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Posted by
Steve Bottjer,
July 31, 2012 |
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Email Steve Bottjer
Twitter @BottjerRNO |
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One of the biggest compliments that any soccer player can receive following a trade is to hear his new teammates describe him as a player that they hated to play against but that they love to have playing with them. That is pretty much the consensus opinion on former Whitecap Eric Hassli in the TFC locker room. The big Frenchman brings a wide variety of positive qualities to his new club – including a major physical presence and a flair for scoring dramatic goals – and his new teammates are looking forward to lining up alongside him upon his return to full match fitness.
See also: Hassli ready to be part of new era TFC
As a defender, Richard Eckersley in particular is excited that he will now be playing with rather than against the imposing 6’4 centre forward.
“I’m really excited. I have played against him a few times and, as a defender, he is a tough player to play against. I’m really excited for him to get fit and to start playing and training with us,” says Eckersley.
Left back Ashtone Morgan believes that the physical presence that Hassli brings will allow him to pair up with TFC forward Ryan Johnson to create a particularly nasty challenge for opposition defenders.
“He is a big presence in games. Having a big guy up top playing for us will create a lot of trouble for opposition defenders. Having both him and Ryan playing as forwards is going to be a whole lot to handle for opposing teams,” says Morgan.
As for Johnson himself, he is looking forward to pairing up with a strike partner who is proven MLS scorer.
“It’s going to be great. Hassli is a proven goal scorer in this league and I have watched him for a few years now. He is a very good player, so I’m excited to play with him when he is healthy,” says Johnson.
When Hassli was officially unveiled as a Toronto FC player at a Press Conference last Saturday, TFC Head Coach Paul Mariner was a little bit like a kid in a candy score when praising his newest recruit and describing all of the tangible and intangible qualities that the Frenchman is going to bring to a resurgent TFC squad. Mariner was quick to point out that Hassli is not only a great player, but that he is also a big character who should be able to lead and inspire all of the still developing young players on the Reds roster.
As an MLS rookie, attacking midfielder Luis Silva does see Hassli as a player that he can learn plenty from and as someone he can feed off of on the pitch.
“He is definitely a great player and he is going to help us a lot. Obviously, experienced players bring a lot to the team and, as was the case with Danny (Koevermans), I’m just going to try and observe and learn from his positioning on the field and how he plays. Eric and Danny are two different kinds of players and I’m just going to try to take the best from playing with both of them,” says Silva.
Johnson is also quick to point to the all round game that Hassli will bring to the TFC starting eleven and he concurs with both Mariner and Silva that Toronto’s newest Designated Player will bring vital experience to a team that is still striving to deliver consistent and complete performances every time it steps on the pitch.
“He is going to hold the ball up very well. He is also a very good passer of the ball and is going to create a lot of space for myself and the wingers. He is just a quality player and he is going to bring more maturity to the team, which is something we need,” says Johnson.
Given the run that Toronto was on recently with Danny Koevermans leading the TFC charge up top, it’s hard not look at Hassli as a player who will be expected to fill the void that the Dutchman left when he went down for the season in New England a few weeks back. While they are clearly different players, Morgan sees the former FC Zurich striker as one of the few players in the MLS who is actually capable of stepping into the lineup and replacing the quality that Koevermans brought to the team.
“I think bringing the big man in will be a real asset for the team. It’s kind of like for like with Danny. We all know that he scores some amazing goals and I think he is a game changer. And I think he will give a lot of the guys confidence up front, especially because he has proven he can score goals. We’ll give him the ball and we know he will put it in the back of the net,” says Morgan.
Hassli does offer Mariner the opportunity to essentially deploy the same tactics and formation that he employed with Koevermans playing a vital role and Silva admits that the idea of playing just behind Hassli and Johnson would be something that he would enjoy, especially given that several of his best performances this year came playing as the most forward midfielder behind Koevermans and Johnson.
“Hopefully that will be the case and I will get to play underneath both Eric and Ryan, but it is all up to the coach. It will depend on the formation that we play. Anything the coach says, we just have to follow through and I’m going to try my hardest to fit in wherever he plays me,” says Silva.
Overall, Eckersley seems me to tidily sum up what the Hassli will bring to TFC, both on the pitch and in terms of the hope, excitement and passion that he should engender among the BMO Field faithful.
“He scores fantastic goals, but it’s not only that. He provides excellent hold up play and his touch and technique are fantastic as well. I think I can speak for all the players here and for the fans as well when I say that we are excited to see him on the team,” says Eckersley.
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