Toronto FC

It has been a long wait for MLS fans to see their clubs back out on the pitch. With the offseason coming to an end and all clubs back training, it is time to assess Toronto's side in preparation for next season. 

Like a few other MLS sides, Toronto's season starts extremely early this year. The first leg of the CONCACAF Champions League Quarter Final against the LA Galaxy will be played in Toronto on March 7, 2012. This will certainly be an extremely difficult fixture, as LA has retained all the big pieces from its MLS Cup winning team this past year.

Depth and Breadth 

Despite lacking the star power that other teams possess, it is clearly evident that Toronto finally possess something they have lacked since their young beginnings: depth. Toronto has quality and proven depth in nearly every position on the pitch.

They also have two very capable designated players in Frings and Koevermans and a wild-card third in De Guzman. Frings and Koevermans both proved their value in the later stages of last season. Frings provided leadership and the ability to control the pace of the game, and Koevermans saw immediate success in front of goal.

Keeper Dilemma 

The goalie situation in Toronto is certainly a luxury to have. Currently, both Stefan Frei and Milos Kocic are vying for the starting job. Fans will certainly be content with whoever wins this role. The goalie "problem" is simply that Toronto has two keepers that should be starting in this league. Look for one of these keepers to be used as trade bait if Toronto feels they have a missing piece.

Frei too has long been rumored to move overseas. If this at all a possibility, this might be the perfect year to cash in on Frei's talent.

New Faces

Toronto has a few new faces in training camp this winter, drafted, purchased and traded to enhance this side. There has been a great deal of hype around Toronto's first-round draft pick, midfielder Luis Silva. Silva, if anything, brings more youth and depth to an already crowded TFC midfield. Silva made an impressive start for Toronto in the preseason friendly against the University of South Florida, scoring a brace and two assists to help Toronto win 5-1.  

Hopefully, Silva can develop to become the centerpiece for the future. With the likes of Oscar Cardon and Matt Stinson showing promise last season, Toronto's future looks certain to be already a part of this team.  

Toronto also brought in Bermudian winger Reggie Lambe. Lambe has been dubbed a carbon copy of Joao Plata—if Lambe does pan out like Plata did, then Toronto should have two very speedy wingers to complement their attack.  

Defense is another area that Aron Winter has addressed. With Cann and Williams still question marks in terms of health, a number of defensive options have been acquired to provide help. Geovanny Caicedo, Aaron Maund, Jeremy Hall and Miguel Aceval have all been brought in to secure Toronto's obvious defensive problems.  

Toronto has a number of new faces to the squad; however, unlike the past five seasons, Toronto has secured its core group. Consistency is important and I am sure both the players and fans are thrilled that there have not been wholesale changes to this side.

Toronto will look to improve upon another dismal MLS season. Fans will be poised to achieve a playoff birth, whatever the outcome this side looks built to compete with any MLS club on any night. While there are still some glaring question marks in the center of defense, hopefully one of the many listed names can earn a spot and perform. 

Winter has systematically addressed needs and filled them this offseason. It will interesting to have an early look at the product against the reigning champs this March. 

After a few terrible seasons without any real quality in the full-back positions, Toronto has locked up a mainstay starter to secure this position.  

Last season, English full-back Richard Eckersley was signed on loan from League Championship side Burnley.  In his first season with The Reds, Eckersley showed competence at right-back, a desire to push forward and attack from the back, as well as great heart and desire on the pitch.  

However, after finally finding the right-back the team needed, it became evident that retaining Eckersley from his loaner team would not be an easy task due to finances and league policies.  In fact, there were several instances in this short offseason where it appeared as though this signing would not be possible.  

On Thursday, January 26, Toronto FC officially announced the re-signing of the former Manchester United youth defender Richard Eckersley.  

At only 22 years of age, Eckersley holds and has already proven a great deal of potential to be successful in the MLS.  Both team and fans alike can breathe one deep sigh of relief that this deal has been finalized.  Per Toronto FC, club manager and technical director Aron Winter stated:

“Signing Richard was a very high offseason priority, our team has worked tirelessly to ensure he would be returning. This signing represents another successful step in our off season progress as a club. Richard is an important player for our club. We know our fans will be excited to see Richard on the pitch.”

No contract information has been released to date, but this is a permanent move to secure Eckersley.

In an odd sort of fashion, Toronto FC's new kit was just recently released today via an on-line soccer shop.  The team is yet to reveal these 2012 away kits themselves yet somehow, someway they are currently for sale.  

Apart from the strange fashion in which these jerseys were leaked, Toronto will be supporting a new look in away fixtures this upcoming season.  In a change from the all white 2011 kits, this year's away jersey will support red shoulders that extend down the sides and back of the kit.  

Most notably, and in another odd note, it appears as if Toronto has changed their crest for this kit by eliminating the grey from the "T" for a much plainer but appealing look of red and white.  

These jerseys are indeed plain and it will be hard to erase the success and appeal of the "all white" kits, but certainly these jerseys could be much worse.  Frankly some of the kits that have been released thus far are absolutely terrible (Columbus what were you thinking with these?).

Toronto fans have been fortunate to have a wide variety of fashionable looks over their early five-year history.  Heading into year six I think it is safe to say that again we should have one of the most appealing kits in the league.  

These away jerseys will compliment Toronto's home shirts nicely with a similar look.  Hopefully the product on the field this season will perform as well as they look.

As a side note, I hope the day comes where their is variety in the league in terms of makes.  Adidas makes respectable kits; however, it would be nice to introduce some variety to the league.

*I will continue to monitor the situation at hand with this awkward jersey leak and provide updates as time progresses.  

The MLS offseason has been quiet thus far, with both the expansion draft and re-entry draft having already taken place. Toronto FC has been especially quiet—only waiving a few roster players and adding one young prospect (Reggie Lambe).

This is just the calm before the storm. Moves must and will be made as Technical Director Aron Winter is looking to make changes during his first full offseason with the team.

TFC has solidified itself as one of the most popular clubs in the young league, but has yet to make an appearance in the playoffs. Last season could be split into two entirely different campaigns because basically the entire team was flipped midseason. The second half was a success and the team will look to build on this.

Looking forward to next season we have a birth in the knockout stages of the CONCACAF Champions League, and of course the introduction of the newest Canadian MLS Franchise, Montreal Impact. 

The next step in the offseason will be the 2012 MLS Superdraft, where Toronto holds picks four and 12 in the first round.

Team Needs:

Playmaking, Central Defenders

Team Surplus: 

Goalkeepers, Defensive Midfielders.

Breakdown

The team is solid upfront with Danny Koevermans in the middle and a plethora of options on the wings.

Holding down the midfield is captain Torsten Frings, who is joined along with experienced players like Julian De Guzman and youth like Eric Avila. JDG might be expendable as he has a large contract and little place on the team now that Frings is around—but there aren't many teams willing to take on his contract.

The team needs more flair and playmaking from the midfield, as the only current #10 on their team is Avila. Look for the team to explore another option to bring in a proven provider.

The defense is in shambles, as the injury bug plagued the back line this past season. Realistically, the team is thin through the center of defense and are in need of a strong leader to shore up the line. Look for the team to bring in a player with some pedigree as a CB.

Toronto FC has the best goalkeeping duo in the league, hands down. This might be an area where you trade an asset for a team need.

Some question marks regarding a few of the players on loan to the club:

Richard Eckersley and Joao Plata, both fan favorites, are not owned by the club. TFC has been very vocal about their desires to keep both players. Joao Plata has a deal in place that is just being finalized, potentially as a 50 percent ownership deal. This means that TFC will own half of his rights, enough to keep him around for many seasons to come. Eckersley could very well be with the club next season, just no information is available as of yet. 

The Draft

With Toronto holding picks four and 12 in the first round, the draft is suddenly a big deal to management. Toronto FC could look to just trade them away, or potentially grab up some diamonds in the rough that regularly come from the NCAA.

With the fourth overall pick, my guess will be that TFC will select Andrew Wenger if he is still on the board. This is extremely unlikely. Realistically, the team selects Matt Hedges with the pick. He is a big boy who can defend. The draft opens up by Toronto's second pick, with many potential options. It is always best to stick with defenders and keepers in the draft, as their raw talent is a greater guarantee to transfer over into success in the MLS than offensive weapons. 

Dead Weight

Look for Toronto to get rid of a few additional players this offseason.

Nathan Sturgis did not have a place on this team, so he was traded. Mikael Yourasowsky is a loose cannon and should not be invited back next season. Both could easily be replaced with younger and more talented options. Adrian Cann has actually been a pretty good player for the club during his career, but the chances of him back with the team next year are slim. Contract issues arose at the beginning of last season and I do not see him being signed to play for the team for seasons to come. 

Next Year

The team is looking to add depth to the squad with Winter pointing out that he wants at least two quality players per position. Here is a breakdown of my Toronto FC depth chart as it stands in the classic Winter 4-3-3 system (Note: One of the midfield positions is left as 'M', so its open to play the point forward or point backward midfield.)

As it roughly stands right now:

#11 LW: Joao Plata, Peri Marosevic

#9   ST: Danny Koevermans 

#7  RW: Ryan Johnson, Nick Soolsma, Reggie Lambe

#10 AM: ______, Eric Avila

#8    M: Julian De Guzman, Terry Dunfield

#6  DM: Torsten Frings, Matt Stinson, 

#5  LB: Ashton Morgan, ______

#4 LCB: Andy Iro, Dicoy Williams

#3 RCB: ______, Ty Harden, Doneil Henry

#2  RB: Richard Eckersley, Jeremy Hall

#1  GK: Stefan Frei, Milos Kocic 

Cordon, Bouchiba, Makubuya and Lindsay all are non-factors right now. They are reserve only players.

And yes, I do associate positions with certain numbers. I also think they should be enforced...loosely. Look at Rugby Union and how brilliant it is with assigned positional numbers.

That's how my chart looks. Any thoughts? What does yours look like? 

I feel obliged to share the information at hand, seeing that it has not yet been mentioned.  Early this December, Toronto FC inked 20-year-old Reggie Lambe to a professional contract in Toronto.  The team did not release financial details.

Lambe joins Toronto from Championship side Ipswich Town F.C.  Despite lack of playing time at Ipswich, Aron Winter stated on the Toronto FC website he was very glad to add another attacking winger with speed to complement his side. 

Winter said, "Reggie is a dangerous winger with a great amount of speed and ability. He will be an important player and will fit in well with our club."

Lambe may not have found a great deal of success in England. However, he has already seen 13 caps for his Bermudian national side for which he was named captain earlier this year.  His speed and ability on the ball should definitely add attacking options to Winter's squad and provided depth.

Toronto fans are hoping that Toronto's technical directors are on to something with this acquisition.  Following the formula of the successful drafting of the small and speedy Joao Plata, who proved to be a fan favorite and very capable MLS player, Toronto is looking to Lambe to compliment Plata's speed, skill and success on the other side of the pitch.

Toronto's offseason has been very slow thus far as Toronto fans still patiently await the re-signing of both Joao Plata and Richard Eckersley.  

But perhaps quiet can be welcoming for a team that has been a constant revolving door of both coaches and players in the past five years.  Pressure will be high for success this year, but consistency and time are both necessary to build a contender.  

Toronto is establishing quality skilled youth to complement their growing collection of quality veterans.  At 20 years of age, Lambe should be an important piece going forward for Toronto that can hopefully contribute immediately. 

The hotly debated topic regarding a venue for Toronto FC's leg of the CONCACAF quarter-final match on March 7, 2012 has finally been resolved.

Paul Beirne, Senior Director of Business operations to the club, announced Wednesday that Toronto would move this all-important game indoors to the multipurpose Rogers Centre, home of the Toronto Blue Jays.  

This decision has been heavily scrutinized by Toronto supporters for months. However, as reported by torontofc.ca, this venue change was a necessity due to the unpredictability of March weather in Southern Ontario. Bernie said of the decision:

"A lot of thought went into selecting the home site for this very important match.  While we would have loved to host our quarterfinal match at our home, BMO Field, ultimately the decision came down to our ability to deliver a safe and enjoyable event in a venue that could withstand the unpredictability of March’s weather conditions."

Obviously, an important and very difficult process, Toronto management made a very tough decision on this occasion. But, it was the proper choice. 

Although some supporters may still yet feel disappointment, there are definite positives going forward with this venue—which I have outlined in a previous article.

Toronto has the opportunity to make this game memorable. With an improving squad, TFC should put on a show for their fans in this, the largest game in Toronto FC's 5 year existence.  

However, with such a large potential capacity, this could very well be not only the biggest game in club history, but if tickets are priced appropriately, this could also be one massive crowd.  

Rogers Centre has the potential to hold 50,000 screaming fans in red on this day. Although for this, the public will have to wait till ticket information is released in January.  

This clash will potentially host some of the largest names in Major League Soccer. Robbie Keane, Torsten Frings and, if he decides to resign with LA Galaxy, David Beckham will all grace the pitch on this history making day.  

Landon Donovan will not, however, as he is headed to Goodison Park in January on loan to Everton F.C..  

Regardless of individual opinions or wants, Toronto management took the safe and responsible route in naming Rogers Centre the temporary home of Toronto FC.

Wherever the game will be played it is likely to live up to the very high expectations.