CBC-Sports

D-Day looms for Toronto FC

January 14, 2009 09:55 AM | Posted by   Nigel Reed  

I have to confess it all seems wrong to me.

Brand me a Euro-snob if you will, but after four years in Canada I’m still having difficulty getting my head around the Major League Soccer draft system. Or at least the part of it which dictates last year’s worst team gets first pick of this year’s emerging talent.

The 2009 MLS SuperDraft takes place in St. Louis on Thursday and while I can appreciate the need for an expansion team, in this case Seattle, to get first go at the best of the collegiate graduates, I can see no value in rewarding last year’s failing teams by allowing them to enlist the best of the rest.

Of course, I understand why this tradition is maintained on an annual basis - the idea being the best rookies join the worst teams to make them better and thus preserve something of an even playing field across the league. The principle has its merits from a perspective of fair play, but it also seems to me the previous year’s winners are somewhat punished for producing what every fan wants - a winning franchise.

This sense of injustice clearly has its roots in my European heritage where there is no reward for teams finishing bottom. There is indignation, embarrassment, dishonour, humiliation and relegation and no one’s going to come knocking and offer you their brightest young prospect just in time for the new season.

But that’s Europe, not North America where we do things differently. And from a Toronto FC viewpoint it’s just as well we do.

Toronto’s inability to make the 2008 playoffs, or indeed improve on their Eastern Conference standing from the expansion year, means Director of Soccer Mo Johnston is holding several aces going into the SuperDraft. Toronto FC boasts no less than three first-round picks including numbers two and four in a draft reckoned by many to be deep and talent-laden in all departments.

Johnston may not be everyone’s cup of tea among fans impatient for success, but this is his moment to shine. There are few, if any, better in the business than ‘Trader-Mo’ when draft day rolls around - his ability to deal and trade is becoming the stuff of MLS folklore. He also has a growing track record which seems to underline his eye for potential.

When in New York he traded up to grab Marvell Wynne, who has since followed him to Canada and Johnston followed it up by taking future Rookie of the Year Maurice Edu in 2007 before selling him to Scottish giants Rangers for $5 million US barely 18 months later.

So what delights await Johnston and his Toronto managerial colleagues at this year’s SuperDraft?

If we go with the notion the team’s most pressing needs are at centre-back and centre-forward a couple of names stand out.

Omar Gonzalez is a strapping six-foot-five centre-half and a former teammate of Edu with the Maryland Terrapins. The 20-year-old NCAA Champion recently signed a Generation adidas contract with MLS so his salary wouldn’t count against the team cap.

At the other end of the field, Johnston will know all about Steve Zakuani. The 20-year-old former Arsenal Youth Academy striker smashed 20 goals in just 23 appearances for the University of Akron last year and this British citizen might just feel at home with the other ex-pats at BMO Field.

Let’s not forget there’s also the intriguing prospect of Toronto drafting Canadian striker O’Brian White.

Just a year ago, the UConn forward won the M.A.C. Hermann Trophy - the highest individual honour in NCAA soccer - but has since suffered a serious knee injury from which he is still recovering. White could be sidelined until mid-season but Johnston might take a gamble if he sees the 23-year-old as a future prospect.

There are two other plausible scenarios for Toronto FC to contemplate.

Firstly, Johnston could deal one or both of his top picks in exchange for experienced players from rival teams. Alternatively, he could attempt to trade up to #1 with picks and cash or players if Seattle are willing to play ball.

Whatever happens in St. Louis, Toronto FC will be highly visible at the SuperDraft one way or another. The fans - expectant as ever - will want the business done this week to help ensure the team is still very much on the radar when the playoffs begin 10 months hence.

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