Toronto FC entered the 2012 MLS SuperDraft with two first round draft picks in their pocket, and in typical fashion, Aron Winter and Paul Mariner surprised everyone with two unexpected selections.
With their fourth pick, Toronto FC selected attacking midfielder Luis Silva from UC Santa Barbara, passing on Chandler Hoffman and Andrew Jean-Baptiste in favour of the creative midfielder, who scored 17 goals and provided 10 assists over 22 games last season.
Luis Silva comes with an attacking pedigree and the kind of leadership Aron Winter has always been keen on. Many general managers were upset and angered when Toronto FC took Silva, indicating that the young midfielder was highly rated across the board in MLS.
There is no doubt that Silva will be a positive contribution for Toronto FC, as he would be with any team in the league. The concern, however, comes in his sense of positioning and his tactical awareness. Saying that Silva is an attacking midfielder is an understatement – he guides the team’s offense and drifts across the forward line.
In this sense, Silva needs to be configured into a 4-3-3 midfielder. The triangle midfield leaves little room to push forward consistently, and if Silva maintains his current playing style, the gap between the forward line and the midfield/defense could cause problems for Toronto.
Silva is a goalscorer, and has the kind of passing ability that works well when players are closer together. Coming from the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos, the same team as his positional counterpart, Eric Avila, Silva gives Toronto depth in a position they needed to fill.
It doesn’t hurt that he’s also got a pretty decent boot on free kicks.
As for the twelfth overall selection, Toronto FC took an unorthodox gamble on a defender whom not much was talked about before hand, selecting centerback Aaron Maund from the University of Notre Dame. With four solid years as a starting defender, Maund comes to Toronto FC with experience enough to slot into the backline; if the quality matches the experience, he is a solid pickup.
Maund, like many defenders of drafts past, requires time to transition to MLS’ much more demanding standards. If he can transition well, Maund provides solid depth at a position Toronto FC have always had problems with.
With the SuperDraft now wrapped up, TFC look to add depth from external sources. With the likes of Miguel Aceval and Geovanny Caicedo rumoured to shore up the backline, Toronto FC are rounding off their roster, as they head to the Rogers Centre on March 7th. Only time will tell if these two will make a difference for the Reds.
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