Ante Jazic

Trader Mo wasn’t up to his old tricks at this most recent MLS draft.  He stayed put until TFC got its 24th pick and opted for 17-year-old central defender Zac Herold.   In a post selection interview Preki stated that going into the start of the season Herold will be one of the players fighting for a starting spot.  While TFC are desperate for a top central defender, it is too much to expect this role to be filled by Herold, at this point in time.

If you look at the TFC back line there is a lot of youth and relative inexperience.  In addition to the 17 year old Herold TFC’s line up includes Gomez (dob. 1990), Attakora (1989), Wynne (1986) and two young goalies behind them in Frei (1986) and Edwards (1984).  The only experienced players at the back are Garcia (1979) and Serioux (1979).  Neither Garcia or Serioux are dominant MLS defenders.  Additionally there is Jim Brennan, who plays sometimes in midfield and sometimes at the back.

Of the players mentioned above, the only ones that should be part of TFC’s core going forward are Frei, Gomez and Attakora with Herold as an untested potential.

Serioux has upside with some leadership ability, the long throw, and a good work ethic.  He represents a cap hit of $119,070.00.

Although he’s the captain, this should be Jim Brennan’s last year, if he’s not dealt before this upcoming season.  His contribution on the field has been wanting and it’s not clear to me where he naturally fits in with the team on the field.   He seems good at giving the chat/pep talk while in the huddle at the start of the game, but that aside doesn’t pack a lot of bang for the buck at $185,000.00 in 2009.  The original face of TFC, the club will have to be sure to treat him fairly, but in a salary cap dominated league, his salary is one that will have to be given a long hard look.

I don’t see Garcia as being worth his $190,000.00.  Slower than average and he doesn’t always make the best decisions.

Marvell Wynne has upside, and he’s still on the radar for the US Men’s National Team.

In terms of the rear at TFC, the players who could be traded for value are Marvell Wynne, Garcia and Brian Edwards.

Instead of two inexperienced goalies, TFC should have a veteran as Frei’s back up.  That would be the first acquisition.

Next, to add some veteran presence, TFC might consider trying to acquire Ante Jazic (1976) .  A Canadian defender, he’s had a solid MLS career which is reaching its twilight playing with Chivas.  As recently as 2001, Austrian club Rapid Vienna paid a transfer fee of approximately $1 million Cdn to acquire his rights from Hajduk Split.  He’s still full value in the MLS for his $90,000.00/yr in 2009 and has been called by Hart for Canada’s upcoming friendly against Jamaica.  He also looked impressive and fit in well playing with DeRo and De Guzman at the 2007 Gold Cup.  At half the price of Garcia, he brings leadership and could help mentor the TFC youngsters.  Preki is also well aware of Jazic’s ability, as he coached Jazic in Chivas.  Seems like a good fit.  One issue however could be that Jazic himself may not be all that interested in the move.  His last move was from one Californian based team to another.  After several years of the good life in L.A., a return to Toronto (though he is actually from Bedford, N.S.), may not be on the top of his wish list.

As for a central defender, it will simply be a matter of cap space and seeing whose available.  This is where TFC will need to take a hard look at  Brennan.  If Jazic was inserted for Garcia, this move, plus Brennan’s cap space, would free up $275,000.00 a year.  That would go a long way toward paying the salary of a strong central defender, who flanked by Attakora/Jazic/Gomez/Serioux, pressured by Herold for playing time and with Frei mentored by a veteran goalkeeper, would be a pretty decent back end for TFC.

Here’s hoping Mo can do what needs to be done, and get as much as possible of it done before the season starts, so the team can build the cohesion its lacked in the past.

I’ve been noting for over a year that TFC needed a head coach with: 1) experience, and preferably MLS experience and 2) a proven winning record.  Neither Carver or Cummins had this.  Preki on the other hand has an impressive 40-29-21 record as head coach.  In addition to his MLS experience as a head coach, Preki has also played in the Premiership (Everton and Portsmouth), in the MLS (Kansas City and Miami- twice winning the MLS MVP award) and the World Cup.

Is Preki perfect?  No.  He is 0 for 6 as a head coach in the playoffs.  Is this a concern?  Sure, a minor concern.  I’d prefer Bruce Arena.  But, he’s not available, and what TFC needed was a good competent coach, not the perfect head coach. 

Under both Carver and Cummins I questioned what “system” TFC were using.  Frankly, it appeared there was no system.  Preki has made it very clear that  he has a specific system.  This system will start with good defence and every player on the squad will know his role within the system, which will be played as a 4-4-2.  The players are going to be on board with the system or they aren’t going to be playing for TFC.  This is the opposite of what TFC had for the past few seasons- which was a bunch of individuals whose occasional bouts of ability resulted in some good results, but for the most part inconsistency and no clear team vision aside from:  “Our goal is to make the playoffs”.

TFC has some good players currently.  Some changes will be made to mould the squad into Preki’s vision.  Once this happens, and with Preki at the helm, my prediction for next season is TFC will make the playoffs with 45 points, and something similar to the following record:  12-9-9.

Certainly every professional team, or group of people in general, is bound to have its black sheep.  With an inexperienced coach like Cummins, the cancer is likely to spread faster than it would under a coach who commands authority.  If you’re reading this hoping to get the inside scoop, I don’t have it. And I haven’t read anywhere what the inside scoop is so the information is not out there and lips are sealed.

Does anyone have any information about who the problem players are, and what is the problem? If so, let’s hear it!

Obviously big changes need to be made before next season. TFC needs a strong central defender. They need at least one midfield winger. They need one striker with proven finishing. These three players must all be strong/elite by MLS standards and of good character. To get this, a price will have to be paid and some of the current roster will have to be sacrificed.

The only players I think certainly should come back are the following:

1) Stefan Frei and Brian Edwards, 2) Nana Attakora, 3) Sam Cronin, 4) Julian de Guzman, 5) Dwayne De Rosario and 6) O’Brien White.

The players that TFC probably should keep are the following: 1) Marvell Wynne, 2) Adrian Serioux, 3) Sanyang, 4) Emmanuel Gomez and 5) Ali Gerba (he needs to lose 10-20lbs in the off-season though). They each have their flaws but they also each have upside.

To get the players TFC needs there is a need for cap space.  Two players who have to go due to their poor production/performance and high salaries are 1) Barrett and 2) Vitti.  Barrett has the hustle and seems to care about the team and want to be on the team.  He’s no where near worth the $202,500.00 he’s being paid however. He’d be worth $80,000.00, max. Vitti, at $300,000.00 is a waste of cap space. He never reached his potential and looks like he’ll never be a producer. He has to go. There’s $500,000.00 with these two.

To free up more cap space, two of the following four players should not return: Carl Robinson ($315,000), Amado Guevara ($300,000), Jim Brennan ($190,000) and Nick Garcia ($190,000). With Cronin and De Guzman, there really isn’t a need for Robinson, at his price. Guevara has such great skills, but they only really come to play for TFC 2-3 times a year. Brennan is the original face of the team and the captain, but on the pitch he doesn’t seem to contribute much. Garcia doesn’t seem to have the pace and skills needed for his price. I’d drop Garcia and Guevara at least, though dropping Guevara is a bit of a tough call;  if TFC is strong anywhere to begin with, it’s in central mid.

Dropping Garcia, Guevara, Barrett and Vitti frees up $1,000,000.00 in cap space. This is enough to bring in some good skill and balance to the team.

The final piece of the puzzle is to bring in a very competent and proven head coach. With these five moves TFC, on grass, would be a strong team next season;  and a playoff team.

Now; on to the headlines. On paper, TFC 4- SJ 1, is what a reasonable soccer observer could have expected, given the quality of players on each squad. San Jose were ripe for a whipping. Second last in the league, 3 of their best players on international duty and playing on the road at arguably the toughest road venue in the MLS.

I just finished watching the match and the score was 1-1. The score is no surprise at all. TFC does not play as a team, they don’t know how to build play and don’t know how to pass. They are poorly coached and/or don’t listen to their coach. I’ve been harping on this for months. For starters and most obvious: why didn’t Cummins make any strategic substitutions in the final few minutes of the game?

Substitutions aside, the team that can’t pass and play as a team runs around a lot chasing the ball and giving up possession. The team that runs around gets tired. The tired team gives up goals late in the game. TFC is that team. They actually didn’t play badly tonight. But if you just “don’t play badly” at home against a depleted SJ, that’s not saying much.

Unless they get a coach who has a proven record, TFC is not going to make the playoffs next year. With every pro team you have your share of egos. TFC is no exception. Soccer is a team sport and everyone needs to be on board. A coach needs to have a good system in place and to command the respect of his players who are on board with this system. Cummins has neither when it comes to TFC.

Obviously there will be a new coach hired in this offseason. If I read another announcement that Mo has hired another English coach who has never coached a professional match or who has coached less than 3 matches, or who has a losing record as a coach or manager, this time next year I’ll be writing something similar, about why Mo needs to be fired.

In other late news, Montreal over Vancouver 3-2. Lots of action in the second half and Montreal deserves their lead. The second game is this Saturday in Montreal. Away goals aren’t worth anything extra. My question is….. is it worth the day trip from Ottawa to check out the USL1 final in Montreal?

There is one main reason: they don’t have a qualified head coach. Mo has yet to hire a qualified head coach during his tenure as GM.

If a team doesn’t know how to pass properly, doesn’t know how to build play, doesn’t know how to run off the ball, doesn’t know how to provide service to its strikers and doesn’t have a solid game plan in place they aren’t going to make the playoffs in the MLS. It doesn’t matter if Julian de Guzman is on the team. It doesn’t matter who they are playing. Sure the individuals on the team might produce some good solo efforts and the players might come together from time to time and get a few wins. That is not enough.

It is incumbent on Mo J. to hire a proven head coach next season. Hire someone who has a winning track record in the MLS or a winning record in any comparable or superior league. This coach will earn the players’ respect and won’t count a penny toward the salary cap. I don’t know if Mo is afraid of hiring someone proven because he wants a puppet, but a puppet is not going to control the team and lead them to where we all want to see TFC: in the playoffs.