With Ryan Nelsen and the rest of the TFC brass currently in Europe scouring Italy and England for the club’s next two Designated Players, most of the recent speculation regarding incoming players has centered on which players the team might be considering to fill its DP slots. In addition to “Beckham Rule” players, the TFC gaffer has also been vocal in recent weeks of his desire to reinforce his squad with several players with significant MLS experience.
However, in addition to utilizing those two routes to add quality and fill out the roster for 2014, another option that Toronto FC have at their disposal that hasn’t generated much recent discussion is going the route of adding more domestic players to the roster.
While the club’s previous dealings with Canadian Internationals have often been bumpy, and that could be an understatement, it can certainly be argued that of the three Canadian clubs in MLS, the Reds have shown the greatest propensity to utilize Canadian players. Furthermore, while there was some friction between Nelsen and the Canadian Soccer Association in the summer when the national team called up many more players from TFC than Vancouver and Montreal, the TFC skipper has also been quoted as saying that the club’s DNA is Canadian.
Thus, while the team’s newfound dedication to soundly managing the salary cap likely only reinforces that top tier Canadian players like Atiba Hutchinson, Simeon Jackson and David Edgar won’t be heading to Toronto any time soon, that doesn’t mean there aren’t Canadian players out there who could bring needed qualities, and depth, to TFC at a reasonable salary cap hit.
With Toronto FC certain to be bringing in a number of players at various positions on the salary spectrum over the offseason, the following Canadian Internationals are just four players who could possibly bring quality and salary value to the club for 2014 and beyond.
Andres Fresenga
With Richard Eckersley likely on his way out and Mark Bloom on loan from the Atlanta Silverbacks, but not yet confirmed for 2014, Toronto could be in the market for two right backs. Long regarded as a young player on the rise, Fresenga was something of a standout player on Canada’s 2012 CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying team and he is well regarded by Canadian Soccer Association Technical Director Tony Fonseca and many others. He is primarily a right back, but he is also capable of playing centre back.
The Toronto native has already indicated a strong desire to continue his professional career in Canada and he would likely be able to be signed for a reasonable salary cap hit. He had a trial with the Vancouver Whitecaps during the 2013 MLS preseason, but was unlucky when an injury suffered during a Canadian National Team training camp impeded his catching on with Martin Rennie’s side.
Like Toronto’s standout player in 2013, Jonathan Osorio, Fresenga spent a large number of his prime developmental years in Uruguay. While he has not seen major first team minutes with Racing Club de Montevideo recently, there is no reason to believe that he could not follow a similar path to the one that Osorio has blazed, given the technical proficiency and pedigree gained from developing in the soccer hotbed of Uruguay.
Furthermore, with his style of play being primarily South American in nature, it also isn’t a stretch to suggest that Fresenga would likely link up well with players like Osorio, Matias Laba and Alvaro Rey, not to mention Canadians such as Ashtone Morgan, Doneil Henry and Kyle Bekker, who he has played with on various Canadian national teams.
Randy Edwini-Bonsu
While much has been made about Toronto’s inability to find the back of the net in 2013, another area in which the Reds are lacking is pace. Outside of left back Ashtone Morgan and more recently Bright Dike, there really hasn’t been a lot of speed on Toronto’s roster this season and the squad’s lack of breakout pace has stood out that much more when you look at the impact that a player like Dominic Oduro has had for the Columbus Crew.
A former Whitecaps Residency player and a standout player for Canada during Olympic qualifying and recent Costa Rica friendly, Randy Edwini-Bonsu brings a characteristic of pace that can’t be taught and that can be a real game-breaking quality. He could play on either wing or as a striker, so his versatility would again be a boon for a smaller MLS squad.
While there may or may not be room on the roster for both Edwini-Bonsu and Alvaro Rey, who has impressed in recent matches, an argument can be made that the Canadian might come as better value than the relatively high-priced Spaniard and that he could offer something different (pace v technique) in Nelsen’s English style system.
Reports are that the 23 year old forward is currently without a team and he last played with Eintracht Braunschweig in the second division in Germany. An injury reportedly prevented him from signing with a club during the most recent transfer window and it is unknown if he would consider a return to North America at this point in his career. That said, given his potential as a real game-breaking X-factor with his pace, TFC would be smart to at least have a conversation with Edwini-Bonsu to gauge his interest and figure out if he might fit within Toronto’s budget.
Pedro Pacheco
With the summer move that essentially amounted to Toronto replacing veteran Terry Dunfield with Michael Thomas in the TFC midfield not looking particularly good in hindsight, many believe that the Reds need a veteran midfielder on the roster to help guide young players like Matias Laba, Jonathan Osorio to offer some experienced balance through the spine of the team.
Given that the TFC brass have been vocal about wanting to use the team’s two DP spots on strikers, the opening for a veteran midfield mentor/backup likely comes with the caveat that the player will have to come at a reasonable cap hit. Canadian International Pedro Pacheco has always looked tidy on the ball as a quality linkup player when playing with the Canadian National Team and he would bring the requisite experience that the club is looking for. Currently plying his trade with C.D. Santa Clara in the Portuguese second division, Pacheco likely would not command an exorbitant salary and, like Fresenga, he would probably mesh well with the Latin style players on Toronto’s roster, such as Laba, Osorio and Rey.
Given that Pacheco was born in Portugal and has spent the majority of his life in the country of his birth, it remains to be seen if he would even be interested in picking up and moving to Canada at the age of 29 year old. That said, he does have family in Toronto and the city has a massive Portuguese community, so if he was interested in undertaking an MLS adventure, he probably would not have many issues settling into the city.
Nik Ledgerwood
Outside of Toronto’s pursuit of a couple of big name impact Designated Players, the stated modus operandi for the club’s offseason is to bring in some hardened MLS players to fill out the team’s squad. While Nik Ledgerwood has never played a Major League Soccer match, he could still fill that mandate as an MLS quality player who just hasn’t played in the league yet. The 28 year old midfielder currently plays for Hammarby in the Swedish second division and he could be a hard-edged competitor who might come with the right price tag. With his experience playing previously in Germany, Ledgerwood is a player who should see his game transfer quite well to North America.
Ledgerwood is a tough, tenacious no-nonsense player who can also chip in the odd goal here and there and it isn’t a coincidence that he has earned consistent call-ups from Canadian National Team Head Coach Benito Floro and his predecessor Stephen Hart. He’d likely fit in well in MLS and his versatility would certainly serve Toronto well. With Canada he has shown that he can get the job done at right back, right wing and as a central midfielder, so he could be a candidate to replace Eckersley or he could be employed as a veteran midfielder who could add steel in the midfield while allowing a player like Laba to progress further forward in the attack.
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