The Backline

[LucaGol]

Keeping the string of interesting threads going ....

What on earth are we going to do with our back four.

There's a chance that all four positions may be turned over for next season ...

I think it has become quite clear that Tyrone Marshall's best MLS years are behind him. He just does not appear to bring the passion game after game. He's a serviceable defender, but not for a team with aspirations of going deep into the MLS Playoffs. I think Marshall's value to our team might possibly increase if he had a much better partner beside him. If we had a Marshall/Tebily combo all season ... we may have just had a lot better off (from the little I did see of Tebily).

Marco Velez on the other hand has the passion and athleticism, but his decision making always lets him down. I think that he should stay on with the team, but as the 3rd or 4th option at CB, and cover for RB.

Julius James is a project and is seemingly a lot further away from regular MLS duty than we were perhaps led to believe.

At the full back positions, Marvell Wynne may very well be gone this offseason as his star is shining too bright for Europe to ignore. I believe an offer in the range of 3-4 million maybe even as high as 5 will sweep him away.

Jim Brennan is coming under increasing criticism for the lack of convincing performances in terms of his leadership, his offense, and his defense.

So whom should we go after this offseason ... in MLS or abroad.

This is possibly the most pressing task Mo has this offseason.

[Azerban]

If we make a big enough offer we might be able to pry Canadian International Adam Braz away from his club, he'd bring some much needed Champions League experience to this team.

[LucaGol]

If we make a big enough offer we might be able to pry Canadian International Adam Braz away from his club, he'd bring some much needed Champions League experience to this team.

... ya, Im sure that will go over real big.

I heard Marco Reda is leading the Charleston Battery to first place too.

[jloome]

This is one area where England and Italy would serve us well, I think.

Really, there are a ton of Championship or Serie B level centre halfs out there who are big, strong, talented and benched. The Tebilys of the world are not rare commodities. In fact the general lack of speed, size and positional acumen among north american defenders is kind of scary, like they all go play american football or something.

In terms of backs, Wynne isn't gone yet and give how he struggled in the first half of the season positionally, is still a project player for the top leagues. So unless someone in Norway or Sweden (or maybe Russia) offers him stupid coin, I think we'll get one more season (or half one) out of him before he goes.

Brennan's defensive work has been a bit of a liability this year, as he's also been caught up field too many times. (In fact, any time your centre halfs are as woeful as ours, you can bet their need to cover for missing backs contributes). But he's a generally hard worker, a generally good defender and good coming forward. i think he's about as good as we'll get easily at this level, unless we luck out in south America or something. And we have youth backups on both sides that are impressive in Attakora and Gala. We haven't seen Elkinson yet but I doubt he's up for it for the forseeable future, based on age and experience.

Sutton is a good goalie for this level, prone to irrationally stupid behaviour, such as quick tosses out that no one is expecting, or muffing 30 yard worm burners from Kenny Cooper. If we can upgrade, why not. But it's not the key.

So on the backline, we want at least one centre half who is dominator and can distribute out of the back, as well as clog things up and hold off offensive threats; plus a second who's consistently on the ball to partner him. Plus marshall as support. I think we get rid of Velez, who I don't believe can compete at this level, in favour of developing youth, and because JJ has the whiff of the "versatile utility defender who can never quite make the first team" about him.

[S_D]

I agree with jloome for the most part.

My thoughts:

1. Sign two good CB's
2. Get rid of Velez
3. Keep Marshall as backup - only if the schedule is fixed so we don't have WCQ problems. If not...off he goes.
4. Dunnivant was decent...if he has recovered...keep him
5. James is a project and should be kept as such. He should not see first team action.
6. Jimmy B should be kept and allowed to be a true defender or left mid depending on Smith's development. As a left wingback he doesn't have the speed to get back fast enough. Last season he was a decent CB and maybe he should move there.

[Nuvinho]

We need 3 solid CBs. If we get 3 really solid defenders, we can play the formation they did on Saturday with a 3-5-2 (where Wynne and Brennan play mid).

[TFC OZZ]

I would prefer to play a 4-3-3 or a 4-5-1. Honestly, I would really like to see two VERY LARGE CB's. Speed definitely matters, but I want two, large physical guys in the centre to dominate the air. Get Velez out of there, he has had way too many screw-ups, however i will give him credit for some important goals. Marhsall is definitely a favorite player of mine, but I just don't think he's good enough anymore.

When Dunivant comes back, I'm really uncertain as to where he'll play, because other than playing left D and moving Jimmy B into the centre, I can't see him playing midfield. And I don't really remember Jimmy B as being the greatest centre defender.

Also, I REALLY want to see more of Johann Smith. I really think he could be a talented player in the near future, if not right now.

[TFC Cityboy]

All good teams build from the back and base the team on the spine of goalie,CBs, Central m/f and a centre forward.
I think Tebily's departure was critical to the downturn as the guy looked classy at this level.
Mo will have to work hard to improve the defence for 2009 for sure.

[Beach_Red]

All good teams build from the back and base the team on the spine of goalie,CBs, Central m/f and a centre forward.
I think Tebily's departure was critical to the downturn as the guy looked classy at this level.
Mo will have to work hard to improve the defence for 2009 for sure.

I think you're right. Tebily would have been very good, and a big help in bringing along Julius James.

Are there very many really good CBs to sign at these amounts? It seems like a reliable, experienced CB can make more than 300,000 in a lot of leagues.

[Benficachop20]

What about Attakora? Would really like to see him get more time next season.

[druid]

All good teams build from the back and base the team on the spine of goalie,CBs, Central m/f and a centre forward.
I think Tebily's departure was critical to the downturn as the guy looked classy at this level.
Mo will have to work hard to improve the defence for 2009 for sure.

Did people really rate Tebily?

The guy has always scared the hell out of me. He falls asleep more than narcoleptic on halcion.

[Shakes McQueen]

What about Attakora? Would really like to see him get more time next season.

Me too. I imagine he would have gotten more time the past few weeks, but he's been injured.

Keep Wynne if we can, and work on his football sense in the offseason. Get rid of Velez, put James back on the bench, and move Jimmy B back to a pure defender role.

Use some of the scads of cap space and allocation cash we have, and bring in a couple of decent defenders from the lower leagues in Europe. I can't think of any available Canadian or MlS talent that I would want - key word being AVAILABLE.

Bring in a striker or attacking midfielder to fill the DP slot, and use the remaining allocation cash to add a talented midfielder/striker (whatever isn't used on the DP).

Presto. Much better side next season. Our defense is no longer a scary liability, Guevara finally has a competent striker to put the ball up to, and Ricketts can finally stay in his preferred position out on the wing, instead of feeling like he needs to create chances on his own.

I also hope they spend most of the offseason working on passing - and more specifically - passing with pace. Too much wasted possession this season.

- Scott

[BuSaPuNk]

What about bringing in Spalteri? He isn't getting any playing time in Tottenham. He would be a good quick fix and would bring some quality in. We do need about 2 atleast good quality cb's. Would love to see James and Attakora get some more playing time, they have played very well when they were in.

[Kooper]

We need 3 solid CBs. If we get 3 really solid defenders, we can play the formation they did on Saturday with a 3-5-2 (where Wynne and Brennan play mid).

When Wynne plays in Midfield he looks lost. Then you are also taking away a spot from Ricketts. Wynne is best playing in the back making long runs from the back. He is best when he is playing in front of a passer such as Robert, but not actually Laurent Robert.

[Mikey]

If we make a big enough offer we might be able to pry Canadian International Adam Braz away from his club, he'd bring some much needed Champions League experience to this team.

Thats hilarious!!

[Hugh Jazz]

Ideally I'd like TFC to go after one of the better CBs in the MLS via trade, someone with experience in the league that would want to play here.

If there was a good defender willing to come over from outside North America than we could take a chance on one; signing two could be a gamble if both of them came from different leagues and they both had to integrate into a new league.

What the defense needs most is someone that can lead a backline with experience and confidence, this can also go a long way in further developing Wynne and James.

[ben_vw]

Ideally I'd like TFC to go after one of the better CBs in the MLS via trade, someone with experience in the league that would want to play here.

Adrian Serioux?

[giambac]

Keeping the string of interesting threads going ....

What on earth are we going to do with our back four.

There's a chance that all four positions may be turned over for next season ...

I think it has become quite clear that Tyrone Marshall's best MLS years are behind him. He just does not appear to bring the passion game after game. He's a serviceable defender, but not for a team with aspirations of going deep into the MLS Playoffs. I think Marshall's value to our team might possibly increase if he had a much better partner beside him. If we had a Marshall/Tebily combo all season ... we may have just had a lot better off (from the little I did see of Tebily).

Marco Velez on the other hand has the passion and athleticism, but his decision making always lets him down. I think that he should stay on with the team, but as the 3rd or 4th option at CB, and cover for RB.

Julius James is a project and is seemingly a lot further away from regular MLS duty than we were perhaps led to believe.

At the full back positions, Marvell Wynne may very well be gone this offseason as his star is shining too bright for Europe to ignore. I believe an offer in the range of 3-4 million maybe even as high as 5 will sweep him away.

Jim Brennan is coming under increasing criticism for the lack of convincing performances in terms of his leadership, his offense, and his defense.

So whom should we go after this offseason ... in MLS or abroad.

This is possibly the most pressing task Mo has this offseason.

Is Brian McCabe available???

[woolly]

I'm starting to think that Robbo should be moved to CB. He's outstanding as a defensive player, and has been playing so far back that he might as well be a 5th defender.

That would also free up a spot on the forward line to score goals that we desperatley need.

[Wooster_TFC]

I'm starting to think that Robbo should be moved to CB. He's outstanding as a defensive player, and has been playing so far back that he might as well be a 5th defender.

That would also free up a spot on the forward line to score goals that we desperatley need.

As much as I like Robbo, he's not strong enough in the air to be a dominant CB, and that's what we really need. I think he's currently playing so deep in because of the fact that the backline sucks so much. This also is why there are issues linking up with Guevara, since Robbo comes back so much, Guevara needs to drop back too.

As for James, man the kid's got jump, but I don't think he has the timing, positioning, concentration, passing, etc, etc down to be a CB in this league...yet. I also don't think he's going to learn that from our current crop of defenders.

For Velez/Marshall, I currently rate Velez higher as a bench player than Marshall, since he's got the versatility to play both FB positions (with RB being his natural position actually). If we were to sign two CBs, I'd say we'd want to trade Marshall (say to Seattle) and keep Velez.

As for players that would be interesting to go after, you have to realize that we (somewhat) have two DPs moving into next year. The 400k (I think?) that we have for allocation from the Edu sale could easily be used to sign another player (or two) in the 350-500k range (or higher at 750k). I believe this is enough to bring in at least one solid CB.

I see our depth chart for next year being:

GK: Sutton, Edwards
RB: Wynne, Attakora, Velez, James
CB: New CB, New CB, Velez, James
LB: Brennan, Dunivant, Velez, James
RM: Ricketts, Wynne, Ibrahim
CM: Guevara, Robinson, Harmse, Rosenlund,
LM: Jo Smith, Ricketts, Brennan, Dunivant, Ibrahim
ST: DP Striker, Dichio, Barrett, Ibrahim

With Ruiz, Marshall and Freeman on the way out. Ja Smith I think they still rate and will stick around, but will be stapled to the bench. None of the other young canadians will step up methinks.

As for Canadian players that are options:

Stalteri RB/CB - 30 years old isn't that old. Only concern is he's said he won't play on turf, and I think he's still got the goods for a Championship or relegation-level Premiership team.

Serioux RB/CB - MLS level defender, he wouldn't be the man to boss the backline. This would be a supporting pickup IMO.

Imhof CB - Playing in the Bundesliga so should be accessible, although apparently there is interest from Premiership teams for him. Might be a tough buy at this stage in his career.

Hastings CB - Playing in a low level SPL team, might be available. Again, might not want to come back at this stage in his career.

Other than that, I can't think of any other canadian who is a possibility. Either they are too old, too good (Edgar), or not good enough. There are tons of options if you go the International route, although I certainly hope that neither of the two CBs will be inside MLS if they aren't canadian.

[jloome]

As much as I like Robbo, he's not strong enough in the air to be a dominant CB, and that's what we really need. I think he's currently playing so deep in because of the fact that the backline sucks so much. This also is why there are issues linking up with Guevara, since Robbo comes back so much, Guevara needs to drop back too.

As for James, man the kid's got jump, but I don't think he has the timing, positioning, concentration, passing, etc, etc down to be a CB in this league...yet. I also don't think he's going to learn that from our current crop of defenders.

For Velez/Marshall, I currently rate Velez higher as a bench player than Marshall, since he's got the versatility to play both FB positions (with RB being his natural position actually). If we were to sign two CBs, I'd say we'd want to trade Marshall (say to Seattle) and keep Velez.

As for players that would be interesting to go after, you have to realize that we (somewhat) have two DPs moving into next year. The 400k (I think?) that we have for allocation from the Edu sale could easily be used to sign another player (or two) in the 350-500k range (or higher at 750k). I believe this is enough to bring in at least one solid CB.

I see our depth chart for next year being:

GK: Sutton, Edwards
RB: Wynne, Attakora, Velez, James
CB: New CB, New CB, Velez, James
LB: Brennan, Dunivant, Velez, James
RM: Ricketts, Wynne, Ibrahim
CM: Guevara, Robinson, Harmse, Rosenlund,
LM: Jo Smith, Ricketts, Brennan, Dunivant, Ibrahim
ST: DP Striker, Dichio, Barrett, Ibrahim

With Ruiz, Marshall and Freeman on the way out. Ja Smith I think they still rate and will stick around, but will be stapled to the bench. None of the other young canadians will step up methinks.

As for Canadian players that are options:

Stalteri RB/CB - 30 years old isn't that old. Only concern is he's said he won't play on turf, and I think he's still got the goods for a Championship or relegation-level Premiership team.

Serioux RB/CB - MLS level defender, he wouldn't be the man to boss the backline. This would be a supporting pickup IMO.

Imhof CB - Playing in the Bundesliga so should be accessible, although apparently there is interest from Premiership teams for him. Might be a tough buy at this stage in his career.

Hastings CB - Playing in a low level SPL team, might be available. Again, might not want to come back at this stage in his career.

Other than that, I can't think of any other canadian who is a possibility. Either they are too old, too good (Edgar), or not good enough. There are tons of options if you go the International route, although I certainly hope that neither of the two CBs will be inside MLS if they aren't canadian.

Pretty much how I see it too. Hastings might be one to go after. He's not flashy and he's got occasional lapses but he's gotten stronger as his career has progressed. He plays well for Canada, as well.

But I'd prefer a couple of big nasty fellas. Sam Collins probably isn't going to see much time with Hull anymore now that they've been promoted. (oops, just checked wiki, he's been signed by Hartlepool, probably for a song. Fuck. But there are others like him, not considered quite fast enough for the top leagues but dominant elsewhere.)