|
|
Posted by
Steve Bottjer,
April 28, 2013 |
|
Email Steve Bottjer
Twitter @BottjerRNO |
|
Read this on your iPhone/iPad or Android device
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
After what likely seemed like an eternity for Toronto FC supporters, newly acquired midfielder Matias Laba was officially unveiled as TFC’s latest Designated Player on Saturday.
The countdown now commences with respect to when the 21 year old mystery player will actually take to the pitch and show TFC supporters what all the hoopla is about. Outside of dedicated followers of the Argentine Primera División, it is safe to say that few Toronto FC followers have seen Laba play.
While the Argentinos Juniors product does not bring the star power that other Designated Players like David Beckham, Thierry Henry and Robbie Keane have brought to the league, it is clear that Toronto FC was not particularly concerned with marketing and ticket sales with this signing. Instead, it is obvious that the team is hoping that Laba will have a very positive effect on the club on a number of levels.
Toronto FC President & General Manager Kevin Payne has seen Laba play and it was clear from his comments on Friday that he sees the young Argentine as something of a missing piece for a Toronto squad has at times looked dangerous up top with Robert Earnshaw, but that has also struggled to provide him with consistent service from the midfield.
“He’s an all-around midfielder. He’s very tenacious defensively and covers a tremendous amount of ground. He’s terrific closing on the ball but then when he gets the ball he’s an outstanding passer. Probably his best quality is that he finds the attacking players with the ball very quickly,” Payne said. “He’s not a guy who will pass the ball over large distances, he’s not going to spray 40 or 50 yard balls, but he can bypass the initial midfield pressure and find our attacking and wide midfielders in a way that, frankly, we’ve struggled a little bit this year.”
The word competition is the one that was bandied about the most when players and management have spoken about Laba over the last couple of days, with the implication being that the player will both make Toronto more competitive as a team and will also foster even more competition for playing time amongst the players themselves.
“He is a very good player. Good players will fit in,” Head Coach Ryan Nelsen said. “We’ve liked him for a long time and the great thing about it is that we are starting to get some really good competition with the first team. Obviously on Wednesday we saw nine players who didn’t start against Houston really put their hands up and play really well against a Montreal team that had five or six starters. It’s great competition and Matias will have to get in line with the competition.”
“Everything I have heard about him is all very positive. It’s great to bring more competition into the squad and more quality,” central defender Darren O’Dea added. “That’s what the manager has done since he has been here. The quality he has brought in has been fantastic. And the more we can add, the better we will become as a team.”
Nelsen also spoke on Friday about the likelihood that Laba and Jeremy Hall will likely pair up to give Toronto a very athletic and hardworking central midfield pairing, which should make TFC an even harder team to play against than they have shown to date.
“It’s great, it’s big time. Any time you can bring great players into the squad it really brings everyone’s competition level up. He is another great addition to the team and he is going to bring more competition onto the field,” midfielder Jeremy Hall stated. “We are looking forward to Monday and getting on the pitch with him. He is a great young player as well, so hopefully he can be around with us for a long time. I’m very excited about it.”
Hall also spoke of how signings such as Laba show a continued commitment by the club to spending significant resources to build a competitive squad and how that buoys the players.
According to striker Robert Earnshaw, the main thing will now be to quickly fit Laba into the structure and playing style that Nelsen has been engineering ever since he took over at the helm of Toronto FC.
“It is a good signing for us and we’re looking forward to having him here,” Earnshaw said. “Hopefully he can fit in straight away and get used to what we are trying to do and what we are trying to build.”
|