The MLS season is officially done, with Sporting KC beating Real Salt Lake on penalties to claim the MLS Cup for the 2013 season. After that was done, I (and everyone else) noticed something strange in the inner workings of Major League Soccer. Toronto FC was actually making trades and assembling a squad for the 2014 season in December, rather than when the season actually starts.
It's refreshing to see, actually. Looks like TFC GM Tim Bezbatchenko is beginning to execute his plan early and try to get in all the guys he wants before pre-season begins. Add in the fact that the management of TFC is completely new, and you get the sense that some TFC supporters are becoming optimistic about next season. The actions that Tim Bezbatchenko are taking seem to be promising, like obtaining Jackson from FC Dallas and Justin Morrow from San Jose, getting rid of highly-paid players like Stefan Frei and Bobby Convey for draft picks, and bringing in the 24 year old Gilberto from Brazil to be Toronto FC's 2nd Designated Player. On the surface, it can be said that TFC is moving in a positive direction, but we need to see how TFC does in the 2014 MLS SuperDraft, and more importantly, we need to see how these new players coming in will do in Major League Soccer. Bezbatchenko started well, now let's see if all his moves work out.
A big topic of discussion with TFC is whether Jermain Defoe will be coming to the club or not. It is rumoured that his move is already finished and he is set to become the highest paid player in MLS history. Whether that is the case or not, if he comes to TFC, he is more than capable of winning the MLS Golden Boot award at the end of the 2014 regular season. I know there are some who think Jermain Defoe is being paid too much by MLSE and is not a good use of resources, but I disagree. If Jermain Defoe does play for TFC, there'll be more to his contract than just playing for the club. In Jermain Defoe, TFC and MLSE may have a strong marketing tool. I have no question that if Toronto FC land Defoe, they will use his name and image to promote the club and get fans to come to BMO Field on match days.
But wait, I can hear some TFC supporters already saying: "The best way to get fans in seats is for the club to start winning!" This is true, but there is nothing wrong with MLSE using their resources to get players and drum up some sort of positive interest. Who would have thought that having Drake as MLSE's "Global Ambassador" could help TFC land Gilberto, and quite possibly Defoe. Now look at where these players are coming from. Gilberto is coming from South America, particularly from Brazil. Defoe is coming from Europe, particularly from England. The Greater Toronto Area has a large population of those from South American and European descent who follow the leagues in their respective continents, but not Major League Soccer. I hope Tim Leiweke and MLSE have identified this segment as a target market for Toronto FC. I think TFC should get Gilberto and Defoe heavily involved in the promotional element of the club, in order to begin attracting that segment of people and to get them to come out to BMO Field for matches. This attraction can snowball into something bigger if Gilberto and Defoe are regularly scoring goals, and TFC are winning matches. Then you will see people come out in droves to BMO and it will go a long way in returning the atmosphere that made BMO Field amazing in the early days of Toronto FC.
There are also some rumblings of Dwayne De Rosario coming back to Toronto FC. Honestly, I would love to have him back. I know he left the club in bad terms, but Toronto FC is run by entirely new management, and I get the feeling that most TFC supporters can put the bad things behind them and start anew. Age and injuries is starting to catch up to him, but I think he has a year, maybe 2 years still in him. If Tim Bezbatchenko can get him on a reduced salary, say around $150,000/year, then I think it will be a solid signing.
Looking at the big picture of Toronto FC as a whole, I don't think Tim Leiweke and Tim Bezbatchenko are only just building a competitive squad of players. I think they are reinventing Toronto FC. I haven't seen this sort of change to Toronto FC since Aron Winter was hired. Instead of trying to win the lottery and get foreigners, Leiweke and Bezbatchenko are getting proven MLS players to build the core of Toronto FC. I'll be honest, it's pretty difficult not to be encouraged by what has transpired at Toronto FC these past couple of weeks, and it looks like more is to come. I initially thought that Tim Bezbatchenko would be inexperienced in a General Manager role, but he has certainly impressed me, not just in the actions he was taking, but he manages to keep his mouth shut until after the move was made. He doesn't talk a big game, he just gets down to business, and I like that a lot. Sometimes what seems to be the most boring hire, could have the most impact on a club.
Finally, I want to say this. Toronto FC making the playoffs in 2014 will be a slap in the face to the likes of Tom Anselmi and Earl Cochrane (and to a very small extent, Paul Beirne). If Toronto FC were to make the playoffs in 2014, then it highlights what the real underlying problem was which plagued Toronto FC these last 7 years. TFC making the playoffs in 2014 will also be a slap in the face to the other "big men" that used to have their own visions of what TFC should be, like Mo Johnston, Aron Winter, and Kevin Payne. I'm not sure how Aron Winter's tenure at Toronto FC will hurt his future coaching and managerial career, but if Toronto FC happens to succeed, it will definitely hurt Mo Johnston and Kevin Payne's reputation, and won't help their chances of getting hired elsewhere. Also, wouldn't it be funny that if Toronto FC were to make the playoffs, it would be led by the least experienced Toronto FC coach, but that's assuming Ryan Nelsen doesn't get fired. It's Toronto FC. Anything can happen.
Regardless, these are optimistic times in the land of Toronto FC.
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