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Oh boy, what a headache this last week has been for Toronto FC!
Joao Plata’s (supposed) departure from Toronto FC back to Ecuadorian outfit LDU Quito has been swirling around the message boards and comment sections of every major news source and fan forum, but the one message that hasn’t made itself clear (and I mean crystal clear) is that Plata isn’t leaving TFC forever.
A six-month loan for Plata back in his old haunting grounds is probably the best thing Toronto FC can do right now, to be honest. It’s a transaction deal that makes sense on every level; Toronto FC let a young player – who impressed last year but has failed to live up to previous form – train with a professional organization and perhaps get more playing time, giving them a fresh player for next season; the team opens up an international player spot which they will absolutely need if any of the Italian centerback rumours are true; finally, they get some cap relief (albeit little) and set up for a future signing.
These Italian centerbacks are Alessandro Nesta from AC Milan and Davide Zoboli from Brescia, both Serie A defenders who would make Toronto FC’s backline instantly stronger; Nesta has been linked to both Toronto and Montreal, the latter with more likelihood of locking up a deal. Zoboli’s name has floated around certain circles as well, but he remains an unknown.
The pieces of the puzzle are all on the table; Plata looks like he’s a complicated piece to fit into the bigger picture, but I’ll take a crack at it: Toronto FC have lined up potential foreign players, and need to get Plata off the books in order to make space. Joao Plata is chosen because his salary is much lower than, say, Miguel Aceval, and should, theoretically, have a smaller fee to get off the books.
The smaller contracts have already started to be trimmed, with Efrain Burgos Jr. being cut from the team last week.
LDU Quito still has a claim on Plata – they are just recalling their player from Toronto FC and Plata obliged. With Plata gone on loan, Toronto FC shift their focus to the signing of a foreign player, probably a centerback, to see the rest of the season out.
As for next season, the understanding is that Julian de Guzman is pivotal in the acquiring of any foreign talent at a premium. With de Guzman’s hefty salary and DP status, Toronto FC limit themselves in the direction they can take. There is also a possible chance that Torsten Frings will retire at the end of this year which further helps Toronto FC’s roster situation, giving them another DP contract off the salary cap and provide the team an additional DP acquisition.
Assuming that Torsten Frings and Julian de Guzman are not kept on (or de Guzman is kept on for a fair, non-DP salary), Toronto FC set themselves up for a designated player or two. Danny Koevermans still has a few years left in him, it seems, so his status on the team will probably remain unchanged. With two free DP spots, Toronto FC will probably want to stick with signing just one more, and keep the third spot empty, instead, using that cap space to sign a few MLS players, or a South American talent of their own.
It’s at this point that Joao Plata rejoins the squad; Toronto FC will have a strong centerback (possibly a DP), Julian de Guzman off the contract (or on a lower price) and a plethora of new MLS talent to play with; players like Eric Avila or Jeremy Hall which have become a staple in the league are few and far between in Toronto, and Paul Mariner’s reputation was forged on making these local players work well.
Speaking of Mariner, the Toronto FC head coach told reporters he was watching the Canada-USA match up and is considering bringing back a few off-contract players. Whether that includes the likes of Nik Ledgerwood, Paul Stalteri, Mike Klukowski or Kevin McKenna or not isn’t yet known, but the idea of integrating national team players isn’t a terrible one.
Now, add in the fact that Toronto FC is also high up the allocation order for players returning to MLS; players like Michael Parkhurst could be making their way back to North American shores and Toronto FC are right up top with Vancouver Whitecaps for the claim. This could be another possible route Mariner can take in acquiring the right pieces.
Aaaaand there’s the Toronto FC Academy as well, which should be pumping out at least one or two new players for the full team, including fabled U-20 player Jordan Hamilton. Toronto FC will want to lock him up, lest he jump over to Montreal like a certain other former Academy player (ahem, Vukovic).
Plata loaned out; Nesta’s will-he, won’t-he dance; Zoboli’s unknown status; Frings’ possible retirement; Julian de Guzman’s contract/DP negotiations; South American scouting; new MLS regulars; Canadian National Team players; Returning players via allocation; Toronto FC Academy graduates – it all makes for a lot of complicated wheeling and dealing.
Phew! I think that’s just about it!
It’s confusing. It’s complicated. The salary cap makes it worse. What we make of it now is a jumbled mess, but lying inside that mess is the workings of many, many possible deals. All of it will make sense in the end of the day, and by next season, Toronto FC may just be a squad reborn.
Now give Paul Mariner a nice cold one – this is going to be a long, long weekend. .
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