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    Default Victor Vazquez, our "4th DP"

    He may not be on Designated Player wages, but he could easily be a Designated Player on any MLS team. What a great player. This thread is to express some Vazquez appreciation.

    MLS is a tough, physical league, that emphasizes speed, and features plastic fields, grueling travel, extreme weather, and incompetent refs. - NK Toronto

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    What an epic night, the true player maker this team needed. Love it that he is essentially a 4 DP without actually being one. Reminds me very much of all the massaging of the roster that LA has did in the past with players like Ashley Cole etc. What a treat to watch Victor is.


    Remember The Man, The Legend, The Goal 5-12-07 and All That #9 Left On The Pitch, Thanks For The Memories !!!

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    I think I'm getting a Vazquez jersey. Being this excited by a player reminds me of when Seba first came to town.

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    I think he is the most intelligent player on the pitch just ahead of Cheyrou.

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    He is a treat to watch..and boy are we lucky to have gotten him, let alone as a non-DP. IQ reminds me of Cheyrou but with more pazzaz.

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    And he absolutely loves being here.


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    Quote Originally Posted by Oldtimer View Post
    He may not be on Designated Player wages, but he could easily be a Designated Player on any MLS team. What a great player. This thread is to express some Vazquez appreciation.
    Except he is on DP wages, he makes $700k. TAM was created to sign exactly this kind of player. Credit to the front office for finding the perfect player to take this team to the next level.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Richard View Post
    I think he is the most intelligent player on the pitch just ahead of Cheyrou.
    Agreed.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Oldtimer View Post
    He may not be on Designated Player wages, but he could easily be a Designated Player on any MLS team. What a great player. This thread is to express some Vazquez appreciation.

    Bez deserves so much credit for getting Cheyrou and Vazquez onto this roster. To have two tried, true and proven Euro league veterans on this salary capped MLS roster behind the three DP's is truly miraculous.

    TFC must be the envy of the league regarding these two fantastic players.

    We are so fortunate!

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    it honestly feels like we are on a different level to almost every team we play.

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    What I am realizing is that Vazquez is the perfect pairing for Bradley. In the first few games I was worried in that Victor wasn't tracking back but with him on the pitch Bradley has a perfect outlet, the ball gets up the field much quicker, he doesn't seem to be running all over the place or getting caught in possession doing his pirouette thing. With less on his plate on the offensive side he has been a rock star this year defensively providing cover, breaking up plays, being deep and ready for passes from the back 3. No doubt playing with someone of Bradley's caliber is likely a reason that Vasquez has made a quick adjustment to MLS.

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    I'm going to say a big thing here, I wonder how many will agree:

    If all of Seba, Bradley, Jozy and Victor would at the top of their form, and would have the same age (let's say 26) in a first class Euro team. Victor would be considered the most valuable asset for that team compared to the other 3 guys, and would be paid the most money. He would be slightly ahead of Seba and Jozy, in this order.

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    He is just lovely.

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    It's crazy and makes no sense but there have been players play in the MLS with much bigger pedigree in terms of where they played before coming to the MLS and not have the same effect that Vasquez has had on this league so far, but looking at him play so far it boggles the mind that the highest level he really played at was the Belgium league, I mean really I'm sure he could have played for any other team in the Spanish league not named Barcelona or Real Madrid or even in France or Germany or in Italy why did he end up in Belgium a league not that much better than MLS?

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    Quote Originally Posted by Gringo Starr View Post
    What I am realizing is that Vazquez is the perfect pairing for Bradley. In the first few games I was worried in that Victor wasn't tracking back but with him on the pitch Bradley has a perfect outlet, the ball gets up the field much quicker, he doesn't seem to be running all over the place or getting caught in possession doing his pirouette thing. With less on his plate on the offensive side he has been a rock star this year defensively providing cover, breaking up plays, being deep and ready for passes from the back 3. No doubt playing with someone of Bradley's caliber is likely a reason that Vasquez has made a quick adjustment to MLS.
    You're absolutely right! I have also noticed that there are fewer of those overhit Bradley long passes that we would see in his first 2 seasons. With Vazquez on the pitch there is less pressure for him to do that.

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    He only left Barcelona when he was 24. not a lot of time to move up the ranks after that.

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    He confuses me. He's an exceptional player from Europe. Shouldn't he have more tattoos?

    Srsly what a treat to have him here.
    FORMER FULL TIME KOOL-AID DRINKER

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    Anything short of another appearance in the Final will be a disappointment, with this group and this much depth.

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    Quote Originally Posted by BelfastBoy View Post
    Anything short of another appearance in the Final will be a disappointment, with this group and this much depth.
    Even when LA was similarly dominant, due to a similarly well constructed roster (as well as MLS changing their rules to meet Beckham's, I mean LA's needs) they didn't get there every year. This is a league of parity.

    Still, with Bradley, Giovinco, Altidore, and (to get back on topic) Vazquez, expectations are high.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Oldtimer View Post
    Even when LA was similarly dominant, due to a similarly well constructed roster (as well as MLS changing their rules to meet Beckham's, I mean LA's needs) they didn't get there every year. This is a league of parity.

    Still, with Bradley, Giovinco, Altidore, and (to get back on topic) Vazquez, expectations are high.
    pretty sure they won it 3 out of 4 years and had a couple supporters shield trophies to go with that. That team was crazy good.

    Although, I think this team does definitely have the potential to be as good as either the 2011 or 2014 Galaxy sides, probably the two best MLS sides I've seen since I started watching the league. If this team is really ambitious they're chasing a treble and 70 points. A ton would have to go right but it's potentially within the realm of possibility.

    Now i'm getting ahead of myself too. It's hard not to get carried away and dream big things for this team. I suppose we should just see how things are after the gold cup. Things'll be more clear then.

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    this team and style was built around the mould of a player like vasquez.

    hes the centre piece that just came last.

    this is team is the definition of SYNERGY

    players that others teams were done with .....

    zavaleta
    delgado
    jozy
    mavinga
    rickets (kind of)
    Haglund (down at tfc 2 at one point)
    Hamilton (portugal threw him back and said no thanks pretty quickly)
    even hernedez is solid depth

    then you have the young guys TFC is holding onto with so much upside
    chapman, osorio, edwards, hamilton, Bono

    not to mention the coach himself was an incredible find

    Bez is a genius, end of discussion. We can never second guess him again

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    I guess Bez's strong point is in seeing potential where it's not evident yet. Vazquez himself is an exception to this. He already was seen as talented, it's hard to get in with a MX team as a foreigner unless you are really good. Why Vazquez didn't like Mexico and how Bez convinced him to come here are things that I'd like to know. Even if that won't be revealed, I'm just happy Vazquez is here to help our talented squad.

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    My understanding is that someone told Victor that Mista once scored against Cruz Azul and he decided then and there that he could never wear that jersey again.

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    I'm a charter member of the Victor Vazquez appreciation society. From the moment he stepped on the pitch for us it has been a pleasure to watch him. Now that the rest of the team is starting to catch on to what he can offer they have stepped up a level for sure. Him and Cheyrou on at the same time is bewildering to watch. Both so silky and unhurried but always getting the ball away in time. There was one bad square pass by Victor in the game and it was glaringly obvious but he had no outlets at the time and chose an option that would have made it to bradley had the defender not read it so well.


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    Quote Originally Posted by Oldtimer View Post
    I guess Bez's strong point is in seeing potential where it's not evident yet. Vazquez himself is an exception to this. He already was seen as talented, it's hard to get in with a MX team as a foreigner unless you are really good. Why Vazquez didn't like Mexico and how Bez convinced him to come here are things that I'd like to know. Even if that won't be revealed, I'm just happy Vazquez is here to help our talented squad.
    Yeah I think Bez might also have a gift for convincing players to come here. I know they tried to get Vazquez at the same time they got Seba, but he was still happy in Belgium then I think. Bez kept an eye on him though.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Section_105 View Post
    There was one bad square pass by Victor in the game and it was glaringly obvious but he had no outlets at the time and chose an option that would have made it to bradley had the defender not read it so well.
    I think the most telling thing about that pass was how shocking it was - that's the first one I can remember all season from him, and we're 14 games in.
    TFC management changes: "like adding a new fish to your aquarium of failure." - Shakes

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    Quote Originally Posted by Ben - D.O.W. View Post
    I think the most telling thing about that pass was how shocking it was - that's the first one I can remember all season from him, and we're 14 games in.
    that's why it was so jarring to me as well. but when I watched the replay there was nothing else open so even in the bad pass it was the 2nd best option. maybe should have put it out but he couldn't see the lurking midfielder with two guys on his back.

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    Quote Originally Posted by SoccMan2 View Post
    It's crazy and makes no sense but there have been players play in the MLS with much bigger pedigree in terms of where they played before coming to the MLS and not have the same effect that Vasquez has had on this league so far, but looking at him play so far it boggles the mind that the highest level he really played at was the Belgium league, I mean really I'm sure he could have played for any other team in the Spanish league not named Barcelona or Real Madrid or even in France or Germany or in Italy why did he end up in Belgium a league not that much better than MLS?
    He's good, but not I don't think he's "any other team in Spain" good. Maybe on a lower-half team, he could be effective in a rotation, but he had his chance to impress while he was over there and didn't, which is why he spent so many years at Barcelona B. MLS is a league where "string-puller" players seem to do well.

    Anyway, I'm just glad we have him and he's playing so well for us. He really is proving to be the missing piece of the midfield puzzle.
    Toronto FC baby...best team everrrrrrrrrr -Jozy

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    Quote Originally Posted by Oldtimer View Post
    I guess Bez's strong point is in seeing potential where it's not evident yet. Vazquez himself is an exception to this. He already was seen as talented, it's hard to get in with a MX team as a foreigner unless you are really good. Why Vazquez didn't like Mexico and how Bez convinced him to come here are things that I'd like to know. Even if that won't be revealed, I'm just happy Vazquez is here to help our talented squad.
    Mexico isn't the safest country in the world and Toronto is an extremely attractive destination for footballers. MLS will be the #1 destination for players outside of Europe in the future, the lifestyle you can live here greatly exceeds a lot of other countries.

    Here is a quote from Larson article.

    http://www.torontosun.com/2017/02/21...about-teamwork


    FAMILY FIRST: VAZQUEZ

    Victor Vazquez’s young son, Leo, played pitchside during Tuesday’s training.
    His wife, Andrea, was just steps away, taking in the Florida sun with a smile on her face.
    “My family is really happy to be here,” Vazquez said. “Everybody that talks about Toronto are saying amazing things — the safety, everybody helps you, they are friendly.
    “We will feel at home very fast, I think.”
    Vazquez says it wasn’t the same in Mexico City, where while playing for Cruz Azul, his family didn’t feel safe.
    He told the Toronto Sun following Tuesday’s training that he preferred not to talk about certain occurrences that provoked him to go to Cruz Azul brass and ask to be released.
    Last edited by Richard; 05-29-2017 at 05:55 PM.

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    Yes, MLS and T.O. is 'family-friendlier' and safer for players like Vasquez.
    Mexico is a beautiful country, crippled by a drug war.
    However, after +2 decades of narco mayhem, Liga MX still manages to routinely kick our DP-laden MLS asses.
    I'd love to see more MLS vs Liga MX games in a Cup format. ( Not the current CONCACAF sideshows)
    (Newsflash: NOBODY gives a shit about the Trillium Cup.)

 

 

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