Another coaching change, a roster overhaul and more empty promises. On first glance it looks like your average offseason for Toronto FC. Upon further review, however, this is very different.
Seven years of trial and error may have finally been enough for Toronto FC. This offseason, with yet another coaching vacancy to fill, the club went out and hired proven MLS executive Kevin Payne to fill in immediately as President and General Manager.
The hiring was a much needed change in direction. As opposed to the coaching changes fans have grown so accustomed to, this decision is an apparent re-tooling of a system that has been failing the club for six years now. By finally instilling an acting President in, it takes any and all power away from the disaster that is the MLSE.
Payne has been given the freedom to build this club the way he knows how. He has the necessary job security which will allow him to be diligent and patient in making his moves, a luxury previous managers could only dream of. While this regime change should bring with it a sense of optimism, it will still take time to clean up the mess left by the MLSE. Patience is a must.
Only time will tell for sure if the club has finally taken a step in the right direction. Of course, freeing themselves from the damning plight of the MLSE is a good place to start.
Roster Overhaul:
Key Departures: Quincy Amarikwa, Eric Avila, Adrian Cann, Oscar Cordon, Torsten Frings, Ty Harden, Eric Hassli, Ryan Johnson, Milos Kocic, Nicholas Lindsay, Keith Makubuya, Aaron Maund, Joao Plata, Dicoy Williams.
Key Arrivals: Gele Agbossoumonde, Kyle Bekker, Joe Bendik, Justin Braun, Danny Califf, Julio Cesar, Hogan Ephraim, Emery Welshman
When Toronto takes the field Saturday at BC Place against Vancouver, they will field a team very different from that of opening day last season. With Torsten Frings retiring, Kevin Payne has plenty of cap space at his disposal.
In his first move since the departure of Frings, Payne brought in twenty-four year old winger Hogan Ephriam on loan from Queens Park Rangers. The loan deal is said to last until June 30 at which point he will return back to England. New Toronto head coach, Ryan Nelsen, was teammates with Ephriam this past season at Loftus Road. Nelsen had plenty of praise for the winger’s technical ability and with TFC’s paper thin roster, Ephriam will likely step into a first team role from day one.
Two other names Payne brought up were Robert Earnshaw and John Bostock. Earnshaw, a thirty-one year old forward from Cardiff City, and Bostock, a twenty-one year old midfielder from Tottenham will both join the team on trials. Both players will be signed on loan if they can reach an agreement.
Payne prefers the idea of a loan deal to see how the players fair in MLS play before making long term commitments to them. This theory is drastically different than that of the MLSE where patience ran scarce. Rash decisions to sign players and dismiss managers plagued the team for six years. The hope is that Payne will be able to change all that.
With expectations at an all-time low, TFC have plenty of wiggle room headed into the 2013 season. Young players will be given every opportunity to prove their worth. Patience is necessary.
The Ryan Nelsen era kicks off on Saturday with the least talented roster and most unanticipated Toronto FC season to date. 2013 is nothing more than an extended pre-season for 2014. Winning is not on the agenda in 2013. Building a winner is.
2013 Predictions
Starting XI (4-4-1-1): Stefan Frei; Richard Eckersley, Darren O’Dea, Danny Califf, Ashtone Morgan; Reggie Lambe, Julio Cesar, Terry Dunfield, Hogan Ephriam; Luis Silva; Justin Braun
Bench: Doneil Henry, Logan Emory, Jeremy Hall, Kyle Bekker, Matt Stinson, Andrew Wiedeman
MVP: Darren O’Dea
Top Scorer: Luis Silva (10 goals)
Top Defender: Darren O’Dea
Best Newcomer: Julio Cesar
Projected Finish: 9-15-10 (37 points); Ninth in East
Bold Prediction: Ryan Nelsen remains head coach for the entire season
(image courtesy of torontofc.ca)
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
