club interested in his services.
I can pride myself in saying that I am a big Michael Bradley fan. Toronto’s third DP signing this offseason, Bradley came over after his former club, AS Roma, purchased Belgian international Radja Nainggolan earlier in the international transfer window. Like Bradley, Nainggolan plays as a defensive midfielder. This is likely one of the main reasons that Bradley came back to North America in the first place. The fact that he would be struggling for minutes ahead of a World Cup would not have resonated well in his mind. Coming to Toronto assures his of regular playing time as well as the chance to assume a greater leadership role.
If General Bradley plays anything like he did at Roma, he’ll drop in front of the back four and protect them while also having the ability to play as a box-to-box midfielder. Lex Luthor (another popular moniker of his) is an energetic ball winner who plays with heart, has age on his side and has every indicator pointing to success.
But it doesn’t end with the Designated Players – Toronto’s other dabblings in the transfer market are poised to make contributions of their own. In Justin Morrow, Toronto acquires an American defender with loads of MLS experience for a player yet to reach his peak – he is 26 and has been a key cog for San Jose the past few seasons. Another aspect is that his presence should elevate the play of Ashtone Morgan, a player who has always benefited from healthy competition. Morrow has been an unused substitute for two World Cup qualifying fixtures during this past campaign, and will look to play himself into Klinsmann’s plans for this upcoming summer – let’s hope his play will be worthy of such honourable call-ups.
Another fullback Toronto has acquired on loan is Liverpudlian Bradley Orr from Blackburn, who will slot into starting right back with the departure of Richard Eckersley. A Championship calibre defender who’s played most of his career with Bristol City, he’s also had some Premier League experience with Blackburn. His deal is reminiscent of Nelsen’s last minute gang from last year, names like Hogan Ephraim and John Bostock coming to mind. There is a chance he’ll end up like captain Steven Caldwell, his play meriting a permanent transfer.
Jackson will push for a starting role in the event Osorio or Rey falter early in the year. He’s a wide player capable of working in defence or midfield solely on the right side. He has had several solid years with Dallas and at the very least will be a utility player or super-sub for Toronto.
The man who has been spared the brunt of the media attention is the man who has won more honours than any of the other names. Dwayne De Rosario has won a Gold Cup, four MLS Cups, an MLS Golden Boot, been MLS MVP, named to the MLS Best XI on six occasions, has won two Canadian Championships with Toronto FC and is the only MLS player to score 20 goals for 4 different clubs. He’s not only the captain of the Canadian national team but is also the team’s all-time top scorer.
For a North American based footballer, what hasn’t De Rosario done?
I can answer that rather easily – get Toronto FC to a playoff berth.
Skeptics will argue that he’s coming off his worst season to date, and statistically it is true. De Ro couldn’t save an atrocious D.C. United side from humiliation, but then again not many people could. He does not have to be the centre of attention this time round and with an adept cast alongside him, expect magic to happen. It is rare for a player to have had a career of his longevity in a league infamous for constant upheaval, and one who is Canadian at that. It’s a merge of two parties willing to reconcile, acknowledging that they are required for one another to succeed – it could not have come at a better moment in time.
In addition, he should exert a positive influence on the Canadian contingent of youngsters; Henry, Osorio, Bekker, Morgan, Hamilton and Welshman. He’s already had the opportunity to play with four of them on duty with the Canadian national team. It is indeed a tantalizing prospect to imagine the future of Canada’s core learning from one of its greatest ever players. Hopefully this season the aforementioned names plus recent Superdraft additions Hagglund, Lovitz and Kene Eze will continue to develop. Whether this development is with with the parent club, USL side Wilmington Hammerheads or through the new training agreement between AS Roma and TFC remains to be seen.
I for one am eager for the return of the excitement to Toronto. For what reason shouldn’t I be? #AllForOne anyone?
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