Busch and Casey go north of the border, sign with us

By: Sam | March 5th, 2007

“North of the border”. There’s an expression that sort of doesn’t make sense when you’re talking about Toronto. Come to think of it, Toronto is south of the better part of the Canada-USA border. Oh well. Enough with this geo-philosophical chit-chat.

Big news on the Torontonian front this week: As we edge closer to our first MLS game (April 7th, @ Chivas USA) , two key acquisitions were made to bring stability and serenity to our young club. Former Crew keeper Jon Busch and Bundesliga journeyman striker Conor Casey were added on to TFC’s roster.

Mo Johnston praised the mono-capped, however MLS-smart Busch, on the basis that he brought lots of experience and knowledge to his new surroundings. Waived by Columbus to thin out their roster after only playing eight games due to injury last year, he will most likely take care of most of the goalkeeping duties around BMO Field, with Greg Sutton being a local, but not really possessing major-league skills.

Note: His only international game for the US came against Colombia in 2005, where the red white and blue triumphed 3-0.

Conor Casey, like I said in an earlier article, has finally found an agreement with the club, and will commence training with Busch in the next few days in Bradenton, Florida. Casey, who has a fine history with good-but-not-great German clubs, holds the prestigious title of most expensive player to sign with Mainz FC. 400,000 euros was his price tag in 2004.

Said Mo Johnston about his new striker: Adding new players is always exciting and in Conor we’re also adding experience. He’s a striker that adds a different flavour. We are strong up front and Conor is a good blend with our guys: Buddle, Abbe and Eskandarian.

As for me, I think this is swell news. With the least bias I can muster, I think we look totally wicked for an expansion team. If we’re looking at a 4-3-3, which I think is smart considering the attacking force we possess, this is what I’d like to see. Of course, we need to touch up defensively, but I’m sure that’ll come soon.

Busch
Reda-Pozniak-Braz-Boyens
O’Brien-Cancela-Brennan
Eskandarian-Casey-Buddle