Toronto FC’s Draft Pick ups and Recent Trades: Overview and Reaction

Last week, Toronto FC partook in the MLS Super and Supplemental Drafts. Toronto FC was much more active in the draft than past years, and rightfully so, they really need more bodies in our roster. This was the first year with a new management team and without “Trader Mo”. The drafting skill of Mo Johnson was one of the very few things he was praised for at his with TFC.  I think Toronto FC’s new management team did very well, but I’ll let you decide for yourself. Here’s who they picked up, and who we traded:


Trades


Chad Barrett to LA for Future Considerations

Chad Barrett, once a prominent player
for Toronto FC, has been traded to LA

Barrett was a hardworking player who gave everything for the club. But, as a striker, he really didn’t put the ball in the back of the net as much as he should have. And with a $205,000 base salary, he was taking up far too much cap space to be worth keeping. In exchange for trading Barrett to LA we will receive future considerations. I am unsure what the future considerations will be, but it is a smart trade none the less, as we free up a lot of space for some new quality additions. 




Jon Conway to Chicago for 3rd Round, 49th Overall Selection
Jon Conway was a strong back up keeper for TFC, but that was all he was, a backup keeper. There is no reason to have three keepers in MLS, due to the emergency keeper pool. Dumping Conway was a good choice because TFC has a strong third string keeper, and former back-up keeper David Monsalve is rumored to be coming back during training campt. Normally a third round pick would be useless, but Toronto FC luckily picked up a really talented player who I will discuss later. 

Demetrius Oomphroy was
TFC's first pick in the Super Draft

Major League Soccer Super Draft


Demitrius Omphroy (#26)
He seems to be a great pick up. He is a speedy and attacking fullback that will fit in well with Winter’s new system. When Demitrius was younger, he was almost picked up by Sporting Lisbon, only to realize he had Multiple Sclerosis. Demitrius’ condition has since gone into remission and he is healthy and had a strong college career. 


Matt Gold (#43)
From what we know so far he seems to be a strong, combative midfielder. But, he is also said to have a low soccer IQ and slow decision-making. A good yet cheap midfield pick-up.

Joao Plata could be a very exciting player one day, but
he does have his share of cons, notably his very slight build.

Junior Burgos (#44)
He seems like a good offensive pick-up. He is already on the El Salvador national team, so he already has quite a bit of a pedigree.


Joao Plata (#49)
This, in my opinion, was a really smart pick up. Joao Plata is on loan to Major League Soccer from the big club LDU Quito. He's only a teenager and was the top scorer at the Super Draft Combine. So why did he get picked so low? First off, he is an international and most MLS clubs don’t want to waste an international spot on a rookie. Secondly, and more importantly, he is only 5’2. Despite his height and international status, I think Toronto did well to trade Conway for his pick.


MLS Supplemental Draft
Toronto FC hasn’t been too active in the Super Draft in previous years, but with our lack of players we picked up some really solid additions in 2011.


JC Banks (#8)
He is a strong midfield player; great speed and crossing of the ball. He could provide depth on the wings or the centre of midfield.


Steven Beattie (#13)
He is another international player; however he played in the college system in the USA. No international college players were picked up in the Super Draft. Steven Beattie is a good striker, who has scored in the double digits throughout his youth career and is a great addition to our sparse forward line. 


Spencer Thompson (#26), Scott Rojo (#44)
I’m not sure if they will be offered contracts by the club, but they seem to be pretty good college players. If Toronto does offer them a contract this season they will provide some good depth and potential. 


Recap
Overall I think Toronto picked up some solid players. The salary dump of Barrett and Conway will ultimately be worth it. They picked up a desperately needed forward in Beattie; and a desperately needed fullback with Omphroy. Toronto FC also picked up some solid midfield additions with Matt Gold, Junior Burgos and Joao Plata. Spencer Thompson and Scott Rojo should impress. I think Toronto FC did well as a whole in this MLS Super Draft, and I look forward to seeing what the new additions can do at the next level.


Toronto FC training camp takes place in a weeks’ time in Antalya, Turkey. Where they will be playing is Partizan Belgrade, Dinamo Zagreb and a TBD team. After that they  head to the southern USA for the Disney Cup and Carolina Challenge Cup. Stay tuned for more preseason news and trialists, here at BTTN.

Toronto FC Roster Assessment Part 4/4 – Forwards

This part of the assessment is, by nature, short, and it's because Toronto FC has all of one striker. How did it come to this? Well, Toronto FC academy graduate Nicholas Lindsay broke his knee last week. And this week we traded Chad Barrett to the Galaxy. It's quite comical how any team can have only one player in a position that usually fields 2-3 not to mention multiple more in depth. 


Toronto FC has been plagued by not having or finding the right striker in the past and this issue still has not been solved. The one striker we have left is good, but isn’t even quite starting material. Heck, if TFC were to start the season today, they might as well field one of the “modern” striker-less formations (4-6-0) that Sir Alex Ferguson and Roma have tried in the past. 


But the season, thank God, isn’t starting today, and they have time to get some new strikers. Seeing as they've been yearning for a prolific striker since the retirement of Dichio, I suggest Toronto FC a solid and proven DP striker. Yes it’ll be costly, yes we already have one DP already, but this is a very important position and it must be solved.


Maicon Santos 3/5

Maicon Santos is they only forward on TFC's
roster - for now. Photo by Reuters

Maicon came in later last season from Chivas, and has largely impressed. He has skill, height, power and can seemingly play anywhere across the forward line. He has scored some great goals, and showed some nice skills and link up plays. 


However his injury and joining late may have hampered his debut season and we haven't seen enough of him to make a final verdict. I doubt that he is the ultimate solution at striker but he will without a doubt assist Toronto FC greatly in the coming season.

Improvements Needed?

Obviously. Toronto FC needs 4-5 new strikers, with at least two being of high degree of pedigree and skill. And if they are lucky, hopefully we can bring in a DP as well; a DP unlike the absolute flop that was Miguel Mista. This said, I’m confident that the new management team will bring in some quality new additions.


Stay tuned for my next piece about TFC’s recent roster moves and pick-ups in the MLS Super Draft.

Toronto FC Roster Assessment Part 3/4 – Midfield

Toronto FC’s midfield situation is probably the most complicated of any position. Some of the team’s most talented players are midfielders, but they currently have some issues.  TFC is still missing a spark that will ignite a cohesive and fluid attack. Even when it comes to defensive midfielders, they are lacking. Toronto FC has some good talent in midfield, but the power really rests upon the talent choosing to work hard. TFC’s mid really lacks on the wings however, and for the life of the franchise has never really had true and consistently strong wingers. They also only have five midfielders and assuming we play 4 midfielders, that’s only one back up, nowhere near enough. 

Dwayne DeRosario is, without a doubt,
the face of the franchise

Toronto FC will either have to motivate its current midfielders or pick up more talented and inspired additions. Wingers must be bought however, and the success of the coming season partially rests on the front office’s ability to pick up wingers and midfield reinforcement.

Dwayne De Rosario (Captain)  4.5/5

Dwayne De Rosario, Toronto FC’s talismanic attacking midfielder, is our franchise player, and many times last season he was the entire team. He scored more than half of Toronto’s goals, and was the spearhead of all of TFC’s attacks. The issues really started to arise after his cheque signing celebration towards the end of the season.  DeRosario is clearly upset with the club and his current contract. Many Toronto FC fans were angered and unsure if he would return. However, recently news broke that he would be returning from Celtic prior to the start of TFC training camp. Hopefully DeRosario’s contract will also be renegotiated efficiently and both he and the team will both be happy with it.

Julian de Guzman  3.5/5

Toronto’s first and currently only DP. He has had an illustrious career in Spain and is one of Canada’s greatest players. Unfortunately, De Guzman has not played that well for Toronto. His skill is a valuable asset but his passion doesn’t seem to always be there and that really affects his playing and performance. De Guzman is great at spraying the ball around midfield but he lacks the killer instinct in the final third. He has still not scored for TFC and doesn’t have too many assists. He is naturally a defensive mid, but his diminutive size may not be enough to be a midfield enforcer in a more physical league like Major League Soccer. His defensive output also leaves much to be desired. His performance versus his paycheck is considered by many as unbalanced and this may lead to some locker room conflict. If De Guzman wants to stay with Toronto FC, he really has to shape up and take his job seriously, BMO Field is no retirement home. If De Guzman gets his act together than he will be a real midfield force in MLS and help lead Toronto FC to their first playoff berth. But it is entirely in his hands and his heart.

Nick LaBrocca  2.5/5

He’s a decent midfielder, but he’d probably be a depth player if Toronto FC gets more midfield additions. LaBrocca has some potential though, and in the last game of the season he showed some real skill and power, making him one of the best players on the field. With improvement and playing at that level he could potentially feature in the Starting XI, but even if he doesn’t, he’s a good substitute.

Jacob Peterson 2/5

Jacob Peterson joined TFC at the beginning of last season. Since then he has made little impact and was an extremely poor player before the end of the season. His touch was terrible for a professional player, and his fitness is also poor. He is likely one of the weakest players on the team. However, he did improve slightly towards the end of the season as he got more playing time under Nick Dasovic. He may have some potential, and could improve, but if TFC wants to make the playoffs, they cannot have players like Jacob Peterson starting.

Nathan Sturgis ?/5

Nathan Sturgis is a new addition to TFC this offseason. He was picked up from Vancouver, who got him in the expansion draft from Seattle, for our first round draft pick. Sturgis was taken 12^th overall in the 2006 MLS Super Draft and is part of the Generation Adidas program. He also received critical acclaim when he played in LA Galaxy’s preseason tour in England.  He clearly has some talent and was a starting midfielder for Seattle.  I’m entirely unsure of how he will do at TFC though, and it will remain to be seen if he was worth our first round draft pick.

Improvements Needed?

Yes. Toronto FC clearly has some serious skill in the midfield. Our two best players are midfielders: DeRosario and de Guzman. As long as they are both serious about working hard for the team next season, then we will be in good hands. Auxiliary midfielders are ok, but they need improvement. If Toronto FC doesn’t finally get some wingers, the offseason should be considered a complete failure. 

Toronto FC Roster Assessment Part 2/4 – Defence

This article is part two of a series, written by BTTN MLS correspondent Christian Medeiros.

Nana Attakora will be a key component of
Toronto FC's defence for years to come.

Toronto FC’s defense has been weak for the history of the club. They have struggled continuously in the pull together a cohesive backline, but last season was the first time that we had a consistently strong pairing at center-back.

 Adrian Cann and Nana Attakora were instrumental in finally raises the entire defense to satisfactory levels, but there is still work to do. Despite its improved defense, Toronto FC still let in a ton too many goals last year. TFC has only one experienced fullback, Dan Gargan and if the season were to start today, Toronto would essentially be screwed and without a doubt have MLS’s worst defensive unit.

A lot of this is due to the general weakness of the fullbacks, which undid the great work by TFC's two center-backs. Luckily, the worst of the fullbacks and defensive players have been cut already.

Garcia, whose age had really started to affect his play, was no longer useful to the club. Usanov and Hscanovics, who were brought in to play fullback at the beginning of the season, didn’t fare well either. The two eastern European defenders were totally outclassed in their roles, and left holes in Toronto FC’s defense. Both of them were also cut. If TFC’s defense is going to keep BMO field a fortress this coming season it will have to improve at fullback, especially left back.

Nana Attakora 3.5/5

He is truly a great young Canadian player, and has won the U-20 Canadian Player of the Year twice It has been great to see him grow with Toronto FC into a strong and confident center-back, from his early days as a developmental player. He has great fitness and strong positional aptitude. His ability to improve will also really allow him to fit in well to Toronto FC’s new system, whatever that ends up becoming.  Europe may also come calling in the future, but in the meantime he has a large part to play with Toronto. Don’t sleep on Nana Attakora.

 Adrian Cann 4/5

The Canadian defender was potentially the greatest addition to the roster last season. When he first arrived at the club, some in the industry were skeptical if he really was the solution at the center of defense but he has since proved the skeptics wrong. His experience and leadership have helped Toronto FC solidify the defense. The only knock one may have on him is that he isn’t too comfortable getting forward, which may not be so great in a total football system. His naming as Toronto FC Player of the Year was definitely justified, Cann will surely play an important role with the club going forward.

Dan Gargan 2.5/5

Dan Gargan is a bit rough around the edges but has a phenomenal drive to play the game. When he was playing right back he did a good job and was probably Toronto FC’s best fullback all season. His long throws add an extra dynamic to the attack and should be exploited even more in the future. He can play a number of positions, which is helpful if injuries set in. The new coaches want to play a more fluid and attacking system next year, so I’m not sure a right back in the model of Dan Gargan would be a key feature in that system. But if Toronto FC can’t pick up speedy attack-minded wingbacks, Dan Gargan will need to play a key role and I have no problem with that.

 Ty Harden 2/5

Ty Harden wasn’t featured too much last season, but when he was, he seemed like a pretty decent depth player. He will likely provide good defensive coverage next season, and add to the defensive depth.  He isn’t too mobile and lacks skill, although good improve into at least an adequate starting defender.

Emmanuel Gómez  ?/5

Gomez did not feature at all last season due to a season long knee injury. It is hard to say how he will play next season or how he will feature in next year’s squad. But in 2009 he was a solid defender with room for significant improvement.

Doneil Henry  2.5/5

Henry was the first ever academy signing and clearly is part of Toronto FC’s future. When he has played he has shown tons of potential and has done a good job in the defense. He will likely be a backup Centre Back next season, but in the future will take over the starting role.

Astone Morgan?/5

This new academy addition seems to have his share of potential. In the few games that he featured in for the senior squad, he seemed like a speedy fullback that liked to get forward. He could be the answer to the fullback problem, but only time will reveal his future.

Improvements Needed?

Yes! They're doing well with fantastic starting center backs: Attakora and Cann will serve Toronto FC well. 

Yet the depth in that position leaves something to be desired, Ty Harden and Gomez should have no major role on a team that plans to contend for a championship. The fullback position is obviously quite lacking. Astone Morgan is too young and inexperienced to be counted on. Dan Gargan is good at fullback but we can and should do better.

It’s imperative that TFC improve in defense because in some ways it has been their undoing in the past. If Toronto FC goes into the season without new fullbacks, the team is in serious trouble and blame must be heaped upon the new coaching staff.

Remaining BTTN Toronto FC Roster Assessment Schedule
Midfielders: Friday, January 14th, 2011
Forwards: Sunday, January 16th, 2011

Toronto FC Roster Assessment Part 1/4 – Goaltending

With training camp starting within the month, and our coaches now in place it is time to assess Toronto FCs roster and what additions are needed in the off season. It’s quite alarming that Toronto FC only has 17 players on its roster, when the MLS can take a maximum of 26 senior roster players and 4 developmental ones.

Not only is the roster abysmally small, but Toronto FC has only picked up one new player this offseason. At the moment, it is frightening to glance at the currently barren TFC roster, however there is hope.

Firstly, there are some very talented players who are remaining. Secondly, much of the fat from last year’s roster has already been cut. Overpriced and outclassed players like Garcia, Hscanovics and Usanov have already been released, along with others who were not worth the cap space they took up. And most importantly we have a new management team in place that will be actively looking for players to fill their system. What remains in the roster? Is it a good core to build on? Or is there much more to be desired?

Here is my take on the current roster and what Toronto FC still needs for the upcoming season. In each section (Goalkeepers, Defenders, Midfielders and Forwards) I’ll rank the section as a whole and each player out of 5. I’ll try to do this as comprehensively a report as possible so that we can truly see how TFC are doing at this point.

Goalkeepers: 4.5/5
This is arguably the strongest part of the roster. Toronto FC has a formidable starting Goalie in Stefan Frei, and a great amount of depth in Milos Kocic and Jon Conway. Stefan Frei is without a doubt one of the best keepers in the league, and has saved us on numerous occasions last season with monumental saves.

Toronto FC’s back-up keepers are also excellent and have served us well when used. Toronto FC is really strong between the uprights and with good depth in Jon Conway and a great prospect for the future in Milos Kocic, the club is truly prepared for anything that comes at them.

Stefan Frei has established himself as one of
the top goaltenders in Major League Soccer

Stefan Frei 4.5/5
Stefan Frei was Drafted 13th Overall in the 2009 MLS Super Draft by Toronto FC. He has quickly established himself as the team’s top goalie and has been a key feature for Toronto FC ever since. He’s earned numerous Save of the Week awards, a couple Man of the Match distinctions and in 2010 had the most saves of anybody in Major League Soccer. Stefan Frei has been a life saver for Toronto; His saves have kept them in games that would otherwise be outright embarrassments.

He is more than just a shot stopper however. He’s a great leader and communicates well with his defense. He is a pretty good ball distributor. Other than Maurice Edu he has been the best draft pick in Toronto FC history. In the next couple years, if Frei’s excellent form continues, he will likely make a big deal move to Europe. Until then he will continue to be Toronto FC’s savior between the posts.

Jon Conway should be a solid back-up
for Toronto FC in 2011

Jon Conway 3.5/5
Jon Conway has been in Major League Soccer for 10 years now and has established himself as a very steady back-up keeper. He has won two MLS Cups and was previously the starting goalkeeper for RBNY as well as a supporting keeper to some of the league’s best, like Joe Canon and Pat Onstad. Jon Conway could probably start at some MLS clubs.

He is a strong shot-stopper and has adequate distribution skills. When featured, he has done well and impressed. He will continue to help out when Stefan Frei is injured or rested and I feel confident in his abilities to cover for Toronto FC in net.

Milos Kocic, the team's third keeper,
would benefit from another loan overseas

Miloš Kocic 3/5
Kocic is another great back-up keeper and loaning him out to Serbian White Eagles last season really helped him improve. He is young and has loads of potential; if Stefan Frei is sold to a European club, Milos could be our replacement. Another loan next season would be a good idea as he is our third string keeper, the loan would help him improve even more.


Improvements Needed?
Not at all. Frei is an amazing starting keeper who will continue to improve, he is really someone we can trust and rely on to keep our net empty. Meanwhile, Kocic and Conway are both good back-ups. So what can this section of our roster improve on? Frei had a massive amount of saves last year (108), but he really shouldn’t have to make that many. The defense really has to step it up and support their keepers and in Part Two we will talk about the defense and what must be done there.

What do you guys think about our Goalkeeper situation? Do you have any preliminary thoughts about Toronto FC’s defense? If you have any questions/comments make sure to post them in the comments section. Thanks for reading!

Remaining BTTN Toronto FC Roster Assessment Schedule
Defense: Tuesday, January 11th, 2011
Midfielders: Friday, January 14th, 2011
Forwards: Sunday, January 16th, 2011

Beautiful Soccer Finally Arrives In Toronto

This article is by BTTN Toronto FC correspondent Christian Medeiros, a TFC season-ticket holder and MLS insider.

Toronto FC has been with a void at important coaching positions since the end of last season, and all of TFC nation were getting nervous this holiday season when new appointments still hadn't been made. But have no fear, Christmas has still come to Toronto FC - just a bit late. This afternoon at a press conference Toronto FC will announce the addition of three Europeans who will manage the helm.

First up we have Aron Winter, former national team player and Ajax assistant coach for three years. He brings professionalism, experience, and a new footballing philosophy to the Toronto FC. This season, the prospect of watching Dutch inspired football from the south end of BMO Field is unthinkable.

Secondly, TFC will be bringing in Bob De Klerk who has been working with Winter at Ajax and in the Ajax Academy. De Klerk will be TFC’s new assistant coach. More Dutch infusion, especially people who have worked with our new coach can only be a good thing.

Our final but definitely not least important addition is Paul Mariner. Paul Mariner has just left Plymouth Argyle, an English league one side to join TFC. Paul has solid MLS experience as he was assistant coach for the New England Revolution for several years. His experience will be invaluable at his new role as head of player personnel. His knowledge of the strange MLS rules will allow him to help our new Dutch coaches.

A few questions do arise though. What will happen with interim manager and coach Cochrane and Dasovic? Where will Brennan, Dichio and the rest of the coaching staff fit in? We’ll have to wait until this afternoon to find out. But regardless of what happens, I am supremely excited for the new season and cannot wait until I am holding my new ssh scarf up high at the home opener and finally watching beautiful football in Toronto.

Am I being a bit too optimistic? Maybe. But after a dismal season, this is the time for us TFC supporters to enjoy and rejoice!