With today’s news of the trade between Toronto’s Dan Gargan and Chicago Fire’s Dasan Robinson, Total MLS writers Alex Moretto and Jeff Krause came together to give their take on the trade, and what it means for each club.
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TORONTO FC
Aron Winter’s camp refuses to rest.
After an impressive 2-1 victory last night in the first leg of Toronto’s CONCACAF Champions League group stage qualifier, Winter has made yet another deal. The club shipped defender Dan Gargan to the Chicago Fire in exchange for defender Dasan Robinson. Gargan came to Toronto at the beginning of the 2010 season after spending 2009 with the Puerto Rico Islanders of the USL. He appeared in 43 games in just over a year and a half with the club.
Gargan started 12 games with the club this season and stepped up nicely when the back four was hit with the injury bug. He was used as a substitute on four separate occasions this season as well. Gargan, who is not the flashiest player, would be best used as a substitute with the Fire. What he lacks in skill, he makes up for with grit and tenacity, making him somewhat of a pest for opposing attackers. In all fairness, Gargan was not placed in the ideal situation with Toronto. Playing alongside one of the league’s worst back lines did not help his cause, perhaps leading to his early exit from the club.
The deal appears to be nothing more than a depth move. With Dicoy Williams out for the season however, this could be a window of opportunity for Dasan Robinson to step in and prove he can contribute. “We had an opportunity to acquire another defender and provide depth for our club,” said Coach Winter in a press release regarding the trade. “I’d like to thank Dan for his contributions to our club but we felt this was a move we needed to make. Dasan brings us depth and versatility because he can play central defence or right.” With Toronto’s playoff hopes dwindling and only eleven games remaining on the schedule, TFC fans can only hope Robinson has an immediate impact with the club. Toronto remains on the road this week as they get set to take on Portland on Saturday at 11:00 Eastern Time.
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CHICAGO FIRE
Today, Chicago dealt veteran defender Dasan Robinson to Toronto FC for Dan Gargan, in a move that, at least on the surface, seems more of a lateral move for Chicago than it does Toronto. Chicago will also reportedly receive Toronto’s 2nd round pick in next year’s MLS SuperDraft.
Robinson heads to Toronto looking to shore up a shaky backline for the Reds. Dasan appeared in 85 matches since being drafted by the Fire in 2006. He scored three goals, and had one assist. On the other side, Gargan has seen far less time for Toronto. Since coming to Toronto, the Philadelphia product has appeared in 43 matches, scoring once with four assists.
For Chicago, Robinson appeared in 5 games in 2011, starting two matches. His impact has been far less than previous years’, as injuries have hampered the Evanston, IL native more recently, stealing away some of the edge that helped him accrue significant minutes in his first two seasons with the club. Surely, at age 27, Robinson has plenty of gas left in the tank, and it’s likely that, if he can stay healthy in Toronto, he will gain at least some of that form back.
Robinson will certainly bring some maturity and stability to a troublesome defense in Toronto. His time in the league is sure to pay dividends for Toronto, who have been no stranger lately to making changes to their lineup to better position themselves in the standings. Robinson fell victim in Chicago to a sub role early on, as both Carlos de los Cobos and Frank Klopas have opted for a defense that seem to have clicked together. Dasan saw playing time earlier in the season, but with the returned health of Josip Mikulic, Robinson was relegated to 6th or 7th on the depth chart, resulting in little time on the pitch. That’s sure to change in Toronto.
Gargan, on the other hand, will likely sit in the 18 as a sub, but whether or not he starts is up for debate. It’s not likely that Klopas will do anything to disrupt the starting four who have comprised the defense that seems to be the one positive thus far in Klopas’ tenure, but it’s possible that Gargan could come in as a RB in place of rookie Jalil Anibaba, if Klopas is looking to use veteran talent to make a real playoff push in the second half of the 2011 season.
Images courtesy of Chicago Fire / Toronto FC
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