MLS Toronto Roster [Archive] - Soccer Fans Network Forums

Joe MacCarthy

09-08-2006, 10:30 AM

Tks to Rudi at Vs for headsup

Toronto FC to sign Brennan
September 07, 2006 Sportsnet.ca
http://www.sportsnet.ca/soccer/article.jsp?content=20060907_165836_2268

http://i8.tinypic.com/43yjltu.jpg
Jim Brennan (red jersey) has won 43 caps for Canada. (AP)

TORONTO (CP) -- Toronto FC already has a head coach with a big personality. Now it has a homegrown player to match.

Coach Mo Johnston and the expansion Major League Soccer team will introduce Canadian international Jim Brennan as its first player signing at a news conference Friday, two sources confirmed Thursday.

The 29-year-old from Newmarket, Ont., has won 43 caps for Canada, usually on the wing where he loves to rampage up and down. He can end those runs with a nifty cross or a shot at goal.

Brennan is second only to Paul Stalteri (with 51 caps) in experience among active Canadian internationals and probably leads the national team in tattoos.

A happy-go-lucky sort with a wicked edge, the six-foot 170-pounder has long been the Illustrated Man of the Canadian squad. On his back, his surname is written in Old English with his zodiac sign (Taurus) and the saying Keep The Faith. High on one shoulder is a Celtic design. On the other a Celtic dragon.

He has a good sense of humour and a sandpaper-like tongue that can tear strips off a reporter.

But Toronto FC will be looking for Brennan to use his personality to help sell the club as it prepares for its debut season next year.

A loyal servant to the Canadian international cause over the years, Brennan has been nicknamed The Move for his shifty style on the left wing.

His nickname came from former Canadian manager Holger Osieck at a Gold Cup.

"He kept on telling me `Go at the player, do the move and then go around him,"' Brennan explained in an interview with The Canadian Press in January 2002. "These guys started calling me The Move after that." .

While Brennan was on the bench for Monday's 1-0 win over Jamaica, he was involved in both goals in Canada's last outing before that -- a 2-0 win in Austria. He scored the first and triggered the second when his shot slammed in off teammate Marco Reda. Brennan has six goals in all for Canada.

He has been without a club this season after most recently being with Southampton of the Football Championship, one level below the English top flight. He joined the Saints on a free transfer in January.

He also played for Bristol City. Nottingham Forest, Huddersfield and Norwich City in England.

Notts Forest paid 1.25 million pounds (C$2.6 million) for him in October 1999, a record for a Canadian at the time. While with Forrest, Brennan used to play ice hockey twice a week at the home of the Nottingham Panthers club team.

Norwich, which was promoted to the Premier League during his time there, was to have been his biggest showcase but he was hampered by injuries while with the Canaries.

Brennan joined Bristol City when he was 17 when former Canadian under-17 manager Tony Taylor, then an assistant manager with the club, brought him over. Within a week, Brennan scored the winning goal in a reserve match against Tottenham. Soon he had signed a 2-year deal.

Osieck and Brennan both made their debut with the Canadian senior team in April 1999 in Belfast in a 1-1 tie with Northern Ireland. Osieck enjoyed Brennan on and off the field, using him in 33 of his 46 games as coach.

Brennan grew up supporting Glasgow Celtic and was a fan of Scottish midfielder John Collins and former Dutch midfielder Frank Rijkaard.

His grandfather was a boxer and hoped Brennan might follow suit

"That was never going to happen," he said.

His father, of Irish descent, played hockey and wanted his son to do the same.

But his mother, who has Scottish bloodlines, pushed soccer.

ulster21

09-08-2006, 03:05 PM

Does the Toronto team have to have a certain % of their roster be Canadian like they do in the CFL?

Joe MacCarthy

09-08-2006, 11:35 PM

Brennan signs with Toronto FC
By NEIL DAVIDSON
http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Soccer/Canada/2006/09/08/1814844-cp.html

TORONTO (CP) - Money didn't lure Jim Brennan to Toronto FC. Home did.

"I've had to take a massive pay cut," the 29-year-old midfielder from Newmarket, Ont., acknowledged Friday after being announced as the MLS expansion team's first signing. "I could have stayed in England and made a lot more money, but I don't mind.

"I had a great career in England. I made some good money. So for me now, it's just coming back home and playing for Toronto. That's all I wanted to do."

Money truly seemed the farthest thing from Brennan's mind Friday as he met the media at an Irish pub. He patiently answered questions, returning time and time again to his excitement at playing at home.

Other Canadian players will follow him to Toronto, he said. "There's a great buzz about it."

Brennan, who has signed a multiyear deal with Toronto, went over to England as a 17-year-old and has played there ever since.

"I'm still getting phone calls trying to get me back there," he said. "Not interested."

He and coach Mo Johnston will be the face of the MLS team for the near future, with Brennan signing a deal with team owner Maple Leafs Sports & Entertainment to serve as ambassador in the months to come until his soccer duties take over early next year.

Brennan, who grew up a Leafs fan, has won 43 caps for Canada.

Most recently he played for Southampton in the Football Championship, one level below the English Premier League, although he has been without a club this season. He joined the Saints on a free transfer in January.

According to a survey conducted last year by the Independent newspaper and the Professional Footballers' Association, players in the Football Championship earned an average annual base salary of 195,750 pounds (C$408,675) although that figure could be substantially boosted by bonuses.

In the Premier League, for example, the study found that wages rose between 60 and 100 per cent when performance-related bonuses were factored in.

According to figures published by the Washington Post in April, only four players in the entire MLS had a higher base salary that the 2005 Football Championship average listed in the English study.

Canadian goalkeeper Pat Onstad is tied for top base salary at the Houston Dynamo at US$160,000 this season, according to the Post, while attacking midfielder Dwayne DeRosario is the team's fourth-highest earner at US$140,000.

The salary cap for each MLS team this season is US$1.9 million.

Despite the difference in pay between North American and Europe, "you'd be surprised at how many guys actually want to come over an play in America," said Brennan.

"One, it's a good league. Two, the lifestyle. It's just fantastic to be over in North America. Most of the guys that are in Europe come on vacation here. They all talk about it and say they'd love to come play in the MLS.

"So for me to sell it to them, it wouldn't be too hard."

Brennan also played for Bristol City, Nottingham Forest, Huddersfield and Norwich City. Forest paid 1.25 million pounds (C$2.6 million) for him in October 1999, a record for a Canadian at the time.

Toronto FC, the MLS's 13th team, kicks off next spring at a 20,000-seat waterfront stadium currently under construction.

Notes: Toronto FC will announce its season ticket prices later this month. ... Coach Mo Johnston let slip that Canada will play an international in Hungary later this year. The Canadian Soccer Association has only said to date that it is negotiating to play a November game in Europe. ... Johnston said his team will start training in January indoors, before heading to Bradenton, Fla., for a camp. The squad will likely then re-assemble in Los Angeles, where Mexican and other MLS teams will be training, before flying to work out in England or Portugal.

Joe MacCarthy

09-09-2006, 08:34 PM

First FC player gets some pub
By MARK KEAST -- Toronto Sun
http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Soccer/Canada/2006/09/09/1818477-sun.html

Perhaps it was appropriate Toronto FC would roll out the signing of its first player at a downtown pub, Foggy Dew on King St., rather than at those plush, corporate offices that the team's owners, Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment Ltd., like to call home.

Not that anyone knows him well yet, but from a distance it seemed like a real comfortable setting for Toronto FC coach Mo Johnston, the Scot who was hired in August to direct the team. "He's 29, not 21. He's a professional, or else he would be hanging out in bars," Johnston said, laughing, talking about the player in question.

That player, Jim Brennan, introduced to a packed throng at the pub yesterday, seemed a little nervous with all the media types, let alone the pub revellers walking back and forth to the washroom wondering what the fuss was about. Brennan, a midfielder, Newmarket native and mainstay on the national team (playing in 43 international matches), has spent the past 10 years playing in Europe, most recently for Southampton of the Football Championship.

Toronto's Major League Soccer club has a lot of work to do to fill its roster -- 18 players on the senior roster, 10 on the developmental squad -- by the time Johnston wants to get things rolling at the training camp, later in January. The season starts in the spring of 2007.

Manager of team services Earl Cochrane said January will be a bit harried, since signed international players won't get their releases until then, although that won't stop the club from going after players not under contract. Cochrane said the team would like eight to 11 Canadians on that senior roster when the dust settles.

So Brennan needs to get the pompons out, promoting the club to his peers, especially those in Europe's professional ranks. He said yesterday he'll play up the fact the MLS is, "a good league, plus there's the (North American) lifestyle."

Johnston said Brennan brings the right passport, plus versatility as a player.

"We won't be pursuing any players in MLS right now (to fill out the roster)," Johnston said.

The MLS expansion draft will be in November. Toronto FC, like other MLS clubs, is looking at a salary cap of $1.9 million US to sign players, although Cochrane said the Toronto club, as an expansion team, is negotiating for some flexibility. Brennan signed a multi-year deal. The team wasn't releasing other contract details.

Calif

11-04-2006, 09:30 PM

Will De Rosario be willing to play for Toronto FC!!!

Joe MacCarthy

11-07-2006, 01:13 PM

Toronto FC open doors
MLS club to hold open tryouts
http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Soccer/2006/11/06/2254251-cp.html

TORONTO (CP) - Think you can bend it like Beckham?

Toronto FC, the city's new Major League Soccer franchise, is holding open tryouts for players who think they've got what it takes to go pro. "This is a great opportunity for players to make us aware of their skills and to try to earn a spot with Toronto FC," head coach Mo Johnston said in a release.

Tryouts are open to players 14 and over, and will be held Dec. 18-22 at the Ontario Soccer Centre in Vaughan. The tryouts are limited to the first 1,000 people who register online at www.torontofc.ca.

Cost to register is $110 plus $5 handling fee, which includes a t-shirt and pair of tickets to a Toronto FC match.

The team joined the MLS on May 11, 2006 as its 13th team and first to play outside the U.S. Toronto FC will begin play next spring out of the new 20,000 seat BMO Field at Exhibition Place.

Calif

11-07-2006, 06:27 PM

Damn the tryouts!!!!I should try out!!!Imagine me playing for Toronto FC!!!!

femi_6

11-07-2006, 08:55 PM

tryouts aye... that seems interesting.. i wonder how many ppl that tryout could actually make the team?

Calif

11-08-2006, 06:57 AM

I went to the Chivas USA tryout when they made them I was about to really make it with Chivas USA but I got injured and then I thought about it and all and just did the stupiest thing in my life and decided not to do this for a living!!!!

youcan'tseeme

11-14-2006, 02:52 AM

i may be going to the Toronto FC try-outs hopefully I do well if i do.

Calif

11-14-2006, 05:29 AM

Cool man Good luck!!!

Joe MacCarthy

11-18-2006, 06:25 AM

Toronto FC trades Serioux
By LORI EWING
http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Soccer/Canada/2006/11/17/2392051-cp.html

TORONTO (CP) - Canadian Adrian Serioux was a member of his hometown Toronto FC but for a brief moment Friday.

Then he became the first casualty in what Toronto coach Mo Johnston predicted was going to be a busy couple of days of wheeling and dealing as he cobbles together his brand new MLS roster.

Johnston selected Serioux, a midfielder-defender from the Houston Dynamo and a former member of the Toronto Lynx, in Friday's Major League Soccer expansion draft. Less than an hour later, he'd sent the Toronto native and the only Canadian available in the draft, along with the first pick in the second round of the 2007 draft, to FC Dallas for midfielder Ronnie O'Brien.

"Adrian . . . it's just unfortunate, it's just the way soccer goes. Some you win, some you lose," Johnston said in a conference call Friday. "When Adrian goes over to Dallas, he'll play well, he's a good soccer player.

"But so far, I had to make the right choices for Toronto FC. And you could ask the other 12 coaches, Ronnie O'Brien is a wonderful player."

Johnston plucked 10 players in the expansion draft to help stock the league's 13th franchise, but several were dealt hours after being selected.

Toronto's biggest name selected was MLS all-time leading goal scorer Jason Kreis, who was traded back to Real Salt Lake for part of a player allocation.

Allocations are amounts of money generally used to sign high-profile players from leagues outside the United States which MLS purchases through the international transfer market.

Johnston hinted earleir that Kreis, who has 108 career goals, wouldn't be donning a Toronto jersey.

Also selected and traded away were Kansas City goalkeeper Will Hesmer and New York Red Bulls midfielder Danny O'Rourke, who were bundled together and sent to the Columbus Crew for another partial allocation.

When the newcomers are finalized, they'll join Jim Brennan, a 29-year-old midfielder from Newmarket, Ont., who became Toronto FC's first player when he signed a multi-year deal with the club in September.

Johnston will also announce the signing of three Canadian international players at a news conference Tuesday, and hinted all three are defenders. The coach said recently he wanted to build his team from the back with strong Canadian talent - one of the reasons he was left defending his decision to trade Serioux.

"I don't see Adrian Serioux as a back player," said Johnston. "Adding Ronnie O'Brien adds something different. . . . For me, (O'Brien is) the best right-sided player in the America."

Johnston also selected forwards Jose Cancela (New England Revolution), and Nate Jaqua (Chicago Fire), midfielders Paulo Nagamura (Los Angeles Galaxy), and Rod Dyachenko (D.C. United), and defenders Tim Regan (Chivas USA), and Ritchie Kotschau (Columbus Crew).

Toronto FC was allowed to pick one player from each team.

The club also has the first overall pick in the 2007 draft on Jan. 12 in Indianapolis.

"I'm fairly convinced that Toronto has a good opportunity to really make a strong squad coming out in this first year, and be very competitive in MLS," league deputy commissioner Ivan Gazidis said during the conference call.

Of the players Johnston would like to keep, he sees former Chicago Fire forward Jaqua anchoring the team's frontline, but isn't sure about his interest in playing for Toronto. Jaqua has said he wanted to play at home in Los Angeles.

"I spoke to him yesterday. He's a commodity at the moment," Johnston said of Jaqua. "I want to invite him up here and let him see the organization, see the stadium, sit him down and give him the plans for the upcoming year."

Johnston also likes Dyachenko and Cancela.

The coach said there's been no resistance from potential players to move to Canada to play.

"It's a six or seven hour drive over the border into New York. We're not that far away."

Joe MacCarthy

11-22-2006, 10:36 AM

Toronto FC to add three Canadians
By NEIL DAVIDSON
http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Soccer/Canada/2006/11/21/2433154-cp.html

TORONTO (CP) - Toronto FC will flesh out its expansion MLS roster by announcing the signing of Canadian defenders Adam Braz, Chris Pozniak and Marco Reda on Wednesday.

A source confirmed Tuesday that the three will be introduced at a news conference the team has called for Wednesday morning at the CN Tower.

Toronto FC, which kicks off next spring, already has Canadian international midfielder Jim Brennan under contract. Coach Mo Johnston added 10 more players in last Friday's expansion draft but moved four of them, including Canadian international Adrian Serioux, who was dealt to Dallas along with a second-round draft pick for Irish midfielder Ronnie O'Brien.

Braz, 25, has been with the Montreal Impact most of his career but spent 2003 with Sweden's Vasteras SK.

Pozniak, 25, joined Norway's Haugesund FK in 2004 from Sweden's Orebro.

Reda, 29, spent last season with Sogndal of Norway after playing for Danish side Aalborg in 2005. Like Pozniak, he is a former member of the Toronto Lynx.

Braz and Pozniak both played in Canada's most recent game, a 1-0 loss in Hungary last Wednesday. It was the 10th cap for Braz and 17th for Pozniak.

Reda was not called up for the Hungary contest but played the two previous games against Jamaica. He has six caps.

Expansion draft picks still with Toronto are forwards Nate Jaqua and Jose Cancela, midfielders Paolo Nagamura and Rod Dyachenko and defenders Tim Regan and Ritchie Kotschau.

The team is also working on adding goalkeeper Greg Sutton, a Canadian international who has played in Montreal most recently.

The Toronto club will add to its roster at the league SuperDraft, scheduled for Jan. 12.

And it has scheduled open tryouts for next month, offering space to 1,000 people at $115 a shot.

Toronto FC, the MLS's 13th franchise, begins play in April 2007 at BMO field, currently under construction near the downtown waterfront.

Joe MacCarthy

11-23-2006, 10:53 AM

Toronto FC sign three Canadian players
Team also introduces midfielder O'Brien acquired in trade
http://toronto.fc.mlsnet.com/news/team_news.jsp?ymd=20061122&content_id=79242&vkey=news_t280&fext=.jsp&team=t280

http://i10.tinypic.com/2utt2ps.jpg
Toronto FC announced Wednesday they have signed three free agent defenders Adam Braz, Chris Pozniak, and Marco Reda to multi-year contracts.

Per team policy, financial details were not disclosed.

"We're excited with our Canadian signings. Adam, Chris, and Marco are all versatile players, with international experience. They will make fantastic additions to our team," said Head Coach Mo Johnston.

Braz, 25, possessed the best defensive record in four consecutive seasons with the Montreal Impact of the United Soccer League. In 2006, he was part of a defensive unit that allowed 15 goals in 28 games. A Montreal native, Braz was a member of Canada's U-20 team from 1998 to 2002. He made his debut with the Men's National Team January 18, 2004 versus Barbados.

Pozniak, 25, joined the United Soccer League's Toronto Lynx in 1999, and went on to represent Canada at the 2001 World Youth Championships in Argentina and at the Francophone Games in Ottawa. He is one of only two members of the past U-20 team to have played in the 1998 CONCACAF U-20 Qualifying Tournament for the 1999 World Youth Championships.

Reda, 25, represented Canada at the 1997 FIFA World Youth Championships, and continued to develop his skills playing for Canada's U-23 team in Olympic qualifying during 1999. He made his debut with the National Team February 9, 2005 versus Northern Ireland (1:0).

Joining the free agents was newly acquired Irish midfielder Ronnie O'Brien. O'Brien was traded to Toronto from FC Dallas for midfielder Adrian Serioux and a 2007 second round draft pick.

O'Brien, 27, played with the Ireland U-18, U-19 and U-21 National Teams winning the European Championship with the U-18 side. On the domestic scene, O'Brien is a two-time Major League Soccer (MLS) All-Star, and was named to the MLS Best XI for the first time in 2004, and again in 2005.

"We believe Ronnie is the best right footed player in the league," said Johnston. "He is an exceptional player and we worked hard to acquire him."

Toronto FC will be Major League Soccer's 13th team and the first outside the United States. Toronto FC will begin play next spring at BMO Field's 20,000 seat stadium at Exhibition Place.

Joe MacCarthy

11-23-2006, 11:26 AM

Toronto FC adds to roster
By NEIL DAVIDSON
http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Soccer/Canada/2006/11/21/2433154-cp.html

TORONTO (CP) - There's no goalie yet but Toronto FC finally has 11 players to call its own.

The expansion MLS franchise introduced Canadian defenders Adam Braz, Chris Pozniak and Marco Reda along with Irish midfielder Ronnie O'Brien at a news conference 114 floors up at the CN Tower on Wednesday. It was a special moment for the Canadians, wearing their new Toronto FC jerseys.

"This is an opportunity to play real soccer in Canada, at a real good level," said Pozniak, a native of nearby Aurora. "And that's what I always wanted to do."

There were smiles all round, despite the fact that O'Brien does not like heights.

Coach Mo Johnston made Canadian midfielder Jim Brennan his first signing in September before adding 10 more players in last Friday's expansion draft and signing the three Canadian defenders to multi-year contracts.

He has now moved five of the expansion picks, including Canadian international Adrian Serioux, who was dealt to Dallas along with a second-round draft pick for O'Brien. The team's latest move involved sending midfielder Tom Regan to New York for forward Edson Buddle.

"This is just a start," said Johnston.

Johnston said he needs more Canadian players but moved Serioux because he thought upgrades were possible at the position. "Trust me, there's bigger and better to come in that position."

Johnston also relished the addition of O'Brien, formerly of FC Dallas.

"For me, he's the best right-sided player in the MLS," Johnston said. "Everyone wanted his signature, from L.A. all the way through, Colorado. You name it, they all wanted him.

"We put our hand in our pocket and we delivered. And I'm thrilled to have him. ... The fans are going to love him in Toronto."

Johnston continues to look for the right overseas talent. "My phone's not stopped," he said gleefully.

Toronto will also add players at the MLS SuperDraft in January. Johnston's team can't start practising until Feb. 1.

"There's still a lot of work to be done, there's still a lot of trades to be done," Johnston said. "And there's a lot of shifting through certain guys who are overseas and getting some foreigners in."

Johnston sees Braz, Pozniak and Reda as key components in a Canadian backline that will have the luxury of knowing each other.

"I want five or six of them, so as we don't need to do too much work in pre-season," Johnston said.

Reda noted he played with Brennan when they were both 14 or 15, and spent time with Pozniak as members of the Toronto Lynx.

"It's almost like coming full circle, and now it's just bigger and better," said the defender.

Braz, Brennan, Pozniak and Reda also have national team experience together.

Pozniak and Reda are leaving Norwegian teams to come home. While Pozniak said money was not an issue, Reda acknowledged he was taking a bit of a hit.

"It's costing me a little bit, to be honest," said Reda, who comes from nearby Woodbridge. "But playing in front of family and friends is priceless to me."

Toronto FC kicks off next spring at BMO Field, currently under construction near the downtown waterfront.

O'Brien, a high-energy midfielder who has spent five years in MLS, puts the league on par with England's Football Championship, one level below the Premier League.

"The better teams in the league (MLS) would do really well and be in the top half of that table. And as far as putting an all-star team together, I think the all-star team would be able to run in the Premiership.

"I'm not saying it would win the Premiership, I'm saying it would hold its own. There's a lot of good players in this league, the standard's getting better, the young players coming into the league are getting better.

"And when teams like Toronto keep building stadiums, it just adds money to the league. It helps it grow."

O'Brien's resume includes time in the Middlesbrough and Juventus organizations as a teenager.

The former MLS all-star has ties to Toronto through his Irish wife, who has an aunt and uncle here.

Braz, 25, has been with the Montreal Impact most of his career but spent 2003 with Sweden's Vasteras SK.

Pozniak, 25, joined Norway's Haugesund FK in 2004 from Sweden's Orebro.

Reda, 29, spent last season with Sogndal of Norway after playing for Danish side Aalborg in 2005.

Braz and Pozniak both played in Canada's most recent game, a 1-0 loss in Hungary. It was the 10th cap for Braz and 17th for Pozniak.

Reda was not called up for the Hungary contest but played the two previous games against Jamaica. He has six caps.

Notes: Toronto FC has closed applications for its open tryouts next month. The club offered tryouts to 1,000 people at $115 a shot. People from as far away as Hungary expressed interest, a club spokesman said.

Joe MacCarthy

11-23-2006, 11:32 AM

Toronto FC present newest players
By Mark Polishuk / MLSnet.com Staff
http://toronto.fc.mlsnet.com/news/team_news.jsp?ymd=20061122&content_id=79301&vkey=news_t280&fext=.jsp&team=t280

http://i15.tinypic.com/2lwx6gx.jpg
Chris Pozniak represented Canada at the 2001 FIFA World Youth Championships in Argentina. (Ronald Zak/CSA)

TORONTO -- Just call them the Canadian Shield -- a trio of homegrown talents who might anchor the Toronto FC defense for years to come.

Toronto FC introduced Adam Braz, Chris Pozniak and Marco Reda as the club's first free-agent signings at a press conference on Wednesday. The three defenders have signed multi-year contracts with the Major League Soccer expansion team, and they join midfielder Jim Brennan as Toronto FC's Canadian contingent.

"It's great to be here," Reda said. "Having never experienced professional football in Toronto before, this is a really nice change for me. I'm looking forward to getting started and it's great to be home."

The two 25-year-olds (Braz and Pozniak) and 29-year-old (Reda) will be making their MLS debuts with Toronto FC, though they are no strangers to each other. All three have played together representing Canada at various levels, including the full national team. Pozniak and Braz were members of Canada's under-20 national team, and Reda played with Pozniak for the United Soccer League's Toronto Lynx.

"It's almost like coming full circle," Reda said. "Me and Jimmy [Brennan], we played together when we were 14 or 15 years old."

Reda joins Toronto after six years in Europe playing in the top leagues of Denmark and Norway. The native of Woodbridge, Ontario thinks the MLS Cup Playoffs "are realistic" for Toronto FC in its first season due to the fact that it can attract Canucks like Pozniak, Braz and himself.

"We might be have a bit of an edge being a Canadian expansion team because we're able to sign Canadian players who have that international experience," Reda said. "Other MLS teams might not have that advantage."

After six years playing in Sweden and Norway, Pozniak agreed that the club will be competitive in its inaugural campaign, and called Wednesday's signings "a good base" for Toronto to build on.

"It's exciting to be part of ... a new franchise that I have faith can really kick-start soccer in Canada for the first time," Pozniak said. "It's a bit of a dream come true for me, because growing up [in Aurora, Ontario] there wasn't a club of this magnitude in Toronto."

Braz is no stranger to Canadian soccer, having spent four of his five professional seasons with his hometown Montreal Impact of the USL. He has helped the Impact win three consecutive USL First Division titles, and led an Impact backline that held opponents to just 15 goals in 28 USL games.

For Braz, the biggest attraction of coming to Toronto is the chance to test his game on the larger stage of MLS.

"As a Canadian, you always want to play at the highest possible level in North America and play at home," Braz said. "We never had an opportunity until now with Toronto FC because MLS is the highest level here in North America. It's an extremely big opportunity for Canadians to be able to have a team like Toronto FC."

With the MLS expansion draft complete, established MLS stars like Ronnie O'Brien and Edson Buddle (who was aquired Wednesday from New York in exchange for defender Tim Regan) acquired through trades and now these three signings, Toronto FC is well on its way to filling out its inaugural roster for its debut game in the spring. Toronto coach Mo Johnston is pleased by the new additions, and he feels it won't be long until Braz, Pozniak and Reda are stalwarts of his club's defense corps.

"It's a Canadian backfield," Johnston said. "The fans have got to be happy with that. I'm certainly delighted with it because it doesn't take a lot of tinkering in the preseason. When you get guys of this caliber on board, that's tremendous. I'm absolutely thrilled to have every single one of them on board."

Mark Polishuk is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.

Joe MacCarthy

11-26-2006, 02:43 PM

Toronto FC fills all 1,000 open tryout spots
http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Soccer/Canada/2006/11/23/2460800-cp.html

TORONTO (CP) - All 1,000 spots at an open tryout for Toronto FC have been filled, the expansion MLS club said Thursday.

The club says it has received applications from across Canada and from as far away as Cruzeiro, Brazil. The tryouts, open to players 14 and over at a non-refundable cost of $115, needed just over two weeks to reach capacity.

A waiting list has been created for those turned down.

The tryouts run Dec. 18 to 22 at the Ontario Soccer Centre in Vaughan, Ont.

Toronto FC is the league's 13th franchise and will begin play next spring at the new 20,000-seat BMO Field at Exhibition Place on the Toronto waterfront.

Joe MacCarthy

11-26-2006, 02:46 PM

Building for the future
Toronto FC adds some Can-Con
By DEAN McNULTY -- Toronto Sun
http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Soccer/Canada/2006/11/23/2460387-sun.html

http://i10.tinypic.com/2z5isyh.jpg
Toronto FC announced the signing of Adam Braz, Chris Pozniak, Marco Reda and Ronnie O'Brien to multi-year contracts yesterday. The club also found time to swing a trade. (Toronto Sun/Mark O'Neill)

The brand spanking new Toronto FC Major League Soccer team has not yet signed a full roster of players, nor does it even have a permanent pitch to practice on until the BMO Stadium is completed next spring.

But what is does have is optimism.

Toronto coach Mo Johnston introduced three Canadian defenders -- Adam Braz, Chris Pozniak and Marco Reda -- to go along with Irish midfielder Ronnie O'Brien yesterday at a media event at the CN Tower.

One after the other the four players spoke about how strong they expect the team will be in its inaugural season in the MLS.

In fact, O'Brien went as far as to say the club -- when all the parts are in place -- will be the equivalent of a mid-pack First Division side in Europe.

"And I think that an all-star team from the league would be competitive in the Premiership," he said. "I'm not saying we would win it, but we would give them a go."

O'Brien's boast, he said, was based on a seven-year career playing professionally in Europe with such clubs as Juventus, Logano, Middleborough and Dundee United.

Braz, a 25-year-old from Montreal, comes to Toronto with the best defensive record on the Montreal Impact over the past four seasons in the United Soccer League.

"I'm just glad I have this great opportunity to play professionally in Canada," he said. "It's a great chance to play professional soccer at the highest possible level."

Pozniak, as well, sung the praises of his new team, even though there is still a mountain of building blocks to be put in place before the final model in turned out.

"I am really excited to be part of this team," he said. "And I have faith that this team will kick start soccer's popularity in this country."

Johnston defended the signing of three Canadians on a club that is looking at Toronto's soccer-mad ethnic communities to fill its 20,000-seat new stadium.

"Marco is a Canadian with international experience," Johnston said.

"Adam is a leader, and Chris also brings great leadership. I am absolutely thrilled to have each and every one of them on board."

And Johnston bragged that O'Brien brings the best right foot in the MLS to Toronto.

"For me, he's the best right side player in America," Johnston said. "I've been trying to sign him for years."

Meanwhile, the club made a trade yesterday, sending expansion draft pick Tim Regan to the New York Red Bulls for American international forward Edson Buddle.

Joe MacCarthy

11-29-2006, 08:17 PM

Toronto FC eyes 'keeper
By DEAN MCNULTY -- Toronto Sun
http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Soccer/Canada/2006/11/29/2545659-sun.html

The rights to Canadian international goalkeeper Greg Sutton have been purchased by Major League Soccer and his next home could be Toronto FC.

But Toronto coach Mo Johnston refused to comment on reports yesterday the 29-year-old Sutton likely will end up in FC colours when the team begins its inaugural season in 2007.

"I have seen the report out of Montreal that Greg is going to join the MLS," Johnston said.

"But I can not comment any further than that."

Sutton has played the past four seasons in the United Soccer League First Division with the Montreal Impact.

In that time, the Hamilton native was named all four seasons as the league's most valuable 'keeper.

Sutton, at 6-foot-6 and 210 pounds, is a physical player who has notched three international shutouts playing for the Canadian men's team.

Although Sutton was under contract through 2008 with the Impact, the team will not stand in the way of his move to the MLS.

"It's always hard to see a player like Greg go, but on the other hand, it's part of the reality of soccer," Impact president Joey Saputo said in a statement yesterday.

While not talking specifically about Sutton, Johnston said he intends to build Toronto FC with as many Canadians as he can sign.

"Well, first and foremost it's a Canadian team," he said.

"It would be an outcry if we didn't sign any Canadians. The nucleus of our club should be Canadians."

There are a number of huge roadblocks to making Johnston's wishes come true, however, and he knows all about them.

Canadian players such as Tomas Radzinski, Paul Stalteri, Atiba Hutchinson and Ian Hume all play key roles for professional teams in Europe and are unlikely to come back home to a huge pay cut.

"I am trying to secure as many (Canadians) as I can," Johnston said. "Is it possible to sign big names from Europe? Probably not because of how much they cost."

Johnston, however, said he has been astounded at the positive reaction the new side has received in Toronto since it was announced it would be building a 20,000-seat stadium on the grounds of Exhibition Place. The construction is ahead of schedule and everything is in place to start the season at the BMO Stadium.

"We have already sold 5,100 season tickets in just a few short weeks," Johnston said.

"I am very pleased."

Joe MacCarthy

12-02-2006, 10:10 AM

Players In The News
Friday, December 01, 2006
Sutton Joins Toronto FC
http://www.canadasoccer.com/eng/media/viewArtical.asp?Press_ID=2596

http://i16.tinypic.com/33m61oh.jpg
Greg Sutton becomes the newest member of the Toronto FC
Photo: Dale MacMillan/CSA

Toronto FC announced Friday that they have signed Canadian International goalkeeper Greg Sutton to a multi year contract. Per team policy, financial details were not disclosed.

Sutton, 6 foot 6, 210 pounds is a native of Montreal, Quebec and heads to Major League Soccer from the United Soccer League's Montreal Impact.

He was the starting goalkeeper when the Impact won the 2004 league championship, beating the Seattle Sounders. That year, he was named league MVP and the club's Defensive Player of the Year.

Sutton, 29, was picked on the first All-League team for four straight years (2003 to 2006). He holds the club record for all-time regular-season career shutouts (67), wins (72), games played (132) and minutes played (12,309).

He made his Canadian National Team debut January 18, 2004 vs Barbados. Some of his National team highlights include:

Played all three games at the 2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup
Earned second senior cap and shutout versus Northern Ireland February 9, 2005; and Invited to the Men's World Cup Team Development Camp in July 2004 and played against Hearts in a 1-1 draw.

Toronto FC is Major League Soccer's 13th team, and begins play in April of 2007 at the new BMO Field at Exhibition Stadium.

Greg Sutton
Position: Goalkeeper
Height: 6-6 Weight: 210
Birthdate: April 19, 1977
Hometown: Montreal, QC
Last Club: Montreal Impact (USL)

Joe MacCarthy

12-02-2006, 11:44 AM

Tks to Richard at bcsoccerweb for headsup

Reda' to return to North American soccer
Woodbridge native returns home after signing with the expansion Toronto FC
By John Hanan
http://www.corrieretandem.com/viewstory.php?storyid=6829

http://i13.tinypic.com/4bnv8r5.jpg

As the expansion FC team continues to fill out its roster, fans can expect to see one very familiar face. After four years of stellar defense in Scandinavia, the time was right for Woodbridge native Marco Reda to return home.

Joining an expansion team bankrolled by the mighty Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment empire, with a shiny new stadium to boot, certainly helped convince the 29-year-old the time was right to head home.

"I'll be 30 soon and I'm probably looking at the tail end of my career," said the soft-spoken, 6 ft. 2 inch defender. "It felt like a good time to start thinking about the transition after soccer." Which has him contemplating a move into coaching or physiotherapy once his decides to take off the cleats once and for all.

But until then, Reda's enjoying his return to Toronto (he just bought a west-end home with his wife) and gearing up for the FC's inaugural team camp on February 1st. He understands his role on the squad will be to provide leadership while anchoring the backend. And he also knows from his past playing days with the Toronto Lynx, that soccer here is not always an easy sell.

"In Toronto, you need to create a winner. It's been proven in the past by many different teams in many different leagues," said Reda, who is optimistic the club has the talent needed to make the playoffs in their first year. "We're going to take a few people by surprise. The Americans might not respect the talent level we have here in Canada. But as an expansion team, we realize it's not going to be easy. We've got 11 new guys that have to learn to play together."

Although new to Major League Soccer, a few of his new teammates are already familiar to him: Reda previously played with fellow defender Chris Pozniak with the Lynx and developed his game in Woodbridge alongside Newmarket native Jim Brennan.

Leaving the Lynx in 2002 after five seasons of playing in front of friends and family wasn't an easy decision, particularly when it meant relocating to a small town in the Norwegian hinterland.

His eyes light up when talking about the new BMO Field, which the Toronto expansion will begin playing in this fall. Without a soccer-specific stadium for previous soccer franchises (the Lynx and the Blizzard before them), the sport was doomed to fail, believes Reda.

"Things were a bit handicapped playing at Varsity stadium and then Centennial. People might have felt it was a bit of a Mickey Mouse operation, but I take my hat off to the Lynx organization. I owe them a lot."

Thanks to the Lynx, Reda was recruited to the national team for which he remains a big part of. Having the MLS in Canada, with its emphasis on player development, will reap big rewards for the sport here.

"Players need a place to play. They're groomed over there at a young age for the pro leagues, which just isn't the case here,"

That was one difference Reda observed while playing overseas. Sweden, he notes, has quickly become a European soccer powerhouse, thanks in large part to the presence of strong professional teams within a system dedicated to developing young talent.

He knows all too well the stigma surrounding North American soccer and fully expects to face his fair share of doubters as the team move's closer to opening day.

"I'm sure we'll have our skeptics. Come out for a game. We accept the challenge to prove people wrong and show them we can really play."

FC open tryouts sold out

With team manager Mo Johnston still tinkering with the roster - the latest player rumoured to be heading north is former Montreal Impact goaltender and national team member Greg Sutton. A press conference has been called for Friday, when the team is expected to announce him as the fourth Canadian player to join the roster.

However the team is committed to leaving no stone unturned and earlier this year offered amateur players a chance to strut their stuff at an open tryout.
Proving the immense popularity of the sport in Vaughan, all 1,000 spots quickly filled up. The tryouts, open to players 14 and older, sold out in a little more than two weeks.

The club says it has received applications from across Canada and from as far away as Brazil.

The opportunity to put your best foot forward in front of the FC brass, will cost team hopefuls $115, but includes an adidas soccer jersey and two vouchers for an FC home game.

For those still interested in getting in on the action, a waiting list has been created in case of cancellations.

The tryouts run Dec. 18 to 22 at the Ontario Soccer Centre on 7601 Martin Grove Road in Vaughan.

Joe MacCarthy

12-02-2006, 11:48 AM

Tks to Richard at bcsoccerweb for headsup

A case for the defence
Canadian defender Chris Pozniak is poised for his return to Toronto soccer
By John F. Molinaro, CBC Sports
http://www.cbc.ca/sports/indepth/feature-pozniak.html

http://i14.tinypic.com/4c0eum9.jpg
Chris Pozniak is expected to anchor Toronto FC's defence during the club's inaugural campaign in MLS. (Jim Rogash/Associated Press)

After a five-year career detour through Scandinavia, Chris Pozniak is finally coming home to Canada.

The 25-year-old defender from Aurora, Ont., was one of four free agents introduced last week by Toronto FC, Major League Soccer's newest expansion franchise, which is set to kick off its inaugural season this spring.

Pozniak played his formative years with the Toronto Lynx of the North American A-League from 1999 to 2001 before splitting the past five years between Swedish club Örebro SK and F.K. Haugesund in Norway.

Playing in Europe helped improve his game and he earned his first call-up to the Canadian men's team in 2002. But when the chance to return to Toronto presented itself, he jumped at it.

"It was [in the works] since MLS first announced a team was coming to Toronto [in 2005]. My agent contacted me and asked me if it was something I would be interested in and I said 'yeah,'" Pozniak told CBC Sports Online.

The hard-working defender, who was born in Poland, regretted leaving Canada and is excited at the prospect of returning to Toronto.

"I've been away from home for five years … you miss certain things about home. It was never really my intention to move from here. I like living in Toronto. It was just hard to carve out a soccer career here - that's the only reason I left."

Pozniak explained that the style of play in Sweden and Norway didn't always produce "the most attractive brand of soccer," but he admits that he grew as a player during his time abroad.

Playing in those two countries "made me more tactically aware," he said.

When Pozniak and fellow Canadian defenders Adam Braz and Marco Reda (Pozniak's former teammate with the Lynx) were introduced by Toronto FC last week, coach Mo Johnston boldly predicted the trio would serve as the backbone of the club's back line for years to come.

"I welcome that pressure," said Pozniak. "People will be a little critical because none of us have played a game in MLS, but I'm pretty sure the three of us are capable of handling the pressure and the level of play."

He's also looking forward to playing for Johnston, a charismatic Glasgow native who scored 14 goals in 38 games for Scotland and played for his native country at the 1990 World Cup in Italy.

"His resumé as a player speaks for itself and also from speaking to him, I think he's a real positive guy. Very enthusiastic," said Pozniak.

"Already, even speaking to him about non-soccer things, you realize his enthusiasm rubs off on other people, so I think that can be important coming into training every day and before games."

With the team still looking to fill its roster, Pozniak said it would be foolish to predict how Toronto FC would do in its inaugural campaign, but believes a post-season berth would not be out of the question.

"I think it would be realistic for us to set ourselves a goal of making the playoffs in our first year," said Pozniak.

Pozniak has played 17 times for Canada over the past four years, and he believes the presence of a Canadian club in MLS will have major benefits for the national team.

"It gives players such as myself, Marco and Adam the chance to play together all the time and get familiar with each other," explained Pozniak.

"Also, it gives young Canadian players something to look forward to, to shoot for a goal. It's a good level to test young players and to discover young players for Canada."

Joe MacCarthy

12-09-2006, 01:41 AM

Gansler brings experience to Toronto FC
By NEIL DAVIDSON
http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Soccer/Canada/2006/12/06/2654773-cp.html

TORONTO (CP) - He's taken the U.S. to the World Cup and won both the MLS championship and coach of the year award. Decades of coaching have taught Bob Gansler a few things about soccer.

Now Gansler is returning the favour with Toronto FC as an assistant to head coach Mo Johnston. The 65-year-old coach, who looks a decade younger, makes it sound simple. "Coaching is teaching in short pants," Gansler explained in an interview.

For Gansler, soccer is all about selecting the right players and giving them an environment where they can flourish and achieve together.

In Toronto, he and Johnston get to start with a blank page with an expansion team.

"I enjoy coaching and when this opportunity came along, it's a challenge I've never encountered," Gansler said. "To help start a team from scratch, that's the challenge here." Gansler likes what he sees already in Toronto's work-in-progress 12-man roster.

And he expects substantial benefits from the local talent given that Canadians like Greg Sutton, Marco Reda, Adam Braz, Chris Pozniak and Jim Brennan have played together for Canada. Gansler knows all about national teams, having coached the U.S. at the 1990 World Cup.

Now 65, Gansler was fired in July after seven seasons in Kansas City, where he coached Johnston and led the Wizards to the MLS championship in 2000 - when he was named MLS coach of the year - and the U.S. Open Cup in 2004. He still holds the record for the longest tenure by an MLS coach. Gansler says he would have hired Johnston as an assistant coach, had the job been open when Johnston retired as a player. He always saw the coach in the Scot. "Without a doubt.

He was the captain of the team. Everyone enjoyed playing with him," he said. "As a captain you need to know how to play and Mo knew how to play. But what Mo was extremely good at was he made everyone around him better." Johnston was also a leader off the field "like a pied piper" to the young guys. "Not only because he bought the beers.

But they knew that he could play and that his heart was in the right place. People enjoyed playing with him, so I have absolutely no doubt that people will enjoy playing for him. That's a big part of coaching, people have to know you care and they to have to like the way you approach things. And Mo's got that." Johnston will also have to use that personality to sell MLS in Toronto. "He's done a good job already as the face of this team," Gansler said approvingly. "In North America, soccer is "still a project. You've got to sell every ticket. You've got to sell every game, every time. So you better be pretty adept at the PR part - and he is."

It's been more than 20 years since he was anything but a head coach, but Gansler says he's happy to do whatever's needed to assist Johnston.

Like most veteran coaches, Gansler has won and lost. Owners have shown him their appreciation - and the door. "In our business, fair has nothing to do with it," he said. "The folks that make these decisions, they have a right to come to them. ... It's OK." Gansler acknowledges the Wizards - 6-10-2 and losers of six straight - weren't performing when he was let go this summer. But he also notes the team wasn't that different from the one that reached the MLS Cup in 2004. "Seven years and change, it was a heck of a run," he said. Johnston, Gansler and fellow assistants Mike Matkovich and Carmine Issaco face a unique challenge in assembling a Canadian MLS team, with the league tweaked its roster rules to accommodate a team north of the border. Like its competition, Toronto FC will sport an 18-man roster with an additional 10 on a developmental roster.

The full roster can include four senior internationals, three U.S. senior players and five youth internationals (born in or after 1983). The rest will be Canadian. Toronto can already count on Irish winger Ronnie O'Brien.

"He's as good as they come at his position," says Gansler. It all makes for some number crunching. O'Brien and Uruguayan midfielder Jose Cancela have green cards to work in the U.S., so they can fit in as an American or foreigner.

As far as imports, Gansler says the push is to get the best player available that fits into the salary cap. "If other factors can be weighed into this, then fair enough. But for sure, we need someone to score goals. I think that individual will be celebrate regardless of ethnicity, religion or anything else. "What you try to do is put a winner out there and that's the number one priority."

While it's getting better, it's still a tough sell bringing overseas stars to MLS, he acknowledges. Unlike Europe, the money just isn't there. "There's three Argentinian national teams and probably four Brazilian national teams who are playing in Europe on any given Saturday. They're not home and there's a reason," he said.

Joe MacCarthy

12-18-2006, 10:55 PM

It's go hard or go home
Are you the next Ronaldinho? You'd better bring your 'A' game to Toronto FC tryouts
By DEAN McNULTY -- Toronto Sun
http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Soccer/Canada/2006/12/18/2859141-sun.html

When an expected 1,000 hopeful Toronto FC players take to the pitch at the Ontario Soccer Centre in Vaughn this morning for open tryouts the first cut will not only be the deepest it will also be the quickest.

Barry MacLean, the sports agent who is running the show for the team, told the Toronto Sun that FC coaches and advisors will be cutting more than half of those who show up after their first sessions.

The second round of cuts will be just as broad and just as swift.

After all, public relations aside, Toronto FC isn't going through the exercise with any realistic hope of uncovering a player who could play at the level of Major League Soccer right out of the camp.

"What is going to happen is that over the first two-and-a half days there will be 51 games of six aside teams of one hour in length so that all of those who try out will get looked at," MacLean said. "Right after that those that are clearly out of their element are going to be dismissed."

Just how many of the original 1,000 players does MacLean think will be in that category?

"We anticipate there will be about 25% of the original group left," he said.

The math is clear -- 1,000 start and 750 will get the boot after one look.

Things don't get any easier for the 250 lucky wannabes after that.

"We are going to play them in 10 full 11 aside games," MacLean said. "That will take us to Thursday."

The coaches will meet following those matches and pink cards will be issued to a further 200 players.

"The 50 remaining players will play two games 11 aside each on Friday," he said.

So how many of the original 1,000 tryouts do the Toronto FC coaches hope will be good enough for an invite to the team's inaugural training camp?

Well, none actually.

"We expect there will be 10 or 11 players who will show enough potential to be worth keeping an eye on," MacLean said. "They will be invited to a pre-training camp session in Toronto at the beginning of February.

"If they handle themselves well against players we've already signed, then they could be invited down to our main camp in Florida."

MacLean may make the process sound cold, but Toronto FC will have another agenda in place during the tryouts -- to put names and faces to young players who might figure in future plans of the team.

"There are a number of players who are very young who will be trying out," he said. "Those players in all likelihood be viewed as prospects for the future."

For Toronto FC this not only will provide them with a first-hand look at Ontario's finest young stars, but it saves the team from the long, tough and costly scouting process that otherwise would be necessary to seek out home-grown talent.

"Those youngsters probably won't make the grade as players who would get into the training camp," MacLean said. "But they will get valuable exposure to high-level coaching and competition."

MacLean's credentials are impeccable -- he's a former Ontario University Athletics Association Soccer coach of the year for his work at Wilfred Laurier University -- and he attained All-Canadian status as a player at the same school.

And he's certain that there will be diamonds in the rough to be found among the throng that will suit up today.

"The likelihood of finding one or two players of elite ability I think is pretty high," he said. "I think there will be a media bonanza for the team with this kind of tryout, but I also believe it will attract some young players who may well have a future with Toronto FC."

Joe MacCarthy

12-19-2006, 11:12 PM

Teens try their best
Dream of making Toronto FC
By DEAN McNULTY -- Toronto Sun
http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Soccer/Canada/2006/12/19/2877138-sun.html

http://i17.tinypic.com/29vcsvl.jpg
David Almeida (left) and Mark Van Beek race for the ball during open tryouts for Toronto FC on Monday. (Michael Peake/Toronto Sun)

VAUGHAN -- The two teenagers trotted out on to the artificial turf at the Ontario Soccer Centre yesterday having never met one another. But it turned out Piyush Kumar, 16, and Mohssin Gaafer, 17, had a lot more in common than a love for the world game.

Kumar and Gaafer were taking part in the first day of open tryouts for the new Major League Soccer side, Toronto FC.

They were just two of the 394 hopefuls with the dream of impressing the coaches of the MLS team.

But what set Kumar and Gaafer apart from many of the others this day was the trip that got them there.

Kumar began playing soccer in his native India, where he said his first and lasting memories of his homeland are still of kicking the ball around on a field near his home.

The promise of a better life and more opportunities for their son led the family to leave for Canada before Piyush was even old enough to attend school.

Now settled in Waterloo with his family, Kumar has as his goal becoming a professional soccer player and he saw the Toronto FC tryouts as a means to gauge his skills against the best in his age group.

"I got to see all the players from around Ontario and how good they are," he said after a 30-minute six-on-six game.

"I want to improve as a player. I was watching a game on TV between Canada and Hungary when I heard about the Toronto FC tryouts. I convinced my dad to let me have a day off school to take part."

Kumar is playing on an under-18 rep team in Waterloo and he came to the tryouts, he admits, thinking he was a pretty hot prospect.

"I have played soccer all of my life," he said. "But I was surprised (yesterday) that there were a lot of guys better than me."

Gaafer is also a new Canadian, but his journey was much more arduous.

He was just seven years old when civil war in his native Sudan drove his family to Egypt.

"I played soccer in Sudan with my friends," he said yesterday. "But it wasn't until we got to Egypt that I began playing on an organized team."

The family was able to obtain permission to move to Canada three years ago and found a home in Hamilton.

"Right away I wanted to play soccer here," Gaafer said. "And I was really surprised at how good the players were."

Gaafer, like Kumar, also has dreams of being able to one day earn money playing the game he loves.

"I close my eyes and think it would the greatest day in my life if I were picked to go to the next level of tryouts," he said.

Gaafer said that he hoped he was able to impress the coaches with his dribbling, which he considers the best part of his game.

"But I like to score, too," he said.

Judging from the group yesterday, so did 392 others.

Joe MacCarthy

12-21-2006, 12:25 AM

No Peles in the pile
Hopefuls for new team hopeless
By DEAN McNULTY -- Toronto Sun
http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Soccer/Canada/2006/12/20/2895427-sun.html

http://i14.tinypic.com/4bekci0.jpg
Hopefully, goalie Andrew Jones and player Gord Willemse had fun "trying out" for Toronto FC yesterday. According to assistant coach Bob Gansler, there wasn't a single player who realistically has a chance to make it. (Toronto Sun/Mike Peake)

VAUGHAN -- Toronto FC coaches yesterday denied that an open tryout, where 1,000 hopefuls showed off their skills, was nothing more than a public relations exercise for the new Major League Soccer team.

But in the same breath they did admit that to expect any of the wannabes to actually make the big club would be unrealistic.

Assistant coach Bob Gansler was blunt in his assessment of the talent he had seen in the first half of the three-day tryout.

"I didn't see anyone who was even close to having the physical conditioning to play at the MLS level," he said.

Gansler, however, defended the club's decision to hold an open audition to precede Toronto FC's inaugural season.

"To the South American and European purists this might be a strange proceeding," he said. "But when you have a new club looking for talent you can't leave any stone unturned.

"Is it likely (to find a budding star)? No. Is it possible? Yes. And if it's possible then it's worth doing."

Gansler said that club coaches were able to cull a few players from the hundreds who had already played a six-on-six 60-minute game.

"We did see one or two (Monday) and another one or two (yesterday) who we might want to take another look at," he said.

But Gansler said the vast majority of young players who attended the tryouts shouldn't consider not being picked as a failure.

"I think for those young players it's always a matter of having to do something like this to get better," he said. "They should come away from this inspired a little bit."

The problem for at least one Toronto FC aspirant -- 24-year-old Ernest Asante of Ottawa -- was that being thrown into a group where talent level varied wildly wasn't a good way to show off his skills.

"Most of the guys on my team weren't in very good shape," Asante said. "I almost had to do everything by myself. Soccer is supposed to be a team game, but since those guys weren't in good shape we couldn't get any flow to our game."

Asante, a midfielder, was one of the players who came to the tryouts thinking he had a chance to make Toronto FC because he already was playing at an elite level.

"The past two years I have been playing for the North York Astros of the Canadian Professional Soccer League," he said.

Gansler admitted bunching players together without knowing anything about their talent levels may not have been the perfect way to assess them.

"When you have only 30 minutes or 60 minutes to look at a player it's an inexact science," he said.

Gansler said, however, he would consider the tryouts a "rounding success" if even a handful of players advanced to a pre-training camp tryout.

Joe MacCarthy

12-23-2006, 10:54 AM

Toronto FC acquire Eskandarian
http://toronto.fc.mlsnet.com/news/team_news.jsp?ymd=20061222&content_id=80880&vkey=news_t280&fext=.jsp&team=t280

TORONTO (CP) - Toronto FC picked up some firepower Friday by acquiring forward Alecko Eskandarian from DC United.

The expansion MLS team gave up what's called a "partial allocation," - essentially cash that adds to the United war chest. The 24-year-old from Montvale, N.J., spent four seasons with D.C. United. He had seven goals and two assists in 22 games this year and went to the MLS all-star game as a commissioner's pick.

He played only 12 games in 2005 because of a concussion - he wears protective headgear as a result - but had 10 goals in 2004 when he was named MLS Cup MVP after scoring two goals to help United defeat Kansas City 3-2 in the final.

In all, Eskandarian made 81 appearances (47 starts) for United, collecting 20 goals and seven assists.

"Alecko was a tireless worker on and off the field for this club and it is difficult to part with him," United technical director Dave Kasper said in a statement. "He has been a big part of our recent accomplishments. We are, however, on the verge of signing major contributors and we know that in order to get something of value, we have to give up something of value. This partial allocation further allows us the ability to make those moves."

The five-foot-nine 165-pounder was the first overall pick in the 2003 MLS SuperDraft. He has made one appearance for the U.S. senior team, but has been invited to a January camp by U.S. coach Bob Bradley.

The trade is the latest in a series of moves by United, which has already sent Freddie Adu and Nick Rimando to Real Salt Lake for Jay Nolly and financial considerations and promoted Tom Soehn to coach, replacing Peter Nowak who went to the U.S. under-23 team.

The Toronto roster already includes forward Edson Buddle and winger Ronnie O'Brien.

Head coach Mo Johnston will no doubt look to add up front via the import player route.

In other FC news, the club announced that York University defender Jamaal Smith has been invited to join the expansion team at its main camp in February.

The 18-year-old from Mississauga, Ont., was the lone survivor of Toronto FC's open camp this week that saw 1,000 people pay a $110 tryout fee in a bid to make the club.

"He's living the dream", Toronto coach Mo Johnston said in a statement. "He's got a lot to learn, but he's showed us some talent during the past week".

Joe MacCarthy

12-23-2006, 10:58 AM

Smith survives Toronto FC open tryouts
By Mike Ulmer/TorontoFC.ca
http://toronto.fc.mlsnet.com/news/team_news.jsp?ymd=20061222&content_id=80880&vkey=news_t280&fext=.jsp&team=t280

http://i17.tinypic.com/3yi5m4y.jpg
Toronto FC have invited defender Jamaal Smith to participate in preseason training camp. (Toronto FC)

Jamaal Smith is one-in-a-thousand.

Those are the odds he overcame in becoming the only survivor of the Toronto open tryouts, which were held all week at an indoor venue in Toronto.

Friday was the final cut day and after sorting through just over 1,000 prospects from all over North American and Europe, FC coach Mo Johnston had found his prospect.

Smith is an 18-year-old defender who plays for York University and the Mississauga Classics. He will now attend the Toronto FC training camp in Florida in February.

Smith was approached and urged to attend the camp by York coach Paul James.

"I didn't say yes or no. I was worried about my exams for university but right now I'd have to say I'm glad I came," Smith said.

The Mississauga native never saw a roster spot as his goal.

"I came to gain some exposure and maybe catch the eye of someone on staff. This is definitely a bonus."

Smith's selection made him an immediate target for the media, anxious to document his ascension from 'wannabe' to invited player. Asked if he knew how to deal with the sudden media crush, Smith laughed and said, "Can't say that I do."

He will learn, of course, about surviving media interest and about building on his game.

"I know that I have lots of stuff to work on. I'm just glad to be getting the chance."

Joe MacCarthy

01-13-2007, 01:43 AM

Toronto FC picks Edu
http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Soccer/Canada/2007/01/12/3321515-cp.html

http://i16.tinypic.com/35bf7ec.jpg
University of Maryland midfielder Maurice Edu talks to the crowd after he was selected as the No. 1 overall pick by Toronto FC in the MLS SuperDraft in Indianapolis, Friday, Jan. 12, 2007. (AP Photo/Tom Strattman)

INDIANAPOLIS (CP) - Job done for Toronto FC coach Mo Johnston, who leaves the MLS SuperDraft with a few more items on his shopping list ticked off.

Toronto FC chose University of Maryland midfielder Maurice Edu with the first pick of Friday's draft, before taking lanky New Zealand international defender Andrew Boyens and a pair of local players: midfielder Rich Asante and forward Jeff Gonsalves.

"We got what we're looking for. We're very happy," Johnston said.

"It was important that we came away from here with some quality players," the Scottish coach added. "And that's what we've done."

Toronto FC continued to reap the rewards of David Beckham coming to the MLS via the Los Angeles Galaxy. The expansion team announced Friday it had sold 1,036 season tickets in the wake of the Beckham news, boosting its total to 8,000 at BMO Field, which will accommodate 20,000.

A pair of season tickets sold approximately every three minutes, the club said.

Now Johnston renews his search for some more international talent, looking to add to his team's firepower.

"I'm looking at signing two internationals, maybe next week," he said.

That news could come as early as Monday, he added.

Edu is a 20-year-old from California who started 55 games in three seasons with the Terrapins. A defensive midfielder by trade, he can also move up into attack and scored four winning goals last season. The six-foot, 170-pounder had 10 goals and 11 assists in his collegiate career.

"He's a very good soccer player, he's got a great brain," Johnston said. " He's a good tackler. He's very, very similar to (Canadian international) Atiba Hutchinson. ..."

"I've been watching him the last year. He was the one on everyone's list. He wasn't at the players' (combine), but we had done our homework. He was the one we wanted."

Edu, who went into the draft after his junior year, led the Terps to the 2005 NCAA title. Maryland was 52-15-5 during his tenure.

In between Edu and the Canadians, Toronto made a trade to acquire the 10th overall pick from Los Angeles via Colorado. The expansion team used the selection to take the six-foot-four, 170-pound Boyens, a 23-year-old who played at New Mexico.

"Again a tremendous athlete, good on the ball, can pop up with certain goals," Johnston said.

Toronto gave up a partial allocation - essentially cash - to the Galaxy to get the pick.

Asante is a 22-year-old from Toronto who played at Syracuse University, while Gonsalves is a 20-year-old forward from Markham, Ont., who played at Rhode Island.

Asante, five-four and 160 pounds, went 27th overall and first in the third round.

"He's like a little pitbull," Johnston said.

Gonsalves, six feet and 160 pounds, was the first pick in the fourth round, 40th overall. He ranked second in the NCAA last season with 41 points, from 18 goals and five assists, and set a school career record at Rhode Island, appearing in 88 games.

Johnston said he will bring the young players in gradually, although he expects Edu to see some time as a starter.

"We'll coach them properly."

Toronto went into the draft with 12 players on its books, including Canadians Greg Sutton, Adam Braz, Chris Pozniak, Marco Reda and Jim Brennan.

Toronto kicks off the regular season April 7 against Chivas USA in Carson, Calif.

Its home opener is April 28 against the Kansas City Wizards.

The Chicago Fire picked Virginia defender Bakary Soumare second, trading with the Columbus Crew to move up from the eighth position. Columbus picked up a player to be named later.

Kansas City took North Carolina defender Michael Harrington third.

The four-round draft covered bother seniors from NCAA schools and players from Generation Adidas, a joint program between MLS and Adidas dedicated to developing young talent in a "professional environment."

Notes: Toronto FC plans to introduce Edu at a news conference Monday ... Johnston plans to fly to Florida after that to take in a Canadian national team training camp.

Joe MacCarthy

02-02-2007, 01:12 PM

Toronto FC hopeful trying to beat the odds again
Canadian Press
http://www.globesports.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070131.wsptsmith31/GSStory/GlobeSportsSoccer/home

Toronto — Jamaal Smith may be considered a longshot to make Toronto FC's top squad in its inaugural season.

But the 18-year-old from Mississauga, Ont., knows a thing or two about beating the odds. The six-foot-three defender for York University was the only survivor from the 1,000 FC wannabes that turned out to open tryouts last month for the new Major League Soccer team.

The next step, as head coach Mo Johnston continues to cobble together his roster, is to show well at a training camp Thursday through Feb. 9 at the Ontario Soccer Centre in Vaughan, just north of Toronto.

"I'm excited, I can't wait to play," Smith said during a break in classes at York this week.

Smith, who's loaded with raw ability but is considered a late bloomer in the sport, originally wasn't going to attend the open tryouts — he didn't feel he was ready. Smith went at the urging of his York coach Paul James.

"I just made the phone call and said, 'Are you going to the tryouts?"' James said. "Jamaal said he hadn't thought about it. I said, 'Jamaal, you've got to go. that's it.' So as his coach, I didn't give him much option, I just said: 'Jamaal, you've got to go."'

After two days of open tryouts, the number of players was cut to 250, and then whittled to 50 for the final gruelling day.

"By that time when they got down to the 50, that meant I had a chance, but I still had to face a high level of competition," said Smith. "But I felt comfortable out there."

Smith is a bit of an anomaly in Canadian soccer, a player who didn't come up through the provincial or national team system, but has managed to make huge improvements over the past couple of year because of his athleticism and boundless work ethic.

"I think along the way players can get missed in the system here," said James. "He's potentially a diamond in the rough, but he's still got a long way to go."

The former North Mississauga Soccer Club player earned Canadian university's rookie of the year honours in leading the York Lions to a 6-2-2 record this past season, along the way garnering a reputation for his blistering speed, hard tackling and dominance in the air.

James compares the centre back to England's veteran defender Sol Campbell or Tottenham's centre back Ledley King. During the CIS season, Smith's job was to mark the other team's top striker.

"He's got the perfect frame and size for that position," said James. "He's got to bulk up, he's got to do weights and get bigger and stronger, but he will because he's such a dedicated athlete."

James praises Smith for his positive approach to the game — he's a perfect example, says the coach, of how far a good attitude can take a player.

"Talent opens doors along the way, but if you don't have character, and you don't have the right mentality, then it's difficult to ever achieve ultimately what is required at the highest levels, whether it be professional or the national team," said James. "The reason he's got the chance, the reason he's been identified is he's got the attitude, the mentality that gets him through."

Johnston will keep an 18-man roster for Toronto FC's first team, plus a reserve squad of likely 10 developmental players. Smith's best chances at this point may be in making the reserve squad. Johnston considers the young player a work in progress.

"He's a young defender, he's shown some tremendous athleticism, he's quick," Johnston said. "But he's a project."

Since making it through the open tryouts, Smith has been in the weight room and pounding the roads around York to improve his fitness, and he's spent countless hours in the basement working on his ball skills with his 16-year-old brother Jelani, a member of the Ontario provincial team.

Smith knows what he'll need to do at the upcoming camp.

"Show a desire," he said. "When I'm out there be aggressive, be physical.

"It's my first camp. . . . but I figure as long as I make sure I work hard and stay focused out there, I'll have a shot at making the big squad."

Smith says Toronto FC has opened opportunities for Canadian players, and he would love to blaze a trail for others to follow.

"With a lot of Canadian kids, they thought 'OK, I finished my youth league, I finished university, where to next?' Now you see Toronto FC. . . so maybe there's hope," he said. "Maybe kids are thinking, I can take this further than just the university level."

Following the Vaughan camp, the squad will head to Sunrise, Fla., for a second camp, Feb. 12-24, then attend a third camp in Bradenton, Fla.

The team opens the MLS season April 7 in Carson, Calif., against Chivas USA, and will host the Kansas City Wizards in its home opener April 28.

Joe MacCarthy

03-03-2007, 06:25 PM

College ace finds jump to pros an education
By DEAN MCNULTY, SUN MEDIA
http://www.torontosun.com/Sports/OtherSports/2007/03/03/3690478-sun.html

Tyler Hemming has tasted success at every level of soccer he has competed in.

But the 22-year-old from London, Ont., yesterday said that, for the first time, he has been taken aback by the difference between being a star in the NCAA's Atlantic Soccer Conference and just trying to make it on to Toronto FC's Major League Soccer roster.

A two-time player-of-the-year in the ASC at Hartwick College in New York State, Hemming was picked 40th overall by Toronto in the MLS supplemental draft and came to camp unsigned when the team took its first baby steps a month ago at the Ontario Soccer Centre.

Three roster cutdowns later, Hemming has impressed Toronto coach Mo Johnston enough that yesterday he was told he would accompany the team to its final pre-season camp in Bradenton, Fla., on Monday.

MORE TO SHOW

He still doesn't have a professional contract, but Hemming was beaming at the thought of moving closer to his dream of playing on soccer's top North American wrung, just a leisurely two-hour drive from his boyhood home.

"I'm going back to London for the weekend," he said yesterday. "It will be the last time I see the family for a while if everything works out."

Hemming said that even though he has had good feedback from Johnston and the rest of the coaching staff, he still thinks he has more to show.

"I don't think I've played as well as I think I am capable of," he said.

"I'll just have to work harder when we get to Florida to get to where I want to be in terms of conditioning and game readiness."

The six-foot, 170-pound midfielder said he is amazed at how much more the professional game requires of its players, both physically and mentally.

"The pace in practice is just so much quicker than anything I had encountered before," he said. "In college, when you have the ball, you are thinking of where to go next. Here you have to think two or three steps ahead or you will be left behind."

A graduate of London's Saunders Secondary School, where he captained the soccer team, Hemming was good enough to get a full four-year scholarship to Hartwick and now all he wants is the chance to show he is good enough to take the big step to the pros.

"As long as (Johnston) keeps asking me to come back, we'll see where it takes me," he said.

Johnston, meanwhile, said yesterday that he will use the team's No. 1 allocation pick to sign U.S. striker Conor Casey.

"There are no other Americans overseas at his level," Johnston said. "So, if we have to, we will use our No. 1 allocation to get him."

Casey has been practicing with the team for the past two weeks.