Depth has received a lot of discussion lately and I thought it would be great to start a thread on it. To me, depth in MLS means having a couple of guys who can step into the starting 11 that can compete for spots and reduce wear-and-tear off first choice players. To get the ball rolling, I thought I would list TFC’s depth and compare it to the better MLS teams and our Canadian Rivals.
Tried to filter down the the best of my ability, but inevitably I’ve probably missed a few. Tried to limit to realistic options people would see off the bench.
RSL:
Fwd: Sandoval, Plata, Garcia
Mid: Velasquez, Mulholland
D: Mansally, Maund
LA
Fwd: Friend, Samuel, Zardes
Mid: Hudisic, Izhizaki
D: Meyer, Leonardo
Seattle
Fwd: Estrada, Bowen
Mid: Rose, Pereira, Neagle
D: Scott, Anibaba
Montreal
Fwd: Wenger
Mid: Mallace, Warner
D: Ouimette, Pearce
Vancouver
Fwd: Mattocks, Salgado
Mid: Koffie, Lewis, Ballouchy
D: Dean, Leveron
TFC:
FWD: Wiedeman, Dero
Mid: Hall, Bekker
Defense: Agboss, Bloom
Clearly some teams are deeper than others – Mtl looks particularly awful – but some teams have very legitimate depth. I worry what happens when we need an extra body in midfield or (as we see currently) up front. In TFC’s defense, they did plan on having Dike, but with that no longer an option it seems we are in desperate need of an upgrade.