SoccerNew GM is right under Toronto FC's nose

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Earl Cochrane should be the new Toronto FC GM. (Nathan Denette/Canadian Press)

Don Garber is a wise man.

The MLS commissioner was in Toronto last week for an informal lunch with a select group of journalists to talk about the state of the league and the MLS Cup, which is scheduled to take place at BMO Field on Nov. 21.

It didn't take long for the conversation to switch gears and focus on all things Toronto FC - specifically the team's search for a new general manager. Garber revealed that the league has been advising the Canadian club in the process, and that's a good thing. TFC should avail itself of all the help and expertise it can get from the league, especially if the rumblings inside the hallowed halls of BMO Field are true.

One source recently told CBCSports.ca that MLSE chief operating officer Tom Anselmi wants a "big name" to fill the GM position. But unless Anselmi can convince Sigi Schmid or Bruce Arena to come to Toronto, he's living in a fool's paradise because of a genuine dearth of experienced candidates.

"The league doesn't have decades and decades, and hundreds of people that grew up in the management and administration of the sport," Garber said. "We don't have a long list of Brian Burkes who you can just call and say, 'You've done it in some many different places, let's have you come here ... and help us fix our hockey team.'

"We can't come up with a list of 10 people that we can give to the teams and say, 'These are guys who have had a lot of success for the last 20 years - go out and hire them.'"

Cochrane deserves a shot

Lucky for Toronto FC, they don't have to look far to fill the vacancy.

Earl Cochrane has been the club's interim GM since Mo Johnston was fired on Sept. 14. Having admirably served as TFC's youth academy since its launch in 2008, Cochrane has let it be known he wants the job on a full-time basis.

Cochrane isn't a sexy choice. He's inexperienced and it's hard to imagine that he'd be a candidate for a GM job at any other MLS club.

But what the native of Scarborough, Ont., does have is a fertile football mind.

In private conversations with CBCSports.ca, Cochrane has revealed himself to be an intelligent, forward-thinking executive and an astute judge of player talent. What's more, he has a plan for the future with specific ideas on how to turn around the fortunes of a club that has failed to make the playoffs for four consecutive seasons.

Cochrane has done a commendable job in looking over the youth academy, with the program bearing fruit this year with the signing of defender Doneil Henry and forward Nicholas Lindsey. It would be premature to hail them as future super stars, but the teenagers have impressed in their limited appearances for the senior team and look to be genuine prospects.

Critics point out that after three years the academy should have produced more than two players who have graduated to the senior team. But Cochrane's prudent and measured approach is to be applauded and not criticized, as it is a clear indication that he doesn't want to rush these kids into the line-up before they are ready.

Complete opposite of Johnston

That's what Toronto FC needs, someone who thinks long-term and doesn't take the "spaghetti approach" towards management - throwing the noodles at the wall and seeing if they stick in order to determine if the pasta is cooked.

Johnston's slapdash managerial style led to massive turnover over the past four years, with a host of players who never should have been signed in the first place. Cochrane is the antithesis of Johnston, and with Toronto FC in a state of crisis, he's exactly the type of GM they need.

If nothing else, Cochrane will bring a level of class and transparency to the GM position, something that was sorely lacking during Johnston's near four-year reign.

Follow John F. Molinaro on Twitter at http://twitter.com/#!/JohnMolinaro

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