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After an incredible flurry of high profile off-season moves that have vaulted TFC into the playoff picture for the very first time, on paper, the boys in red must now get the real work done on the pitch. With pre-season all wrapped up, its hard to say that the Red's are dazzling anyone. But after all, it's just pre-season! These games mean absolutely nothing, especially considering the fact that during the tenure of Aron Winter, TFC went to the Disney Classic final but started the regular season with an MLS worst start record of 0-9. Who honestly thought that after a team like this was put together there wouldn't be any hiccups? The earlier that holes in this team are pointed out, the sooner they can be plugged. Time to gel is an absolute must and leading into this crucial season in their history, TFC has some work yet to be done.
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The DP's
Michael Bradley, probably the biggest name added by the Reds this off-season is the player who will most likely be facing the heaviest load of criticism and shouldering more than his fair share of pressure. Rumour has it that he will be TFC's captain full-time, if not on a part-time basis sharing with Steven Caldwell. Michael's abilities and knowledge gained during his apprenticeship under the watchful eye of the likes of Daniele De Rossi and Francesco Totti at AS Roma will be called on, not only on the field but also in the dressing room, where he will be expected to be a leader. He will need to have a big season…but that goes without saying.
Jermain Defoe has officially played his last game for the Spurs and will be joining the team March 1st, by all accounts. He was ruled out of Tottenham's February 27th Europa League match vs. Dnipro with a possible hamstring injury. Certainly not what supporters were hoping to hear about their star striker, heading into this pivotal season. Gilberto will have to handle the brunt of TFCs scoring threat until Defoe is back to 100% fitness, and that will hopefully not conflict with the week 2 date with Seattle.
Matias Laba's trade to Vancouver has received mixed reactions from fans on social media, but by him not being on the books for the upcoming season, TFC will now be roster compliant. This creates an interesting scenario in the centre of the pitch for the Reds, presumably creating a spot for Jonathan Osorio to fill on a full-time basis. Having not received much of anything in return for Laba, only time will tell what "future considerations" actually turn out to be.
Off-season Roster Moves
IN
Bradley Orr – Right-back – Blackburn Rovers (Season loan)
Dwayne De Rosario – Midfielder/Striker – DC United (2nd Stage Re-Entry Selection)
Gilberto – Striker – Associação Portuguesa de Desportos
Jermain Defoe – Striker – Tottenham Hotspur
Justin Morrow – Left-back – San Jose Earthquakes
Jackson – Midfielder – FC Dallas
Julio Cesar – Goalkeeper – Queen's Park Rangers (Season loan)
Michael Bradley – Central Midfielder – AS Roma
Trialist
Issey Nakajima-Farran – Midfielder – No club
OUT
Bobby Convey – Midfielder – New York Red Bulls
Darel Russell – Defender – No contract
Richard Eckersley – Right-back – New York Red Bulls
Robert Earnshaw – Striker – No contract
Matias Laba – Midfielder – Vancouver Whitecaps (season loan)
A rising star at the international level and a player who most were looking to to have a breakout season for his club, Bright Dike's season prematurely ended due to a torn achilles tendon, his second injury of this type in 3 years. Bright was riding a high tide of confidence having just been called up to the Nigerian national team to participate in pre-world cup friendlies when the unfortunate event took place. It is very likely that coach Ryan Nelsen would have heavily relied on Dike to be his scoring threat off the bench. Having lost Dike for the season, things up front are not looking as strong as they once did, especially when considering Jermain Defoe will be nursing a hamstring injury for the remainder of the preseason. I would imagine that Ryan Nelsen will now be utilizing Dwayne De Rosario up front as a third striker coming off the bench. It really is a shame that Dike will miss this very important season, and I wish him all the very best in his recovery and rehab.
Players to Watch
Initially, the player who I imagined would be headlining this section was Bright Dike. Flying high with confidence and having settled in with his new club, it would be hard to imagine him not having a career year in all aspects of his game. Considering the fact that Bright is the player highlighting the section above, it really is a shame, not just for him but also for TFC.
Two young, hometown and homegrown players to keep an eye on for this season will be Doneil Henry and Jonathan Osorio. I believe that these 2 young men will have strong seasons respectively. Henry, having trained with West Ham for a period of time this winter and spending the better part of a season under the direct teaching of veteran central defender Steven Caldwell, he has began showing signs of maturity and strong leadership capabilities on and off the pitch. He will be Toronto's go to guy to stand beside Caldwell in the centre of defence, and I'm sure will blossom into one of the leagues youngest and brightest players this season.
Coming off his rookie season in which he buried 5 goals and added a helper, Oso is looking to expand on a solid rookie season. With Bright Dike's injury essentially moving DeRo up front, Jonathan will be hope to work his way into the starting XI on a consistent basis along side Bradley. If he can have a similarly productive season on the score sheet and add a few more assists to TFC's star studded attacking pair of Gilberto and Defoe, Oso will have a career year and only increase his value both in MLS and potentially abroad.
Keys to Success
In order for this team to have success moving forward, the new players and the hold overs from last season will have to start gelling…and fast. By my estimation, more than half of the starting XI will be new to BMO Field, which for anyone who's followed TFC, is nothing new. But with expectations as high as they are heading into season 8, chemistry is the most important thing for the Reds.
TFC has a history of allowing crucial goals in the late stages of matches, and that was never more apparent than this past season. Giving up late equalizers and late game winners will have to be a thing of the past should TFC be a playoff team.
Lastly, the Reds will need goals by the truck load. Again, for a team that has historically lacked a scoring punch, the additions of Defoe, Gilberto, DeRo and Bradley will hopefully yield the offensive output that Tim Lieweke imagined when he spent $100 million on making this team credible.
Predictions
There are two ways of looking at the way this season will unfold. One is that TFC will be the same team on the pitch as they are on paper. The other is that the lack of depth and curse hovering over BMO Field will be too much to overcome, and the Reds will as usual, be on the outside looking in.
Being the cautious optimist I am, I find myself somewhere in between those two extremes. Teams that make huge changes, like the ones made by TFC this off-season, generally result in a tough start. A key example of this would be the Galaxy after adding David Beckham. Considering the fact that even though TFC finished bottom 3 in the league last season, its tough to say that they were blown out in many games. Even though they lost majority of the games the played, they still managed to hold their own. Add to that the calibre of talent they've acquired, and we could be witnessing greatness in the making.
All things considered, I am predicting a 3rd place finish in the Eastern Conference, Jermain Defoe will lead the team in scoring with 15 goals, and there will be playoffs for the very first time in Toronto.
My projected starting lineup for opening day in Seattle
Goalkeeper – Julio Cesar
Defenders – Bradley Orr, Steven Caldwell, Doneil Henry, Justin Morrow
Midfielders – Jackson, Michael Bradley (C), Jonathan Osorio, Alvaro Rey
Attackers – Gilberto, Jermain Defoe
(Image courtesy of Toronto FC)
