Canadian players TFC should look at this offseason

So since its a cold and rainy saturday and I'm bored I decided to compile a list of players I think TFC should look at this offseason. I'm not saying they should sign all these players and I know there are probably better players that aren't Canadian available, the reality is we need to sign some Canadians. I'm also not saying that all of these are realistic and they would require some of the players to be released. It's a lot easier to predict Canadian signings then any other signing because we're working with a limited player pool. So here is my list and explanations on why.

Rhian Dodds – 29 – Midfielder – He’s played for Kilmarnock since 2003, this year he’s been loaned to Dundee, the same team as Chris Pozniak. His contract runs out in December. He would be no better than Kevin Harmse or Chris Pozniak in my opinion but at a low enough salary could be a serviceable player off the bench.
http://www.thedees.co.uk/profile.asp?ID=60

Jaime Peters – 21 – Midfielder/Winger – He’s played for Ipswich since 2005 appearing over 30 times. His progress has stalled and he was loaned to Yeovil last year. He hasn’t been able to see 1st team football since the fall of 2007 and hasn’t started a game since the 2006-2007 season. If he is released by Ipswich in December look for TFC to sign him to a similar contract that of Johann Smith. If Johann Smith gets selected in the expansion draft then Peters would be a more than adequate replacement. He will most likely be loaned out rather than released by Ipswich.
http://www.itfc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/ProfilesDetail/0,,10272~33971,00.html

Olivier Occean – 26 – Forward – He’s played in Norway since 2003 with Odd Grenland and now Lillestrom. He’s been one of Lillestrom’s better players but they’ve struggled this year in the standings and are at risk of relegation. If they get relegated Occean could possibly be released. If that’s the case TFC would face stiff competition to sign him as he is still popular in Norway. The likelihood of him being flat out released seems slim and a transfer fee would likely be required. He was drafted by New York in 2003 and Mo was on the staff so you’ve got to think that he’s familiar with him.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olivier_Occean

Marcus Haber-19-Forward – Played in Holland with FC Groningen since 2006, I’m not sure that he ever played for the first team. He was released and last I heard he was on trial at a bunch of League One and League Two teams, I don’t think he was successful in getting a contract. This would be a player TFC would sign to a developmental contract. He’s played for Canada at U-20 and U-23 levels.

Paul Stalteri -31- Defender – Most people know who he is, CMNT Captain, Tottenham Hotspur player. He’s from Toronto and used to play for the Lynx. Since Juande Ramos took over at Tottenham Stalteri hasn’t been able to get anywhere near 1st team football. Here’s a quote from an article on goal.com about how Ramos rates Stalteri:
“The players, including Ricardo Rocha, Kevin Prince-Boateng, Paul Stalteri, Adel Taarabt, Ben Alnwick and Hossam Ghaly have reportedly been told to train with the reserves until they find a new club because they have little or no chance of making the first team panel “
I know Stalteri hates the turf and he would likely have a fairly high salary, similar to Carl Robinson I would guess but he would be a good addition to the squad.
http://www.goal.com/en/Articolo.aspx?ContenutoId=889030
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Stalteri

Keegan Ayre-20-Midfielder – Played for Hibernian reserves since 2005 but was released last year. He then went on trial to a couple other English teams, similar to Marcus Haber. I don’t think he signed a contract. Not sure that he’s even playing anymore or wants to play anymore so this is a complete guess. He played for the U-20 and U-23 teams. He would also only be worth signing to a developmental contract.

Adrian Serioux-29-Defender – FC Dallas player, obviously would have to be acquired via trade. Trading one of our 1st round draft picks (not the highest one) for him would be a worthwhile investment. A defender that has proved himself useful in this league and with the national team, he can play Centre Back and on the right. He’s also got a cannon of a throw-in.

Please add more names that you feel should be here and feel free to discuss.:canada:

Issey Nakajima-Farran - would be an improvement over Ricketts.

nakajima has stated that hes not done in europe, hes prob right.
the rest of these guys are reasonable (cept maybe serioux or stalteri).
curious to see what happens as well as whether the younger kids decide to come back at a drop in wages

none?

I'm sick of players going off to international games.
Can we just get some decent talent that don't represent their countries please???

Even if TFC signs Stalteri, where would he play?

Wynne's got the lock on RB position and I don't see Wynne at his best on right wing

Peters and Stalteri would be interesting options...Peters has potential and needs a fresh start outside of England. Stalteri needs to play somewhere before he gets too old and there's no place like home.

Stalteri would be a real possibility only if Marvell Wynne leaves, otherwise I can't see it happening.

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Originally Posted by flatpicker

none?

I'm sick of players going off to international games.
Can we just get some decent talent that don't represent their countries please???

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that's the classic problem with having canadians. the pool is so small that you can't really find a decent canadian who will play for us and who will not be selected to Canada. the american teams don't have to worry as much.
and then even if we select an unknown canadian, he'll get more notoriety at TFC and eventually could be selected because the Canadian coach will watch or hear from Dasovic how well the kid is doing.

i'm not sure how you fix this, except make sure that the internationals we select don't have such commitments. i guess the thing is to look at DEEP soccer countries and go for guys outside the national team. That's pretty much what happens with American MLS teams. They stock themselves with Americans (cuz they have a deep domestic pool) who won't be called up. The great Americans are off in Europe.
Although this problem would be helped if MLS would stop scheduling on FIFA dates as much as possible.
Or give TFC the leeway to move home games around such dates, as TFC has so many games already sold out that it has no bearing on attendance (MLS's fear).

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Originally Posted by rocker

i'm not sure how you fix this, except make sure that the internationals we select don't have such commitments.

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that's what I have been wanting to see more of.
I've said that in past discussions on this topic.
We should look at the best football countries in the world for players.
Obviously TFC won't be getting players who play for Spain, Italy, Germany etc.
So look at those countries for players who are decent, but haven't got a snowballs chance in Hell of play for the national team!

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Originally Posted by Yohan

Even if TFC signs Stalteri, where would he play?

Wynne's got the lock on RB position and I don't see Wynne at his best on right wing

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no he is a better midfielder and is where he should stay

Tam Nsaliwa

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Originally Posted by SEXYGREEKMALE

Tam Nsaliwa

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What's his contract situation at AEK?

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Originally Posted by ccopela

So since its a cold and rainy saturday and I'm bored I decided to compile a list of players I think TFC should look at this offseason. I'm not saying they should sign all these players and I know there are probably better players that aren't Canadian available, the reality is we need to sign some Canadians. I'm also not saying that all of these are realistic and they would require some of the players to be released. It's a lot easier to predict Canadian signings then any other signing because we're working with a limited player pool. So here is my list and explanations on why.

Rhian Dodds – 29 – Midfielder – He’s played for Kilmarnock since 2003, this year he’s been loaned to Dundee, the same team as Chris Pozniak. His contract runs out in December. He would be no better than Kevin Harmse or Chris Pozniak in my opinion but at a low enough salary could be a serviceable player off the bench.
http://www.thedees.co.uk/profile.asp?ID=60

Jaime Peters – 21 – Midfielder/Winger – He’s played for Ipswich since 2005 appearing over 30 times. His progress has stalled and he was loaned to Yeovil last year. He hasn’t been able to see 1st team football since the fall of 2007 and hasn’t started a game since the 2006-2007 season. If he is released by Ipswich in December look for TFC to sign him to a similar contract that of Johann Smith. If Johann Smith gets selected in the expansion draft then Peters would be a more than adequate replacement. He will most likely be loaned out rather than released by Ipswich.
http://www.itfc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/ProfilesDetail/0,,10272~33971,00.html

Olivier Occean – 26 – Forward – He’s played in Norway since 2003 with Odd Grenland and now Lillestrom. He’s been one of Lillestrom’s better players but they’ve struggled this year in the standings and are at risk of relegation. If they get relegated Occean could possibly be released. If that’s the case TFC would face stiff competition to sign him as he is still popular in Norway. The likelihood of him being flat out released seems slim and a transfer fee would likely be required. He was drafted by New York in 2003 and Mo was on the staff so you’ve got to think that he’s familiar with him.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olivier_Occean

Marcus Haber-19-Forward – Played in Holland with FC Groningen since 2006, I’m not sure that he ever played for the first team. He was released and last I heard he was on trial at a bunch of League One and League Two teams, I don’t think he was successful in getting a contract. This would be a player TFC would sign to a developmental contract. He’s played for Canada at U-20 and U-23 levels.

Paul Stalteri -31- Defender – Most people know who he is, CMNT Captain, Tottenham Hotspur player. He’s from Toronto and used to play for the Lynx. Since Juande Ramos took over at Tottenham Stalteri hasn’t been able to get anywhere near 1st team football. Here’s a quote from an article on goal.com about how Ramos rates Stalteri:
“The players, including Ricardo Rocha, Kevin Prince-Boateng, Paul Stalteri, Adel Taarabt, Ben Alnwick and Hossam Ghaly have reportedly been told to train with the reserves until they find a new club because they have little or no chance of making the first team panel “
I know Stalteri hates the turf and he would likely have a fairly high salary, similar to Carl Robinson I would guess but he would be a good addition to the squad.
http://www.goal.com/en/Articolo.aspx?ContenutoId=889030
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Stalteri

Keegan Ayre-20-Midfielder – Played for Hibernian reserves since 2005 but was released last year. He then went on trial to a couple other English teams, similar to Marcus Haber. I don’t think he signed a contract. Not sure that he’s even playing anymore or wants to play anymore so this is a complete guess. He played for the U-20 and U-23 teams. He would also only be worth signing to a developmental contract.

Adrian Serioux-29-Defender – FC Dallas player, obviously would have to be acquired via trade. Trading one of our 1st round draft picks (not the highest one) for him would be a worthwhile investment. A defender that has proved himself useful in this league and with the national team, he can play Centre Back and on the right. He’s also got a cannon of a throw-in.

Please add more names that you feel should be here and feel free to discuss.:canada:

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we had Serioux on our roster for a short time before Mo traded him away,
don;'t think he will be coiming back, hes a dirty player at the best of times let Dallas keep him.

Paris Nakajima Farran is another option that hasn't been mentioned. He's not playing regularly with his club and apparently is looking for other club options. He's very young and might be a good investment for the future. He's part of Canada's U20 pool.

I'm not a big Jamie Peters fan (I think he's another one of these super athletic players who doesn't actually know how to play the game properly) and I find it disconcerting that he can't get regular games but maybe he'd do better in a league like MLS (less technical...athleticism can get you far).

My dream Canadian signing would be Radzinski. He's still got plenty to offer. I'd give him a nice fat cheque to finish his career with TFC. He'd walk in and be the best player on the TFC roster by a wide margin. I'm just not sure his Belgian wife would want to make the move.

BTW, signing Canadians from the senior team roster right now is the perfect time. Unless you've noticed, Canada won't be playing any meaningful games for a long time. If the CSA has half a brain, the team they take to the Gold Cup next summer will be an experimental team, comprising of younger players who need lots of international experience mixed with a few veterans who play in Europe. No need to deplete TFC, like has been done in the past

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Originally Posted by mighty_torontofc_2008

we had Serioux on our roster for a short time before Mo traded him away,
don;'t think he will be coiming back, hes a dirty player at the best of times let Dallas keep him.

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He was traded for Ronnie O'Brien, at the time that was a great trade. Unfortunately ROB didn't work out, I don't think that just because we traded him away means he won't ever come back. Other than the Beckham stuff with Serioux he's just a very hardnosed player.

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Originally Posted by VPjr

My dream Canadian signing would be Radzinski. He's still got plenty to offer. I'd give him a nice fat cheque to finish his career with TFC. He'd walk in and be the best player on the TFC roster by a wide margin. I'm just not sure his Belgian wife would want to make the move.

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I'm not sure Radz would come back right now I'm pretty sure he moved back to Belgium because his wife was sick or something (correct me if I'm wrong) But he would be a good signing and would definitely pot a few goals.

Radz...no. He's a European at heart and when he is done playing in Europe, he will retire.

Stalts...no. He doens't care for the turf and creates roster problems for Canada.

Jamie Peters...yes. Very athletic and could progress under Carver. He's young. Not a regular on the national squad (unless you count the U20...is he still eligible?) and has potential. And he'd fight for a roster spot. Not sure Stalts is willing.

Peters could perhaps do with comming home to play. I think it would be a good place for him, he could with work make the jump over, playing with TFC hasn't hurt Wynne. He has progress and didn't with Edu either.

I like Will Johnson of Real Salt Lake, he is a Canadian with tremendous upside. He can play striker or Attacking Mid, I would love to have him learn from Guevara.

http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=VP7CXm35ZlM

Here is some vid.

Peters features a fair abit, and Will Johnson scores at the 1:50 mark.

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Originally Posted by J .

Peters could perhaps do with comming home to play. I think it would be a good place for him, he could with work make the jump over, playing with TFC hasn't hurt Wynne. He has progress and didn't with Edu either.

I like Will Johnson of Real Salt Lake, he is a Canadian with tremendous upside. He can play striker or Attacking Mid, I would love to have him learn from Guevara.

http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=VP7CXm35ZlM

Here is some vid.

Peters features a fair abit, and Will Johnson scores at the 1:50 mark.

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I think Mo missed the boat on Will Johnson. It would probably take quite a bit to pry him away from RSL now.

^Agreed. But can you blame him for doubting Canadian talent?

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Originally Posted by Roogsy

^Agreed. But can you blame him for doubting Canadian talent?

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Well I think we can blame him for not properly scouting Canadian talent, which he needs to fill roster requirements. Don't get me wrong though I am a Mo supporter he has brought in some good talent so far. Most followers of Canadian soccer have rated Will Johnson fairly highly through out his career, it's unfortunate that we missed it but there will be others I'm sure.

I’d like to see TFC sign Jamie Peters, as it just doesn’t seem to be working out for him in England. I think the team should give Dave Simpson another look too, as their was apparently some confusion about whether he was trailing with the team or just training.

A couple CSL players to fill up our vacant development spots might be a nice too, maybe Lammie and Nascimento (maybe the player rumoured to have been offered a development contract?).

Radz also said he never wants to play on turf

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Originally Posted by UltraSuperMegaMo

I’d like to see TFC sign Jamie Peters, as it just doesn’t seem to be working out for him in England. I think the team should give Dave Simpson another look too, as their was apparently some confusion about whether he was trailing with the team or just training.

A couple CSL players to fill up our vacant development spots might be a nice too, maybe Lammie and Nascimento (maybe the player rumoured to have been offered a development contract?).

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I agree the CSL guys should be given a shot a dev. spots. I'm pretty sure we still have quite a few open dev spots, right?

Radzinski just retired from international duty. Maybe he'll caome home for a send off. Stalteri is we get the grass. Dodds? sure. But the rest are too young to waste their time in MLS. Let them do as much as they can in Europe.

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Originally Posted by Fort York Redcoat

Radzinski just retired from international duty. Maybe he'll caome home for a send off. Stalteri is we get the grass. Dodds? sure. But the rest are too young to waste their time in MLS. Let them do as much as they can in Europe.

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In the case of Haber and Ayre I think that their time in Europe is over at the moment. They haven't been successful in their trials, why not try it here to try and get back there.

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Originally Posted by ccopela

I agree the CSL guys should be given a shot a dev. spots. I'm pretty sure we still have quite a few open dev spots, right?

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I think we have two open spots right now. There’s bound to be some movement on the dev. roster in the off season like there was last year. If the CSL guys are good enough to play in the reserve games, they should be good enough for the dev. roster. I think in a couple of cases their ages might be the problem.

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Originally Posted by ccopela

What's his contract situation at AEK?

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He is under contract at AEK but he has not played at all this season and is not in the coach's plans. There is a chance he might be released from his contract.

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Originally Posted by flatpicker

none?

I'm sick of players going off to international games.
Can we just get some decent talent that don't represent their countries please???

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Yeah, that's the catch though, isn't it? I think I've made it clear in previous threads that TFC could do with more quality Canadian players, but we have to be very careful in whom we choose. Guys like Gerba, Hutch, and Hume are pretty solid mainstays for the National team, so while we know they could probably bring up the fortunes of TFC when in action, we could be screwed by national call-ups or injuries as a result of national team matches.

Finding the right people who are of a good quality but who are not constantly brought in to play for Canada matches is the key.

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Originally Posted by SEXYGREEKMALE

He is under contract at AEK but he has not played at all this season and is not in the coach's plans. There is a chance he might be released from his contract.

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Then that would also be a quality signing but i wouldn't be surprised to see him go back to germany.

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Originally Posted by Roogsy

^Agreed. But can you blame him for doubting Canadian talent?

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Yes...actually I most certainly can blame Mo for doubting Canadian talent. I blame him for his inability to recruit all sorts of talented players, including Canadians.

Montreal Impact seem to be doing pretty well against the best club sides in CONCACAF with a roster heavy with Canadians. Whitecaps won the USL title and gave us a tough time with a bunch of Canadians on their roster too.

Up to now, Mo has prefered washed up imports like Robert and Ruiz or never-will-be types like Jarrod Smith, Andy Welsh and Marco Velez.

yes, Braz and Reda were not up to snuff. Braz isn't even an important part of the Impact if truth be told. Why did we get those players? Could it have anything to do with Barry McLean and his influence on Mo's decision making? To have so much faith in Mo's talent evaluation is foolish. he has not earned it. He's made too many poor or mediocre at best decisions thus far for me to have faith that he is the man I trust running my club. Dichio is his only signing that I'm 100% impressed with, despite Danny's health issues.