IN:

Nathan Sturgis – 23 year old American midfielder. Was with the Sounders last season playing often in a defensive role. Good for dead ball situations.
Nick Soolsma – 23 year old Dutch forward signed from VV Young Boys where he scored 6 goals in 11 appearances.
Javier Martina – 24 year old Dutch forward who came through the ranks of the Ajax Youth Academy under Winter and de Klerk. Spent time on loan last year with HFC Haarlem. Has impressed in preseason with his quick direct play down the wings and deliveries into the box.
Elbekay Bouchiba – 32 year old Dutch midfielder who spent a large chunk of his career in the Dutch Eredivise before spending the last couple of years in Qatar with the club Al-Wakrah
Gianluca Zavarise – 24 year old Canadian midfielder. Has been on trial with the club during the preseason. Has now been signed from Iraklis FC of the Greek Super League.
Alan Gordon – 29 year old Striker known by Toronto fans as the guy who broke Adrian Cann’s nose last season. Traded from Chivas for Nick Labrocca. 16 goals, 12 assists in 99 apps for LA Galaxy. Can be used as an effective target man.

OUT:

O’Brian White – Traded to Vancouver likely because of his high salary and complete inability to score goals as a striker.
Joseph Nane – Traded to Columbus. Had his chances last season under Preki, but never really impressed.
Gabe Gala – Released. The man who scored that one precious goal for TFC in that friendly with Real Madrid.
Martin Saric – Released. Always tried out on the pitch, but the guy was a walking red card at times. A real Preki-type player.
Maxim Usanov - Released. Featured a lot last season, but nothing special.
Raivis Hscanovics – Released, presumably for lack of vowels.
Mista - Worst DP signing ever? I think he scored once for us in the CCL but ended up being ineffective or injured the rest of the time. Said some very nice things about Toronto in a recent Spanish interview.
Nick Garcia – Option declined. Did better in 2009 than in 2010, but supporters really couldn’t forget 2009 and the fact that he was brought in through a Mo connection. He provided experience and was a good dressing room influence from what I hear. Biggest problem was that he cost way too much under the salary cap.
Fuad Ibrahim – Option declined. Never showed enough beyond promise.
Amadou Sanyang – Option declined. Another player that got a lot of playing time under Preki. Technical skill underwhelming.
Chad Barrett – Traded to LA Galaxy much to my chagrin. Perhaps he wasn’t best suited to the new system that TFC will be employing this season. Getting rid of him freed up a lot of cap space.
Emmanuel Gomez – Waived. Ben Knight seemed to like him.
Nick Labrocca – Traded to Chivas USA. A bit surprising as he seemed to be doing well in preseason and was generally a good team player. I guess Winter just didn’t know how to fit him into his new side or didn’t see enough in him to keep him around.

DRAFTED:

Demitrius Omphroy – 21 year old defender; Just picked up a knock in training but nothing serious; SuperDraft Pick #26
Matt Gold – 22 year old Midfielder; Might be on the outs; SuperDraft Pick #43
Joao Plata – 18 year old Forward; Played a couple of games but might be too lightweight for MLS; SuperDraft Pick #49
J.C. Banks – 21 year old Midfielder; Supplemental Draft Pick #8 (status unknown)
Spencer Thompson – 22 year old Midfielder; Supplemental Draft Pick #26 (status unknown)
Scott Rojo – 21 year old Midfielder; Supplemental Draft Pick#44 (status unknown)

These are players who were chosen in a draft this year but have not yet signed a contract with the club.

TRIALISTS:

Mikael Yourassowsky – 28 year old Defender; has played a ton in preseason and very likely to join the club
Andrew Ornoch – 25 year old Midfielder
Dicoy Williams – 24 year old Defender
Ivo de Heus – 22 year old Midfielder
Jamal Gay – 22 year old Forward
Joevin Jones – 19 year old Defender

Players who are currently on trial with TFC. Could either be offered a contract or be released.

ACADEMY PLAYERS:

Matt Stinson – 18 year old Midfielder
Oscar Cordon – 18 year old Midfielder
Keith Makubuya – 18 year old Forward
Kevin Aleman – 17 year old Midfielder
Ashtone Morgan – 20 year old Defender

These are all players from the TFC Academy (who have spent time training with squad during preseason)

**********************************************************

Right now, this is who we have available in the squad:

Goalkeepers: Stefan Frei, Milos Kocic

Defenders: Nana Attakora, Adrian Cann, Dan Gargan, Ty Harden, Doneil Henry

Midfielders: Julian deGuzman, Dwayne DeRosario, Nicolas Lindsay, Jacob Petersen, Nathan Sturgis, Elbekay Bouchiba

Forwards: Maicon Santos, Nick Soolsma, Javier Martina, Alan Gordon

There are still probably a few more players to come in soon, but this is the core squad we have at the moment. Add to that our Academy players and it doesn’t look too bad. DeRo seems to be content with the situation and by all accounts is ironing out the details on his contract (thank god). Winter sees him as an important part of the team and understands his role and significance, so I think any discontent has currently been muted. Cann has caved and come back to TFC. Winter says that he would like an apology for his behaviour, which I think is fair enough, especially considering Cann didn’t even get the raise he wanted. (How great is it to see some assertiveness from the management without them being total douchebags? Refreshing.) The fact is that Mo probably promised him something that hasn’t been delivered now that he’s gone. He’s done it before with other players and it’s always been a headache. Mo really is the gift that keeps on giving, so I wouldn’t be surprised if we see one or two more contract disputes from some of those signed under his reign. Nana is also in contract negotiations. It seems he wants to wait until he sees how the new management team pans out and whether TFC makes any progress before committing his future to the team. Fair enough. TFC can be a real circus at times so I can’t really blame him for showing a bit of reluctance. Hopefully, the season will go well enough that he sticks around for a few more seasons.

There’s a decent crop of players there to choose from, even if we are currently lacking a bit of depth. Here’s a possible starting XI from the players available:

Frei

I should add a couple of caveats. Number one: This is not necessarily the team that will start against Vancouver. This is just me trying to see what our possible team would look like. Number two: we have some guys injured that may not feature right away and we might be bringing in more. I think this lineup gives us a good sense of what we can expect right now for the Vancouver game (except for injured players). It looks decent with a bit of pace on the wings. Maicon is strong as a frontman. DeRo still looks sharp even after all these years. Petersen has looked good ever since Preki lift. Not bad. If they can gel there is definite potential that can only get better with some smart additions. What do you think?

**********************************************************

Don’t forget to follow Toronto FC Offside on Twitter for the latest news, links, and updates: www.twitter.com/TFCOffside

On Thursday, TFC faced Charlston College in a friendly game before the tournament. Our side featured a lot of young players and academy products:

Toronto FC: David Monsalve (Stefan Frei ’60), Demitrius Omphroy, Ivo de Heus, Ty Harden (Elbekay Bouchiba 30’ Mikael Yourassowsky 60’), Mikael Yourassowsky (Ashtone Morgan 30’), Elbekay Bouchiba (Oscar Cordon 30’), Nick La Brocca (Nathan Sturgis 60’), Gianluca Zavarise (Keven Aleman 30’), Jacob Peterson (Nick Soolsman 30’ Javier Martina 60’), Maicon Santos (Andrew Ornoch 60’), Dwayne De Rosario (Joao Plata 30’ Keith Makubuya 60’).

Plata was fouled in the box in the 40th minute and got a penalty which he scored to make it 1-0. Charleston also had a penalty awarded to them in the second half, but the shot went over the bar. The game ended 1-0 to TFC. It’s nice to have won a game again, even if it was a college team. Winter seemed pleased with the performance overall and probably used the game as a chance to see the potential in youth players as well as give the trialists another useful runout.
It’s good to see Nathan Sturgis in there. I almost forgot about him during the preseason, but he was also dealing with an injury if I’m not mistaken. Julian deGuzman has also resumed training with the team, which is great news and hopefully we will have him fit for the beginning of the season.

On Saturday, The Reds faced Chicago Fire in the first game of the Challenge Cup.

Toronto FC: Toronto FC (4-3-3) Frei, Gargan, Attakora, Yourassowsky (Stinson 87’), Morgan (Ornoch 46’), LaBrocca (Makubuya 69’), Cordon, Peterson (Sturgis 79’), Martina (Zavarise 84’), Maicon, Plata (Soolsma 46’)

The Fire went up 1-0 within six minutes after some dreadful defending by our backline. The ball was knocked straight across the goal mouth a little too easily. Davis Paul cut it back to Marco Pappa who found the target and put Chicago ahead. In the 35th minute, Logan Pause was shown a red card after a foul on TFC Academy player Oscar Cordon. That put Chicago down to 10 men for the rest of the match. After the sending off we were able to enjoy a bit more possession and have a couple of decent efforts on goal.
In the second half, we were able to keep possession again, but what was lacking most was our fluidity in midfield and attacking threat. Fire were happy for us to knock the ball around in our own half, but they were strong in shutting us down when we tried penetrating their defense. Right now, a lot of our passes seem to be just a little too heavy or a little too light, but with time that should improve. The players need to be more aware of what is around them and not allow themselves to get dispossessed so easily.

Chicago were able to create some very good chances on the break. I’ve said it before, but we really need to be careful getting exposed on the counter because that seems to be an issue from the games I’ve seen so far. At times we looked like the team with 10 men and really, being a man up we should have done better. Another big issue is that we lack a lethal goal poacher. We don’t currently have someone who will bring home the goals for us. Maicon should be able to chip in, but he is better suited to holding up the ball and will also be useful for set pieces. Many times our wingers would put some really great balls into the penalty box (an area that seems to be much improved from previous seasons) but no one would be there on the end of it throwing themselves at the ball to stick it in the net. We need someone who will be there to capitalize on those opportunities.

Towards the end of the match, Maicon had a great freekick on target, but the shot was parried away by the goalkeeper. I hope he can replicate that during the season because it was a great freekick and gives us another option besides DeRo. It wasn’t a great spectacle as a match. The camerawork was terrible, the commentators said that we were watching the “cream of the crop” in North American soccer (how long has that cream been sitting in the fridge?), but my favourite part was seeing the “Five Guys Burgers and Fries” advertising board. You know it’s a bad match when the highlight is getting a chuckle out of something you read in front of the half-empty bleachers. The game ended 1-0 to Chicago Fire. At least we’re losing all of our games now and not during the actual season (I hope). Next game is against Charleston Battery on Wednesday.

The motto amongst the players and staff seems to be ‘it’s only preseason and results don’t matter’. You may not like to hear it, but it’s true. The most important thing is that the players continue to work with each other and improve their understanding on the pitch. Winter, de Klerk, and Mariner all seem to be positive in general about how things are going, even if it hasn’t been pretty. I could go on, but I’d just be regurgitating a lot of what I’ve already said over and over. Patience is a virtue.

The thing that is worrying me more than the messy play on the pitch is our current roster. We need to sign some players. If my math is correct, we have 14 signed players, one of whom (Nicolas Lindsay) is injured for the season. We have been using several Academy players during preseason, which is good, and they should be able to play in the Canadian Championship games. I’m sure there are plans to sign up a couple of the trialists. Martina has been the most impressive one for me. He’s got some pace down the wings and can cross a good ball. Ornoch looked decent in the air. Omphroy has looked solid on his outings. Yourassowsky has played a lot of minutes, so he might be on the manager’s mind (though he has been prone to a slip up here and there. Chalk it up to inexperience). As I mentioned before, we lack that strong, dynamic centreforward that can bring us goals. With Cann still in contract disputes with the management, we are also lacking a big presence in our backline. I’m not sure what Cann was promised by the Mo Regime, but he is obviously dissatisfied with his current contract for some reason. Winter has expressed his displeasure at the whole situation:

“I explained to him the situation and gave him two good (contract) options to stay. I still think he’s a good defender, but what he has done is not good.

“He went away against our wishes. Last season he signed a new contract and we knew he was unhappy so we offered him a contract with two good options. And we’ve given him a lot of time to think about it. He can come back under his old (contract) conditions. But when you let your team down by leaving, when you come back, everything won’t be the same.”

Apparently, Winter talked to Cann on numerous occasions and offered more money, which Cann turned down. This whole thing is very unfortunate and extremely ill-timed. I don’t know the Cann’s side of the story, but I am just scratching my head as to why he is doing this now. If he is going to walk out on us right now and hold us to ransom, then it’s best we go get ourselves another starting CB pronto. Otherwise, someone is going to have to swallow their pride here. Winter will let him come back, but you would have to think that relations have soured between them. Hopefully we will get some better news and updates on this situation sometime this week.

There are less than 2 weeks until First Kick. Our squad is a bit bare, but we have some strong players like DeRo, deGuzman, Frei, Gargan, Attakora, Sturgis, Petersen, and Maicon who could make up our starting XI. A few strong additions would be great for this team. In the meantime, we’ve got a lot of work to do before we face the Whitecaps.

**********************************************************

Don’t forget to follow Toronto FC Offside on Twitter for the latest news, links, and updates: www.twitter.com/TFCOffside

It’s gone quiet around these here parts the last couple of weeks. My apologies, I had some urgent family matters come up and I didn’t have time for the blog. The Reds were busy though, so let me try to catch up as best I can:

• The remaining fixtures in Turkey saw TFC beat Red Star Belgrade 1-0 and lost to Dinamo Zagreb 3-1, giving the Reds a preseason record of 1-1-1

• Trialists Bas Ent and Santiago Gonzalez Acero have been released by TFC while Steven Beattie has chosen to focus on his studies at university

• A Dutch newspaper reported that TFC have signed trialists Javier Martina, Elbekay Bouchiba and Nick Soolsma. Nothing official has come from the club as of yet

• MLS released the league schedule for 2011. TFC’s full schedule can be found here

• We go to Vancouver on opening day, March 19. That’s followed by the home opener on March 26 when TFC host newcomers Portland Timbers. Vancouver comes to town on June 29

• No break during the Gold Cup

• 4 out of 5 matches in April are at BMO Field, including games against Columbus and LA Galaxy

• Schedule for the Nutrilite Canadian Championship has been announced. TFC will play a two-leg semi-final against FC Edmonton while Vancouver will play their semi-final against Montreal Impact

• Edmonton host TFC and Montreal host Vancouver on April 27. The reverse fixtures will be held on May 4. The winners of the semis will play in the two-legged final on May 18 and May 25

• TSN has announced that they have acquired MLS broadcasting rights and will be showing 24 MLS games during the 2011 season, including the 2 Canadian games

• On Monday, TFC travel to Orlando, Florida for the Disney Tournament. TFC play Houston Dynamo on Thursday in the semi-final. Check MLS main website for live match streams

Meet TFC players on Mon. Feb 21 at the Auto Show

The team has been back in the GTA since wrapping up their preaseason friendlies in Turkey. By all accounts, the players seem happy and motivated with Winter and de Klerk as a management team. They seem really open to talk to players and find out specifically what they need to improve on in order to find the solution. It’s really a positive feel coming from the team and everyone seems to be on board with the plan Winter has in mind for the club. Even DeRo is happier than he’s ever been. I saw him in the Canada game versus Greece as well, and I thought he was one of Canada’s best players, which is great to see.

It’s refreshing to see a coach that doesn’t pander or patronize their players. I believe that most players really want to play good football, passing football, attacking football. The hoofing-it-up-to-the-big-man and ultra-defensive style is one that can be effective, but can wear down a footballer. Listen to the players when they talk about how the coach want them to pass to each other more; harder passes with better control. See their faces light up as they describe how they are going to have more build up from the back and employ an attacking style. Players like to score goals too, which you can’t do so much if you are in a team that sits back too much. Managers of smaller clubs tend to go the defensive route because it’s easier and takes less time to employ as a strategy. Winter’s methods may take longer in order for the team to truly play well and get the results, but it will be worth it in the end if everyone works hard and buys into the system. You can see that if a manager has faith in the abilities of his team, then you can change the way they play. Just look at Bolton in the Premier League, or the Canadian Women’s National Team. Both of these teams went from route one football to a more passing and attacking game and you can see the players are happier and they are getting better results. We can only hope to see a similar progression with TFC this season. I, for one, am excited to see how the season unfolds in just a little under a month!

**********************************************************

Don’t forget to follow Toronto FC Offside on Twitter for the latest news, links, and updates: www.twitter.com/TFCOffside

You will remember some names already from last season. They include:

Goalkeepers
Stefan Frei (24) Swiss
Milos Kocic (25) Serbian

Defenders
Nana Attakora (21) Canadian
Adrian Cann (30) Canadian
Daniel Gargan (28) American
Doneil Henry (17) Canadian
Emmanuel Gomez (20) Gambian
Ty Harden (26) American

Midfielders
Julian de Guzman (29) Canadian
Dwayne De Rosario (32) Canadian
Nick LaBrocca (26) American
Jacob Peterson (25) American
Nathan Sturgis (23) American

Forwards
Maicon Santos (26) Forward, Brazilian

===========================================================
Three of the Draft picks from the SuperDraft are also on the roster:

Defenders
Demitrius Omphroy (21) American

Midfielders
Matthew Gold (22) American

Forwards
Joao Plata (18) Ecuadorian

===========================================================
Four players from the TFC Academy are currently with the squad in Turkey:

Defenders
Ashtone Morgan (19) Canadian

Midfielders
Oscar Cordon (18) Canadian
Matthew Stinson (18) Canadian

Forwards
Keith Makubuya (18) Canadian

===========================================================
In addition, there are several players currently on trial with the team. If they impress, they could be offered a contract by the club:

Goalkeepers

David Monsalve (22) Canadian
*Previously brought into TFC as an injury relief player in 2007. For the past 3 years he has been in Finland playing for FC Inter Turku. He played in goal for them in the Finnish Cup Final, which they won for the first time in their history. Was in the Canada squad for the 2007 U20 World Cup and the U23 squad for the 2008 Olympic Qualification tournament. He got his first senior cap for Canada in January 2010 against Jamaica in a friendly.

Defenders

Eddy Sidra (21) Canadian
*Played 2 seasons with Energie Cottbus in Bundesliga. Was a starter for Canada’s U19 and U23 teams and earned his first senior cap in 2009 against Cyprus. For the national team, he has played various positions including attacking fullback, wide midfielder, and standard defender.

Midfielders

Gianluca Zavarise (24) Canadian
*Started his career as a youth in Canada. Played half a season for Calcio Montebelluna before moving to AC Belluno in 2007. In 2008 he signed with VfL Bochum II and made 31 appearances. He then moved on to Greece, joining Iraklis Thessaloniki in 2010. Made his first start for the Canadian National Team last year against Venezuela.

Santiago Gonzalez Areco (18) Uruguayan
*Had been playing for Atletico River Plate Montevideo’s B Team until now. Made an appearance in the FIFA U17 World Cup in Nigeria in 2009. River Plate has a good record when it comes to developing youth, so could be an interesting prospect.

Bas Ent (23) Dutch
*Played for VC Volendam as a youth and was promoted to the first team when he turned 17. He played 10 games in 3 years for the club at senior level. He didn’t make many appearances because he was held back due to a serious knee injury. In 2009, Ent joined VV Katwijk and attended university. From May to July in 2010, he played in the USL with the Dayton Dutch Lions. He says he would like to play in MLS and experience soccer in a different country. Ent describes himself as a speedy winger who likes to take on defenders one-on-one. Was on trial with TFC last summer and made a solid appearance in TFC’s friendly against Bolton before trialing with Columbus Crew (boooo).

King Osei Gyan (22) Ghanaian
*Previously a player with Premier League side Fulham FC, though he never made an appearance for them. Was loaned to Belgian club Germinal Beerschot until 2010. He was released by Fulham in the summer of 2010 and attracted interest from Arsenal FC and Manchester City FC.

Forwards

Javier Martina (23) Dutch
*A striker who can play on the wing. Spent 3 years in the Ajax Academy after a couple short stints at other clubs in the Erdivisie. Was promoted to the senior team in 2008 and loaned out to HFC Haarlem in 2010. Was in the Netherlands U20 squad for the 2007 Toulon Tournament.

Nick Soolsma (23) Dutch
*Spent time with clubs HFC Haarlem and VV Young Boys in the Netherlands.

Obviously, Winter is targeting young players that he can develop and work with to fit his system. It could be a risky strategy in this league, but we really won’t know until we see the players together on the pitch. MLS is a very physical league as well, so having too many young or slight players may not be the best. Still, Winter has a clear vision of the players he wants for TFC and he deserves the chance to do things his way. It should also be interesting to see how the Academy players fare. If nothing else, they will have at least had a chance to train with the first team and spend some time with the more experienced players. We’ll have our first glimpse of the new Oranje-tinged TFC on Wednesday, though I doubt we’ll actually be able to see them unless TFC stream the match from overseas or we all try to find some dodgy stream straight from Turkey. Good stuff.

**********************************************************

Don’t forget to follow Toronto FC Offside on Twitter for the latest news, links, and updates: www.twitter.com/TFCOffside

I knew my warm and fuzzy feeling wouldn’t last too long because I was waiting for the inevitable uneasiness that was to come after DeRo finally came out to speak to the media. He was saying all the right things, but then he let his guard down a bit and revealed again his frustration at his current situation. At one point, when asked again about Celtic, DeRo shot back at the reporter asking “”If the New York Times asked you to write for their paper would you go?” He reiterated that there was no confusion over his trial/training in Scotland except for in the press.

As for his contract, things are still up in the air. Winter seems intent on keeping DeRo and making sure he is an important part of the team, so there’s no question he is staying with us this season. The issue is that DeRo wants to get paid what he thinks he is worth and what he thinks he deserves. He’s not getting any younger, and he wants to get more money now before he retires. I can understand that, particularly since he was notably underpaid at his previous clubs. However, what I don’t like is the way DeRo has handled all of this. I have already said that I don’t think his behaviour is befitting of a captain. If he does stay captain though, I will support him. It is really important that this issue is cleared up as soon as possible. The last thing we need is having a resentful captain looking at our DP with disdain or just unrest in the dressing room in general. No other club is going to pay DeRo what we do, so he won’t be going anywhere. He will obviously get a bump in his salary, but will he be made a DP? I really don’t know. It seems that Mo may have made DeRo some promises that he didn’t keep, like making DeRo a DP. Now DeRo wants what he was promised. Again, I understand where he is coming from, but he cannot hold the club to ransom. Like I said, we’re paying him much more than any other club in MLS would right now. Whatever the management decide to do, it needs to be done quickly. DeRo has already hinted that he might even sit out games if his contract isn’t sorted by the time the season starts. Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that, though I suspect it won’t. The most important thing is that he accepts what TFC have to offer and keep up his good work on the pitch.

As for the other players on the team, what’s clear is that Winter and the rest sat down with them and told them exactly what they envisioned for TFC. We would play with three forwards up front and play the ball out from the back. That means our keeper and backline would need to get used to having the ball at their feet more rather than just aimlessly thumping it away. It sounds like a 4-3-3 formation and very attacking. Think: the opposite of Prekiball. Looking at the players we have, you can kind of see already how things could take shape. Frei is a no-brainer in goal, while Nana and Cann look to continue their centreback partnership. Omphroy is very much an attacking fullback, so he can be deployed there and at leftback it is possible we could see Gargan there or one of the new defenders we’ve picked up. DeRo can sit in the middle of thie pitch behind the strikeforce. Julian and another player, like Sturgis for example, can fill out the midfield. Maicon can play up front as the main striker with two wingers in support. At the moment we could play Petersen or Lindsay as wide attacking players. Joao Plata can also fill that role. This is just an outline, but it gives an idea of what we could see at least in preseason. There are still more players to come so we will definitely see players come in that can provide some quality in our more vulnerable positions.

Aron Winter is a man who knows what he wants. He has been very quick to cut out any players that he doesn’t see fitting into his system with TFC. He is planning to bring in another DP by March and is currently trialing 6 players that he have caught his eye, including 3 Canadians. He is keen on developing young players properly and steering them away from the kick-and-rush style that he has noticed them playing in North America. To him, it is important that young players learn to play properly and not just focus on winning at the expense of playing well. Winter’s ambition is to bring through good young players, and for the first team, to get TFC to the playoffs this season and lead them to a Championship by the end of his three year contract. He has big hopes and expectations, but he also seems to have a plan, something that Mo never seemed to have. It will require patience from everyone, including the fans, but if it works, it will have been worth the wait.

****

On Thursday, the Reds took off for Turkey for preseason training and friendlies. Their first match will be played on Wednesday against Partizan Belgrade. This is an important time for the club, especially for Winter and de Klerk who will finally get a good look at the players they have and start to work with them properly. It will also give the new players a chance to get to know the team and it will allow the team to start gelling a little.

****

MLS has released their new roster rules for 2011. Houston will be joining us in the Eastern Conference, though it most probably will only last one season until Montreal arrives in 2012. There are also new rules that state Canadian teams, ie Toronto and Vancouver, are required to have a minimum of 3 Canadian domestic players on their rosters. A Canadian domestic player basically just needs to have the legal right to work in Canada and we already have several Canadians on the team, so it should not be a problem.

Finally, we say goodbye to former TFC Interim Coach Nick Dasovic who has parted ways with the club. With the new management in place and Nick wanting a head coaching position, this seemed inevitable. It’s unfortunate since he’s a nice guy who had a lot of respect within the club, not to mention he is Canadian. I wish him all the best in his future endeavors.

**********************************************************

Don’t forget to follow Toronto FC Offside on Twitter for the latest news, links, and updates: www.twitter.com/TFCOffside

After meeting up at training camp, the squad will head off to Turkey, where they will play against Partizan Belgrade, Dinamo Zagreb, and one other European team. They will head back to Toronto on February 12 and have some time off before they fly down to Florida on February 21st for the Disney Tournament. On March 2nd, TFC will travel to South Carolina and participate in the annual Carolina Challenge Cup before they return home and prepare for the MLS opener. Visit this link for the full schedule of dates for the TFC preseason.

Considering the team will be playing together quite soon, it is a little bit worrying that our roster is still looking a bit thin. The players that we have kept from the previous season include: Frei, Attakora, Cann, de Guzman, De Rosario, Gargen, Gomez, Harden, Kocic, Labrocca, Henry, Lindsay, Petersen, and Santos. That’s 14 players, 2 of which are goalkeepers and 2 of which are currently out injured. Some of these players are also in the middle of contract negotiations, dealing with salary issues and the like. Hopefully most of them will go through without any major concerns.

As for new players, Mariner mentioned on an interview with the TFC website that they have been doing a lot of scouting in South America and Turkey. All indications are that the management staff are moving quickly, but under the radar. These are all positive signs. In the past, we haven’t really branched out enough when scouting and have relied heavily upon acquiring players from a certain agency that a certain Scottish manager had certain ties to…….certainly. I’m really interested to see who we bring in. There have been some rumours about players like Bas Ent and Andrew Ornoch, but nothing concrete has come out as of yet. I’ll be keeping my eyes and ears open in the coming weeks for any transfer dealings that may happen.

The additions that we’ve currently made to the squad have been mainly through the draft. The Supplemental Draft was held on Tuesday and Toronto FC acquired Jimmy Banks, Steven Beattie, Spencer Thompson and Scott Rojo. From what I hear, the club has made some solid selections here. Three of them are midfielders and Beattie is a forward, so they obviously were looking for attacking options. I have not heard as of yet whether any of them have been offered a proper contract yet, but I assume we will hear more of that soon in the coming weeks. Beattie already seems excited about being drafted. He is on twitter @steven5beattie and immediately sent out this tweet after he was drafted: “JUST GOT DRAFTED TO TORONTO F.C. Dream come true!!! Love the city. I have visited a couple of times #bestdayofmylife”. Sounds enthusiastic! You kind find out more about him in this article.

Of course, we already had brought in Nathan Sturgis a few months ago and picked up Demitrius Omphroy, Matt Gold, Junior Burgos, and Joao Plata in the SuperDraft. Plata is already pumped up and ready to score lots of goals. I don’t think he speaks much English yet, but he sounds like he is ready and willing to take his chance and show everyone his talent. Gold talked to the club website about how he is a very fit and athletic player who prefers playing in the holding midfield position. This might be tricky since Julian is most probably going to play there, but he can always deputize until de Guzman comes back, plus he seems to be willing to play wherever the coach tells him in order to contribute to the team.

The player that many seem to be keen on is Omphroy, who is an attacking rightback and used to play with Frei in his college days. He comes off as generally an amiable guy with a positive attitude, which of course is great for team spirit. He describes his strengths as being able to beat guys on the flank with his foot skills and whip in crosses from out wide. That will be a great asset for us as we have lacked players who can deliver a good cross into the box. Frei describes him as being “strong on the ball”, having “great control with the ball at his feet” and “always looking to create something”. Omphroy recently gave an interview with the Fan590 that you can listen to here where he talks about his game and coming to Toronto. He also mentioned on twitter that he is an Arsenal fan, so he’s already in my good books.

I’ll leave you with this video of Omphroy with his college teammates that went viral a few months ago:

Demitrius Omphroy: 21 year old defender from the University of California. Was diagnosed last year with Multiple Sclerosis, which he seems to be dealing with well by keeping to a healthy, organic diet and taking daily injections. He is more of an attacking defender and is deemed to be a decent pick who could fit TFC’s new style under Winter. Played with Stefan Frei in college and speaks highly of our keeper. You can follow him on twitter @MeatyTwit.

Matt Gold: 22 year old midfielder from Ohio State University. He is 5′9″ and was picked up to most likely serve as a depth player for the squad. Hopefully he’ll be worth his weight in gold (eh? See what I did there?)

Junior Burgos: 22 year old midfielder from California Polytechnic Institute. Another player picked up for depth. Has dual citizenship for the U.S. and El Salvador, and has actually made one appearance for El Salvador’s national team.

Joao Plata: 18 year old forward from LDU Quito in Ecuador. He made seven appearances for LDU in 2010 and scored one goal. He is quite short at 5′2″, but is very quick and skillful on the ball. Had a good Combine where he played out wide instead of in his preferred position up front in attack.

So there you have it. We weren’t expecting anything special considering how low our picks were, but overall the management team seem to be pleased with the players they were able to pick up. I should clarify that none of these players have yet signed a contract, so it is possible that they might not even be in the team when the league kicks off. We’ll just have to wait and see what develops.

Besides welcoming the potential new players to TFC, we also have to say goodbye to two others. Chad Barrett has been traded to LA Galaxy for future considerations, and Jon Conway is off to Chicago after being traded for Chicago’s third round selection. Chad is a player that divides opinion amongst supporters. I’ve always liked him though. He’s the kind of scrappy underdog type that I tend to root for. At first he was notorious for missing sitters and wasting good goal scoring opportunities, but he always worked hard on the pitch, tracked back, and harried defenders. Though he was missing chances, he tended to get into good positions and just lacked that killer finish. In 2010, we saw him starting to score and I really thought that it would be his year to go and grab 10-15 goals for us. Unfortunately, he picked up a hamstring injury that put him out for a big chunk of our season and we had to rely on DeRo to come up with the goods most of the time. Now he’s off to sunny California where he is most likely going to be filling a hole for the Galaxy up front with the departure of Edson Buddle. Chad had a bit of a temper at times and lost his cool every once in a while on the pitch, but he always gave us 100%. He leaves TFC as our 2nd highest goal scorer of all time, with 21 goals in all competitions (that’s just 10 behind DeRo). My favourites were the ones against Montagua last season in the CCL qualifiers and the goal he scored in the “Miracle in Montreal” that led to our first Nutrilite Canadian Championship.

At the end of the day, it was his massive contract that ended up being what brought his time with TFC to an end. I wish him good luck in his career and I’m sure he’ll come back to BMO this year and score a hattrick against us. That’s just how it works with ex-TFC players.

I’ll also miss Jon Conway, our backup goalkeeper to Stefan Frei. He was a great team player and always had a positive attitude on and off the pitch. I also enjoyed his behind-the-scenes video segments for “Conway’s World” on the club’s website. His exit from his first, and final, league match with us where he was sent off for retaliating against a Columbus player will always stay in my mind as he made his way to the tunnel saluting the crowd. I remember listening to him on the Fan590 Soccer Show and found him to be a really genuine and well-spoken guy who was knew a lot about the different aspects of the game. I hope he enjoys his time with his new team Chicago Fire.

You might be noticing at this point that our squad is looking pretty thin at the moment. The players we picked up from the draft are not really first team players and we let go a huge number of players during this offseason. The new management have amassed a lot of allocation money and have cleared up a ton of cap space, so it is likely we will see the club look outside the MLS to acquire the kind of players we need to strengthen the first team. If they’ve done their homework, it should work out well, as they can really try and get players that we specifically need in certain positions rather than pick up a few draft players or fringe players from other MLS teams and try to find a way to fit them into our new system.

We should also be seeing the return of Dwayne De Rosario to preseason training coming up in a couple of weeks. It is being reported that TFC received an offer for DeRo from Celtic, but the club ended up rejecting it. Here’s what Aron Winter had to say about it:

“Celtic inquired about the possibility of extending Dwayne’s time with them. My preference is for Dwayne to start the season with Toronto FC right from training camp.

“We are making a fresh start and need a strong competitive camp. Dwayne is the captain and leader and needs to be part of building a new winning culture.”

There are obviously still kinks to be worked out regarding DeRo’s contract and wages, but it has become clear that the Toronto Oranje Revolution will have a place for the TFC captain. Things between DeRo and the fans are a bit edgy at the moment, but if he comes back and works hard with the team then the supporters will most certainly welcome him back with no harsh feelings. His captain status might still be questionable, but his ability and commitment on the pitch has obviously made the management team see his worth to our club.

There’s still a lot of work to do for Winter and the rest in constructing the new look for Toronto FC in 2011. They seem to be on the right track and I’m excited to see what they will be adding in the weeks to come.

**********************************************************

Don’t forget to follow Toronto FC Offside on Twitter for the latest news, links, and updates: www.twitter.com/TFCOffside

Finally some good news for Toronto FC! Former Dutch midfielder Aron Winter is set to be hired by TFC, as is former Revs coach Paul Mariner.

Aron Winter played for Ajax, Lazio, and Inter as well as the National Team for the Netherlands. He won a UEFA Cup, a Dutch title, and 2 Dutch Cups when he played in midfield with Ajax. He is the 8th most capped player for the Dutch National Team with 84 appearances, though many of those were as a sub. Most recently he has spent the last 5 years as an assistant at Ajax and also was an assistant for the Netherlands at 2005 FIFA U-20 World Cup. His role at Toronto FC will be his first in a senior management position. For a more detailed look at Winter’s career visit this article from the Netherlands World Cup blog (in association with The Offside).

Paul Mariner is a former England international who enjoyed his best spells as a player at Ipswich Town as a striker. He also played for Plymouth Argyle and Arsenal. From 2004 to 2009 he acted as an assistant to Steve Nicol at New England Revolution. Whilst there, the Revs won a U.S. Open Cup, twice won the Eastern Conference final, and made a total of 4 MLS final appearances. In 2010, Mariner joined Plymouth Argyle as their Head Coach, but was unable to keep them from being relegated last season. He officially left the club in December 2010.

So how will all of this work, with Mariner and Winter coming aboard plus the staff we already have? Canadian Soccer News is reporting that Winter will be installed as Director of Soccer while Mariner will be in charge of the coaching staff and will act more as an assistant manager. Bob de Klerk, former Ajax youth academy coach, will come on as First Assistant. Danny Dichio and Nick Dasovic will still be with the club playing important roles for the academy and reserves. Earl Cochrane and Jim Brennan are still working away in administrative positions and preparing for the upcoming draft and transfer window.

All in all this is very good news for TFC. Winter does not have a lot of experience as a manager or head coach, but his days with Ajax as a player and assistant will be a huge asset to the club. Having Mariner gives us the MLS experience that the head office wanted. He had a good spell with the Revs, even if he wasn’t the main guy there, but he clearly knows the league and will be incredibly helpful in that respect. I’m also glad to see Daso and Cochrane remaining in some capacity at the club. Both are very well respected (and Canadian) and hopefully will be around for years to come. I think that having more of a team rather than handing the keys to the castle to one crazy Scotsman is something we were all hoping to see. There are many people now working on all the different aspects within the club. This will make us stronger and more prepared, not just for this season, but for the years ahead as well. What the fans need to remember is to have some patience. I know it’s difficult to remain patient, especially with the tumultuous years we’ve spent since the club was formed. However, having new management, staff, and soon players, means that everything isn’t going to gel right away. The most important thing is that Toronto FC is stable and on the right track. I, for one, am excited to see what is to come this season. Cautious optimism you could say. What do you think?

I will update this post when the official announcement is made.

**********************************************************

Check out this new online shop where you can get unofficial Toronto FC t-shirts. If you have a favourite player or slogan you’d like to see on a t-shirt, let me know (I know the person who does the designs). There’s a few choices in the shop right now, but many more will be up soon!

**********************************************************

Don’t forget to follow Toronto FC Offside on Twitter for the latest news, links, and updates

Marcelo Saragosa Chivas USA (option declined)
Alex Zotinga Chivas USA (option declined)
Claudio Lopez Colorado Rapids (option declined)
Ciaran O’Brien Colorado Rapids (option declined)
Peter Vagenas Colarado Rapids (option declined)
Frankie Hejduk Columbus Crew (option declined)
Duncan Oughton Columbus Crew (option declined)
Gino Padula Columbus Crew (option declined)
Guillermo Barros Schelotto Columbus Crew (option declined)
Jeff Cunningham FC Dallas (option declined)
Dario Sala FC Dallas (option declined)
Jamie Moreno DC United (option declined)
Ryan Cochrane Houston Dynamo (option declined)
Richard Mulrooney Houston Dynamo (option declined)
Joseph Ngwenya Houston Dynamo (option declined)
Pat Onstad Houston Dynamo (option declined)
Adrian Serioux Houston Dynamo (option declined)
Jovan Kirovski Los Angeles Galaxy (option declined)
Dema Kovalenko Los Angeles Galaxy (option declined)
Preston Burpo New England Revolution (option declined)
Nico Colaluca New England Revolution (option declined)
Cory Gibbs New England Revolution (option declined)
Khano Smith New England Revolution (option declined)
Juan Pablo Angel New York Red Bulls (option declined)
Luke Sassano New York Red Bulls (option declined)
Carey Talley New York Red Bulls (option declined)
Fred Carreiro Philadelphia Union (out of contract)
Chris Seitz Philadelphia Union (option declined)
Khari Stephenson San Jose Earthquakes (option declined)
Tyrone Marshall Seattle Sounders (option declined)
Jimmy Conrad Sporting Kansas City (out of contract)
Aaron Hohlbein Sporting Kansas City (out of contract)
Josh Wolff Sporting Kansas City (option declined)
Nick Garcia Toronto FC (option declined)
Chris Sharpe League Pool Goalkeeper (option declined)

If a club is interested in a player then they must exercise the option for that player or extend the Bone Fide offer. The player does not have to take the offer if he does not want to. However, the drafting club holds that players rights. Clubs cannot select their own player in Stage 1, nor can they until all other clubs pass on signing that player in Stage 2. In Stage 2 a club can select players that are under contract or are not under contract. If the player is not under contract then the club has 7 days to come up with a genuine offer. Again, if the player does not come to an agreement with the drafting club, the club will still retain that player’s rights. Once both stages are done, any players who have not been chosen at any point in the draft become free agents. This whole process was created during the Collective Bargaining Agreement in order to provide greater freedom for veteran players to negotiate new contracts.

So where does Toronto FC fit into all of this? Well, first off, we cannot get Nick Garcia back at the club unless he is completely passed over in both stages of the draft. (He was the only player eligible for this draft from TFC.) It is possible that TFC might try to bring him back if he ends up a free agent. They know him, he was well-liked in the dressing room, he has experience, and he provides adequate backup for the defense. Most of all, they can negotiate a salary that is more reasonable to his limited role in the team. It may not happen, but it is possible.

As for drafting another player, here’s what Earl Cochrane had to say:

“We kind of thought it would be a case of experienced guys that are generally a little expensive and that’s what you find here.
“It will likely be those mid-level guys that are willing to come down [in salary] that will be most valuable to teams,” he said. The stars might generate interest, he added, but only in specific situations where the fit is perfect.
“We’re looking at several key components that anyone that knows our roster will understand. There are maybe six key starting-11 type players we are after. The rest is about filling out our roster.”

If TFC decides to go for a player, it looks like they will be looking to get the most bang for their buck. The most likely scenario seems to be picking up an experienced player who would provide some depth and bring a good team attitude all for a reasonable salary. Players like Angel or Schelotto look less likely to be picked by TFC.

The general sense is that not many players will be picked up in Stage 1. To pick up a player’s option or extend a Bone Fide offer for a player that is no longer need at their current club or are past their prime would be too expensive for most to consider taking them. There could be more activity in Stage 2, but don’t be surprised if there are a lot of free agents floating around at the end of the month.

I will try my best to tweet any news to come out of the draft as it happens. If Toronto end up acquiring a player, be sure to check back here for the news.

**********************************************************

Don’t forget to follow Toronto FC Offside on Twitter for the latest news, links, and updates: www.twitter.com/TFCOffside

In more recent news, it has just been announced that Toronto FC have decided not to pick up the options on Nick Garcia, Fuad Ibrahim, and Amadou Sanyang for 2011. I thought they might keep Nick Garcia around as a squad player, but his high salary (thanks Mo!) was probably the tipping point for the club. Ibrahim and Preki-favourite Sanyang are both very young players who still have a good chance at building careers for themselves. It’s interesting that both of them are being let go, but the club is at that point where we need less potential and more proven ability, so perhaps a good move to let them go in the end.

Nick Garcia is currently the only TFC player who is eligible for the re-entry draft, which will be held on December 8, 2010. This draft is basically for player over 23 who have played in MLS for at least 3 years or players over 25 with at least 4 years in MLS who have come to the end of their current contract with their club. In Garcia’s case, he is over 30, which means that if a club decides to pick him in the draft, they must offer him 105% of his old salary. Considering he made around $198 000 with us, I don’t think there will be many clubs tripping over themselves to sign him up. If he doesn’t get an offer on Dec 8, he can be chosen by a club on Dec 15 to negotiate a new salary. If he is not picked on either day then he will be released as a free agent. I will keep up to date on the draft over on twitter and will put up a new post if Toronto end up acquiring any new players. Other big names that could be involved in the re-entry draft include Schelotto and Geovanni.

In non-draft-related news, the nominees for Canadian Player of the Year have been announced. Nominees from the Men’s National Team include 3 TFC players: Nana Attakora, Adrian Cann, and Dwayne DeRosario. Here is the full list from the Men’s category:

Nana Attakora – CAN / Toronto FC – North York, ON
Adrian Cann – CAN / Toronto FC – Thornhill, ON
Dwayne De Rosario – CAN / Toronto FC – Scarborough, ON
Atiba Hutchinson – NED / PSV Eindhoven – Brampton, ON
Simeon Jackson – ENG / Norwich City FC – Mississauga, ON
Will Johnson – USA / Real Salt Lake – Toronto, ON
Josh Simpson – TUR / TUR / Vestel Manisaspor – Victoria, BC
Adam Straith – GER / FC Energie Cottbus – Victoria, BC

Attakora and Cann enjoyed a great season together as the main centreback pairing for Toronto FC. Their great performances, particularly in the first half of the season, were essential in TFC’s season. Attakora improved his game so much, especially last season, and he looks to be on his way to establish himself as a key defender in this league. Cann’s great attitude and years of experience were invaluable for TFC and were extremely helpful to Attakora who is still just in the opening years of his career.

The player who has the most chance of grabbing this award is, of course, Dwayne DeRosario. Undeniably the most important player of the squad, he sometimes single-handedly kept us in the race for the playoffs. Without his goals, we would have been bottom of the league. His desire and committment have always been evident on the pitch and he is a worthy candidate for this award.

Also from TFC, Nicholas Lindsay and Ashtone Morgan have been nominated in the U-20 category for Player of the Year, and Keven Aleman has been nominated for U-17 Player of the Year.

For the full list of candidates, visit Canada Soccer online.

That’s all for today, but I’m sure things will continue to happen fast and furious in the coming weeks, so keep your eyes peeled for more news!

**********************************************************

Don’t forget to follow Toronto FC Offside on Twitter for the latest news, links, and updates: www.twitter.com/TFCOffside