Our new trio:
Our new trio:
Last edited by rydermike; 07-07-2022 at 10:52 AM. Reason: added TC logo
I'm guessing the Toronto pitch to Fede was more extensive than one trip to Woodbridge.
I will say - I lived for a year in the US and even though the difference between there and here is nothing in comparrison to what these players experience, the Canadian ex pats and the spot we would meet up at were a huge part of my being able to make it through the year. The great part about Toronto is that you can come here from just about anywhere and find yourself represented in the city. IMO that is the City's greatest feature. If I was trying to sell someone on moving here I would start by showing them they already belong. That was one of the barriers of being in America for me. I clearly didn't belong even though on the surface things seemed similar. FWIW I still ate at restaurants that served other foods than "Canadian" lol.
I hate you so much I'm wheezingOriginally Posted by rydermike
Our new trio:
He is not signed yet at least not official yet.... we have played our cards and let POZ go, power is all in Bernies hands now... show me the money Billy.
EDIT - Thank you, leedsandTFC
If you only care about the soccer side.... I think the odds of this working out are low, fellow TFC fans. There is a reason teams don't create these "ethnic enclaves". It has a high probability of creating a caste system in the room. When I think of versions of this that do work, it's with a very focused player development/resale rationale, and truly deep expertise in that national culture (eg the Jorge Mendes thing at Wolves)
I am ever more amazed at the spend authorized at TFC, which is I guess about to be north of a USD$100M commitment for two Italian players that are not that well known outside of Italy. This is "insane", by any analysis of other successful MLS teams, even given the big rise in spend league-wide recently.
I guess the other side of it is that it's "revolutionary" I guess that's possible, I mean who knows. But I'd feel a lot better about the odds of that if the leader of this revolution were Leiweke, not Tanenbaum.
I guess Larry is in total control here, and the Bogers suits aren't looking at this (this totally surprises me).... it could be interesting if/when they do.
“What the world needs is more geniuses with humility; there are so few of us left.”
Ecco. Chi Siamo. Andiamo.
they are bringing in DPs from europe in their primes, this was what led to the most successful TFC teams in history.
i'd say the chances of it working are higher than any other strategy.
What strategy do you want? It's clear that the cultural melting pot, if you get even two or three players who are from the same country, end up doing the exact same thing lol
yeah, now we have multiple players from:
spain (before poz was traded), france, canada, usa.
having 3/4 players from the same country is fine, especially if players from that country have a good history in MLS.
And before the players from Spain, Brazil, etc, created a clique of their own
the argument that Italy's going to just create a clique and ruin the team vibe doesn't hold water to me - cliques will form regardless.
yes, that happens in every changing room, regardless of nationalities.
as long as they arent disruptive and are solid professionals (which by all accounts these 3 guys are), it wont be an issue
One fullback. Just one. Please. Pretty please.
Please CB. Please CB, BB.
Although if Salcedo is staying, I am not opposed to giving him a chance with FBs that actually know where the ball is.
The spending pattern is… odd. It’s a hell of an outlay, even spread over four years, but for a company owning the Raptors, only revolutionary in MLS terms, so sort of understandable. They’re obviously pushing the league to increase spending per team and profile, to elevate the league above others.
It had to happen eventually, and they’re the richest owners, so…
The enclave issue on the roster can be a problem at teams, but it very much depends on the players’ characters to begin with. It’s more about that, I think, than where they’re from.
A Soteldo-led clique? That’s probably a problem. One led by Lorenzo Insigne, substantially less.
Outside of them being older and likely more mature professionals, it’s not really a cultural issue, beyond the language complications. Nick Soolsma was let go after that incident in Houston and one here but he was notorious for being the team party leader as well, goading guys to go out all hours. He had a clique, but they all spoke English.
Eventually it caught up with him, too.
Good to see you on the board, dude. Interesting times for TFC.
Big day today? If there’s nothing, we might have to start worrying about what he has beyond the three Italians.
There was a story yesterday that we are no longer pursuing the Mexican GK.
Last edited by jloome; 07-07-2022 at 11:16 AM.
Missed your opinions here the past couple of months. Hope you're well
what about CB or a GK?
Welcome back? ensco.
Your perspective is always appreciated by me.
I get the Toronto-Croatiaesque position.
For now I am fine with this; the way its going.
What was old is new again.
No doubt it's an experiment.
You know me, this is Ujiri with Tanenbaum's support.
If rumours evolve the Raptors may 'action and spend', be all in, like TFC for KD.
Last edited by Mr. Inbetween; 07-07-2022 at 11:20 AM.
I know that MLSE helps them feel comfortable by introducing them to other Italians they do business with. As an example Seba with the guys that give him cars and bring them to Italian restaurants where everyone knows who he is but are respectful of his space.
plus it helps when they never have to pay for a thing especially once they sign here
Given how much movement there was at his other clubs — substantial, generally — the GK issue seems more a matter of when than if.
We certainly need another CB too, preferably a calm veteran.
How that we signed Criscito, I would say the answer is RB, full stop.
Our GK situation sucks but we can tread water here.
The CB / LB situation is partially covered by Criscito (depending on where you want to slot him in) and we have decent cover.
There is no answer do RB right now anywhere on this team. And the options are just kids who are getting punked every game. Need to fill in here, quickly
Last edited by ag futbol; 07-07-2022 at 11:44 AM.
If we're playing a lineup filled with vets, it's a lot easier to fit in one youth player. If Kosi is playing RB but everyone else is an experienced vet, it's a lot easier to cover for any of their youthful mistakes. It's much harder when half your lineup (Petrasso, Nelson, Kosi, Ayo, Priso, JMR, Shaff, etc.) is less experienced.
That said another high quality defender is required. I don't think we can trust Mavinga and Criscito to play every game the rest of the way.
Would Kosi or JMR play that RB (when both are healthy)? either way I agree with everything here - there's no marshalling in the world that will fix the problems we're seeing which are just straight up basic and with Insigne still on the shelf a bit, we're still stuck with Nelson up top.
Not sure. I think JMR had actually been playing a bit of LB the past few games he's come in. I'm hopeful we get to see a bit more Shaff while Insigne is out. His pace brings a lot to this team.
I wonder how much of this has to do with the new Apple TV deal, or none at all. TFC is an outlier at the moment financially, perhaps long term the Apple deal will actually bring TFC back to normal spending considering Rogers/Bell wont be getting ownership of TV rights.
The way things are shaping up, I reckon well have a good XI for the second half of the season, then look to add depth pieces in the off-season.
Once we sort our defense out, any game we start with bernardeschi Jimenez insigne as the front 3 should be wins.
so for people looking at Bernie and thinking 'man, this guy's just average at everything' - that was the scouting report on Jimenez. Fundamentally sound, not eye popping at any one thing. I think if we're getting JJ levels of work ethic and fundamentals, the lack of game-breaking skill can be overlooked somewhat.
I’m convinced you could pack 50k in every major metro in NA with an NHL level salary cap.
https://torontosun.com/sports/soccer...e-bernardeschi
Pozuelo official. Sigh. Great player, loved the club. Scored one in three from the hole, as good in assists. 2020 MVP.
I’m willing to settle at this point.
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