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When Toronto FC announced two new designated player signings – Torsten Frings from Werder Bremen and Danny Koevermans from PSV Eindhoven – the city fell in love with the former, the German international midfielder, scorer of cracking goals, infamous for being public enemy numero uno for some time in the USMNT camp. German fever spread quickly, as ads for Frings jerseys – at a premium, by the way – found themselves posted on Toronto’s official website, up for grabs to a fanbase hungry for successful players.
The fans, of course, will oblige. In a city with a true passion for the international game, Torsten Frings is a massive signing, one that football fans across the spectrum of European allegiances can appreciate. Certainly, Torsten Frings brings an element of real leadership and experience which Toronto FC have yet to truly capture with players past. The clouds have parted, and with it, the sunshine that is Torsten Frings has given hope once again to the Toronto faithful.
Looking past the Frings parade, however, brings to light another player; Danny Koevermans. At 6’3”, Koevermans is the traditional hulking giant target man utilized in 4-3-3’s around the world – the center forward, goalscoring threat who’s secondary job may be just as important as his first. See, Toronto FC got a taste of this kind of player in Alan Gordon, Toronto’s main supply route down the wings and a goalscoring threat in the box. What Gordon does for Toronto FC is highlighted mainly in what Maicon doesn’t.
Maicon at center-forward has seen its share of goals, no doubt, 6 in total in regular MLS play, which isn’t bad for the Brazilian. Gordon has managed 4 in significantly fewer games for Toronto, his double against Los Angeles Galaxy most memorable thus far. Yet, Maicon is ineffective and quiet, not truly helpful in getting the wingers to his right and left involved; in this regard, Gordon excelled. More often than not, Alan Gordon found himself deep in the midfield, using his height and strength to win the ball in the air, before delivering a perfectly weighted pass to a winger ahead of him. On wider plays, however, Gordon awaits a cross from a winger, before tucking home a clean header. Effective, efficient center-forward play, indeed.
Injuries, of course, have put Alan Gordon’s playing time to a minimum. This is exactly where Danny Koevermans comes in. See, Danny Koevermans is Alan Gordon, of a much higher pedigree. Both players boast height, strength and keen feet, intelligence coupled with decisiveness. Koevermans’ record speaks for itself, as the Dutchman boasts a goal every other game at the highest level in Holland.
What does this mean for Toronto FC? Well, besides the obvious goalscoring pedigree – which Koevermans can be proud of, no doubt – Toronto is revitalizing a tactical advantage they lost when Alan Gordon went down. Compare the play of TFC with and without Alan Gordon, and it’s easy to see the impact a strong forward up front can make.
If Danny Koevermans can play the tactical game for Toronto, and create with equal prowess as he finishes, Toronto FC have filled in a huge gap in their style of play. Rarely do 4-3-3s prove effective without a creative center forward.
This creativity may prove to be even more important than pure finishing alone. As a designated player, Koevermans is almost expected to impact matches directly; this means goals, goals and goals. Koevermans will be looking to fulfill this expectation. Frings, on the other hand, will not.
Though he’s got a canon of a shot, unparalleled to many in MLS, Torsten Frings isn’t the kind of player who’s going to score 15 goals in a season; a holding midfielder much like de Guzman, Frings may find the back of the net on occasion, but not nearly enough to be relied upon. The complexity of Torsten Frings – especially in relation to de Guzman – makes his signing more technical than Koevermans’.
Torsten Frings brings to this side a lot of qualities which a midfielder should, and if his job is to ensure a triangle midfield consistently keeps its shape and form, then Frings too will be a success. Frings will go about his job, anchoring the midfield to allow proper transition to the forwards.
If Torsten Frings is to be played as a holding midfielder beside de Guzman, as suggested, his role in the team is not offensive in nature. However, if the attacking midfielder, or the “tip” of the triangle is his placement on the field, a couple variables come into play. Will he be direct like Kaka, creative-only like Joao Moutinho, a mix of both like Lampard, or simple a source of set-piece danger?
In this regard, Frings is a complicated player. Koevermans is not. Toronto’s success – if any – will rely on Danny Koevermans. It’s for this reason that Koevermans, quiet and overlooked by his fellow DP, needs to be successful. As uncomfortable as it seems, Toronto can afford a Frings-less match, but if Danny Koevermans works well, there will be a bit of reliance on the Dutch forward.
His job is a difficult one; score goals, create chances, finish opportunities, and get those wingers involved. So much of the 4-3-3 that Winter uses depends on the player in this position. Winter’s desire for a leader per line isn’t an unorthodox sentiment in this regard; each line does need a core creator. Think Barcelona, with Carles Puyol, Xavi Hernandez and Lionel Messi – so much of Barcelona’s play is dependent on these three players involving the rest of the side.
Danny Koevermans needs to be up to the task here in Toronto. The signs are good, and now patience is a must. July 15th cannot come soon enough in Toronto.
Danny Koevermans claimed he wanted to escape media pressure and fame in Holland. Frings ensured that Koevermans enjoyed a quiet entry into Toronto FC. However, if Koevermans proves to be successful, he may be the real star of the show. Toronto FC fans can have hope, however, in their knowledge that forwards named Danny have usually enjoyed quite famed careers in Toronto.
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