Toronto FC trade Tyrone Marshall to Seattle
Last Updated: Tuesday, February 10, 2009 | 3:12 PM ET
By John F. Molinaro CBC Sports
Toronto FC defender Tyrone Marshall controls the ball during MLS action in 2007. Marshall was traded to Seattle on Tuesday. (Bill Kostroun/Associated Press) Toronto FC's defence will have a decidedly different look in the 2009 Major League Soccer season after the Canadian club traded veteran central defender Tyrone Marshall to the expansion Seattle Sounders FC for allocation money.
The two teams completed the deal on Tuesday. Financial details were not disclosed.
"Tyrone is a veteran of this league and we wish him all the best," said Toronto general manager Mo Johnston.
"We are sad to see him go, trades are always difficult, but in the long run we feel we have made another move to improve our team."
Marshall, 34, landed in Toronto in June 2007 in a trade with the Los Angeles Galaxy and made 39 regular-season appearances (38 as a starter) for Toronto.
A physical player who is noted as a tough tackler, Marshall also received criticism for his lack of pace and defensive mistakes, and for a certain lack of chemistry with Marco Velez, his partner in the centre of Toronto's defence last season.
Marshall's uneven performances did not go unnoticed by Johnston and coach John Carver, who both publicly said the team was looking to sign one — and possibly two — new central defenders for the 2009 MLS season.
"I don't think you have to be a rocket scientist to work it out," Carver told reporters last week. "If you look at the defence … it's more or less the same people that we've had the past two seasons when we've conceded a lot of goals.
"Now, I'm not blaming the back four entirely for that problem, but we all know there is an issue in the centre of defence, so we have to address it."
Marshall claimed he wasn't bothered at all by the prospect of Toronto looking to sign new defenders, and welcomed the idea of having some competition for his job.
"From day one when I came into the league, I've been fighting for my job because you don't have a guaranteed contract, so you have to go out and prove everyday that you belong on the field, so it's not anything different," Marshall told CBCSports.ca.
Toronto FC is currently conducting a pre-season training camp in Florida, where veteran English defender Darren Kenton is on trial with the team.
An 11-year veteran of MLS, Marshall played with the Colorado Rapids and Miami Fusion before joining Los Angeles in 2002. He won two MLS championships with the Galaxy, in 2002 and 2005, and has 13 goals in 248 career MLS regular-season games.
"The addition of Tyrone brings us speed and experience to our back four," said Seattle head coach Sigi Schmid. "He's a player I know well from my time in Los Angeles. He has two rings to his name and that championship mentality is something we can always use."
Toronto FC opens the 2009 MLS regular season on the road against the Kansas City Wizards on March 21.
