2012 Off-Season TFC player movement thread

[scooterTFC]

I think of Goff a solid old school sportswriter and Ives as more of blogger. The very nature of blogging is that is less about the craft of writing a great story and more about getting page views by getting information posted quickly and presenting entertaining perspectives on issues. In my opinion Ives is a good blogger, but he's not a real soccer expert, his evaluations of draft prospects are inaccurate (often overly optimistic) and he tends overvalue offensive prowess in judging teams and players. That said I enjoy his blog.

[TFCwestcan]

I think of Goff a solid old school sportswriter and Ives as more of blogger. The very nature of blogging is that is less about the craft of writing a great story and more about getting page views by getting information posted quickly and presenting entertaining perspectives on issues. In my opinion Ives is a good blogger, but he's not a real soccer expert, his evaluations of draft prospects are inaccurate (often overly optimistic) and he tends overvalue offensive prowess in judging teams and players. That said I enjoy his blog.

I kind of hope your wrong about Ives draft pick evaluations as he has highly rated both Silva and Maud, I am hoping he is right this time.

[jloome]

^ I think primarily he's just been inaccurate, either due to bad sources or poorly formed speculation.

Good example of this is before we hired a new manager. He was insistent that Paul Mariner was going to be the head guy and Winter (if he was involved) was going to be an assistant. Not so.

I think I remember something around draft time two years ago as well. If memory serves, he was continuously on record saying Omar Gonzales didn't have the speed to play in MLS and so on his big-board I'm pretty sure he had TFC by-passing him while everyone else had him as the pick. I wonder if that was simply Mo Johnston's opinion he was echoing because they supposedly had a good relationship. He was right about TFC passing on the defender but dead wrong about OG's effectiveness in MLS.

He really backs himself into a corner on some of these issues rather than cutting his losses and admitting when he was off base.

We've gone at it three or four times, he's been wrong every time, but even with proof there was no show of humility, emotional maturity. He once swore to me there was no way MLS fans favored a single table, so I challenged him to run a poll on his site and single-table won decisively.

He also takes some pleasure, I think, in slagging TFC at every turn since Mo's departure. I don't think the two are necessarily related, he just tends to follow the herd and thinks it's popular with his readers.

Oh, and scooter, he used to hate it when people called him a blogger. He's an ex-newspaper reporter, although he doesn't have a lot of years or breadth of experience, so it rubbed him wrong.

[Oldtimer]

He also takes some pleasure, I think, in slagging TFC at every turn since Mo's departure. I don't think the two are necessarily related

The two are related, he is an old pal of Mo's.

[denime]

http://blogs.canoe.ca/reds/sports/we...ner-interview/

Mariner tells me the team is travelling with 7-8 academy players to Orlando and that the team will be joined by two trialists while in Florida. While he tells me the two trialists are “domestic,” they are not former MLS players and he wouldn’t reveal the names …

Is it posible that one of domestic players is Canadian Julian Paolo Uccello?
He is free agent and forward.
http://www.tuttomercatoweb.com/?action=read&id=329915



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SuQ0LEmlALs


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbW6D...9d04B80cp_VUQG

[TFC/Everton]

Paul Stalteri. You heard it here first.

Also, this is my first official post as an RPB Member. Toronto till I die

[nfitz]

Paul Stalteri. You heard it here first.

Well apparently he's on AM 1040 Vancouver tonight at 9 pm Pacific. I'd think he'd be asked questions about his future.

[UltraSuperMegaMo]

My guess - CSL leading goal scorer Timohir Maletic.

[denime]

My guess - CSL leading goal scorer Timohir Maletic.

CSL Top scorer is already with TFC-Vukovic,

Maletic is last two years CSL-MVP and I think he does deserve the chance to tryout.

[elironico]

Uccello's father, you know, "Big Bird", was hinting at the possibility last year...but what about all those rumours about the kid from Edmonton, Joe Costouros?

[prizby]

Paul Stalteri. You heard it here first.

Also, this is my first official post as an RPB Member. Toronto till I die

congrats and welcome

[prizby]

Uccello's father, you know, "Big Bird", was hinting at the possibility last year...but what about all those rumours about the kid from Edmonton, Joe Costouros?

always felt kyle porter would be a good fit

[kodiakTFC]

You know I wouldn't be shocked if it was Stalteri; the guy hasn't retired, has no club and this is is home.

[UltraSuperMegaMo]

CSL Top scorer is already with TFC-Vukovic,

Maletic is last two years CSL-MVP and I think he does deserve the chance to tryout.

Foiled again! You're right. I though he was co-joint scorer with Maletic, but he had a goal more than him (Maletic 17, Vukovic 18). I think Maletic could be a decent depth player in the MLS, hard to judge though considering in the level of competition I've seen him play against. It would capture my imagination to see a CSL guy (a non-TFCA player in this instance) come into the team and do well.

[Greatest Ripoff]

Uccello's father, you know, "Big Bird", was hinting at the possibility last year

There is a current thread about this on the Voyageurs board.

http://www.cansoc.org/showthread.php...ould-enlighten

[RealG-TFC]

It's interesting his name pops up because my friend called me yesterday and asked me if I knew this player. He told me that his friend met a TFC player named Uccello at a club and asked me if I knew of him. Yesterday was literally the first time I had ever heard of him and I told him that he wasnt on the team. Now his name appears on the boards.

[spark]

I remember a segment on Uccello on Soccer Saturday years back when he went on trial with Manchester United as a youngster. He ended up being brought to Italy when he was fifteen to Lazio but ended up with AC Milan. Has spent the majority of his career loaned out to the lower divisions, but has scored bags of goals wherever he's been. The last 2-3 years have been tough as he first was at a team playing with a lone striker, which is not his ideal role, and then to Serie B where he was in competition with something like 6 other attackers.

BigBird has described him as a #10, in the mould of RVN - I would think considering TFC doesn't have this position locked down, Uccello is a true fighter and hard worker, and should have the pedigreed background, Winter should like him - it will be interesting to see how this pans out.

[Canary10]

^ Is he the other confirmed trialist?

Don't think the number 10 is really at issue now. From what we've been hearing from training camp both Avila and Silva have been very good. A backup number 9 seems to be the real need.

[Keegan]

^ Is he the other confirmed trialist?

Don't think the number 10 is really at issue now. From what we've been hearing from training camp both Avila and Silva have been very good. A backup number 9 seems to be the real need.

Uccello is a poacher/goal scorer so he would be a #9, I asked his dad about this and he basically told me that. He hasn't played on the wing either (or not much at least).

[loconet]

Rednation interview/article on Uccello from 2010: http://www.rednationonline.ca/RedNat...anUccello.aspx

[prizby]

David Bentley looking for a short term loan move to the MLS.

He would be a sick RWer...him and koef would link up well, if we got allocation to spend and can make the room, this could set us up well for CCL!

[Yohan]

hrm. basically a 3 months loan.

I'd think San Jose has more of a shot due to partnership between SJ and Spurs

[jloome]

Uccello is a poacher/goal scorer so he would be a #9, I asked his dad about this and he basically told me that. He hasn't played on the wing either (or not much at least).

This could be kind of an inspired signing. the kid has never really been given his shot, even though he's 25 now and has a really good success record at every team he's actually been given minutes on.

Might be the perfect backup to Koevermans, given his age.

[Ossington Mental Youth]

i see what youre saying, right off the bat, he doesnt do much for me having only played in the 5th division (more or less) in Italy. If hes the dude, and if Mariner and Winter think he can play for TFC, ill accept it.

[Whoop]

I wonder how much money he would make playing in fourth division Italy?

[Ossington Mental Youth]

i would assume prob not alot, hes prob affordable, that would be one good thing

[Ossington Mental Youth]

id be happy to be wrong about the guy too

[kuku]

So the 2 trialists are (from Twitter):

Midfield trialists Moises Orozco & Kevin Huezo join Toronto FC in Orlando. Both played for Thomas Rongen at USA U-20 level.

[Auzzy]

Distinct lack of drama; objectives proclaimed & fulfilled (i.e., Ecks/Plata & CB signings); clear straight-forward information policy, as soon as things can be announced publicly...

BOOOOORRRRRIIIIIING! This just doesn't feel like my club.

[Canary10]

Looks like Orozco played with Tigres in Mexico. He may be good.