Former Toronto FC goalkeeper Greg Sutton hopes to land with another team in January. (Aaron Harris/Canadian Press) No, Greg Sutton hasn't fallen off the face of the earth. No, he hasn't become a resentful, hard-bitten recluse. No, he hasn't retired from soccer.
He's alive and well, and anxious to get back to playing the game he loves.
One of the first players signed by Toronto FC in 2006, Sutton was let go by the Major League Soccer club at the start of the summer, and except for a few appearances with Canada's national team in July, the veteran goalkeeper has kept a pretty low profile.
But that doesn't mean he's done with soccer. Not by a long shot. Even though he admits he's not in game shape, Sutton, 32, plans to start training again in the hopes of signing with a new team in January.
"I've actually had some time to sit back and take a look at what I want to do and how I want to go forward as far as my soccer career progresses," Sutton told CBCSports.ca. "I had a couple of opportunities to finish out the [2009 MLS] season with a couple of teams but it didn't seem like they were the right fit for me at the time.
"So I've decided what's best for me is to wait it out and come January I'll take it from there. Hopefully I'll have some opportunities. …. I know that there are some teams out there interested, which is good."
Despite a prolonged absence from soccer, the competitive fires burn in Sutton.
"I'm still very passionate about the game. I still feel I can add to a team's roster and I know that the best of my abilities are still to come. I think there's still more I can give to the game," Sutton stated.
That's not to say that the tall, lanky shot stopper has been just sitting on his hands the past few months. Aside from being involved in several youth soccer camps, Sutton also found himself back between the posts in July, helping the Canadian national team reach the quarter-finals of the CONCACAF Gold Cup.
"Obviously, we would have liked it to finish a little better than it did, but at the end of the day it was good to get back in there and prove to myself what I know I'm still capable of doing," Sutton said of his Gold Cup experience.
Still, Sutton has been thankful for the time off away from the day-to-day grind, as it has allowed him to spend time with his infant daughter Maya.
"My wife has got a bit sick of me to be honest with you. She's waiting for me to get a job and ready to get me out of the house," Sutton quipped. "No, she's been happy that I've been there to help her out with the baby because it's a full-time job."
He also admits to feeling a little stir crazy, especially when he watches MLS games on TV.
"I keep tabs on what's going on in the league. I watch every day and if I see a mistake by a goalkeeper, I try to figure how I could have done better," explained Sutton.
"I feel passionate about playing the game and it makes me understand that when I'm watching these games, wishing I was out there playing now. That gives me a sense that I still want to be involved in the professional side of things."
Sutton may be getting on in years but he takes solace in the fact that MLS goalkeepers tend to get better with age. Fellow Canadian and Houston Dynamo star Pat Onstad, who turned 41 in January, leads the league this season in shutouts (9), wins (11), saves (78) and ranks second in goals-against average (0.88)
"I'd like to keep playing as long as Pat," Sutton admitted. "Realistically, if I can keep playing for another five years I'd be pretty happy. That would take me to 37 and I could say I had a pretty good career."
