Hassli's Status Uncertain Eric Hassli's status is uncertain for upcoming matches ORONTO – Toronto FC's hopes of closing out a miserable season on a positive note took a further blow this week, with an ankle injury likely to keep striker Eric Hassli out of Saturday’s league match against the LA Galaxy at the Home Depot Center. “He’s extremely doubtful in my mind,” TFC head coach Paul Mariner told MLSsoccer.com after training at Downsview Park on Wednesday. http://www.torontofc.ca/news/2012/09/hasslis-status-uncertain
The Kids Are Alright The Kia TFC Academy U17 and U19 teams enter playoffs. After successful regular season campaigns, the Kia Toronto FC Academy U17 and U19 teams are gaining valuable playoff experience that they hope to one day bring with them to the first team. There is a lot to like and plenty of talent on our U17 team. Four players – striker Jordan Hamilton, midfielder Derick Sequeira, and defenders Kevon Black and Eli Roubos - attended the recent Canadian U17 National Team camp in Spain. We also boast firepower up front with striker Mark Wadid who finished tied for first in league scoring with 16 goals and Hamilton who finished third with 9. http://www.torontofc.ca/news/2012/10/kids-are-alright
See You Next Year Canadian rivals Toronto, Montreal draw 0-0 in 2012 BMO finale It’s been that kind of year at BMO Field. Toronto FC closed out their 2012 home campaign on Saturday afternoon with a 0-0 draw against rivals Montreal Impact, who were making their first-ever visit to Toronto in MLS regular season play. Goalkeeper Freddy Hall helped TFC hold on to their first league shutout since July 14 with a couple of key stops during a hectic series of stoppage time assaults on the Toronto goal. TFC were also helped by a lack of sharpness from Montreal’s attackers, a common theme that afflicted both sides in the scoreless match. While Toronto’s winless run reaches 13 matches, the expansion Impact moved closer to registering the best record by a Canadian team in MLS this year, which would give them the No. 1 seed in next year’s Canadian Championship. Despite their current five-game winless run, the Impact’s 42 points are on par with Vancouver, who are still battling for a playoff spot in the West. http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/artic...ronto-hold-rival-montreal-0-0-draw-bmo-finale
Option Declined On Six Players Adrian Cann among those Toronto FC released on Thursday Toronto FC announced Thursday that the club has declined options on six players: defenders Adrian Cann, Ty Harden, and Dicoy Williams, midfielder Oscar Cordon, and forwards Nicholas Lindsay and Keith Makubuya. http://www.torontofc.ca/news/2012/11/option-declined-six-players
Master Builder "The pieces are here" in Toronto, says architect of D.C. dynasty New TFC boss Payne: "The only job I would've left DC for" TORONTO – Kevin Payne said he likes to build. In that regard, he has moved to the right place as president and general manager of Toronto FC, who have yet to make the league playoffs in their six years as an MLS franchise and were 5-21-8 in 2012. “I personally love a challenge,” the former president and CEO of D.C. United said at BMO Field on Wednesday at his introductory media conference. “I often talk with people and say what’s the fun of being manager of Real Madrid and spending crazy money and just buying the best players. I really love to build things. I think that there are pieces in place here.” http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2012/11/28/new-tfc-boss-payne-only-job-i-wouldve-left-dc
Reds Add Braun To Attack 25-year old U.S. striker acquired in exchange for Aaron Maund. Toronto FC announced Monday that the club has acquired forward Justin Braun from Real Salt Lake in exchange for defender Aaron Maund. Braun, 25, made two appearances for Real Salt Lake after being acquired from the Montreal Impact on July 11. He made 14 appearances for Real Salt Lake and Montreal combined this past season. He signed a development contract with Chivas USA in March 2008 and spent four seasons with the club. Braun has appeared in 110 regular season matches and has scored 24 goals over five seasons in Major League Soccer. He also appeared in four playoff matches, recording one goal during his time with Chivas USA http://www.torontofc.ca/news/2012/12/reds-add-braun-attack
Toronto Claims Califf 32-year old former U.S. international centre back selected by the Reds in Re-Entry Process Toronto FC announced Friday that the club has selected defender Danny Califf in the second stage of the MLS Re-Entry Process and have signed him to a new contact. As per team and league policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed. “Danny Califf is a proven defender in our league, and a player with a lot of character. Our defenders are young and we expect Danny to provide important leadership as we change the culture of our team,” said Toronto FC President and General Manager Kevin Payne. “We’re thrilled to have him on our team. We look forward to welcoming him and his family to Toronto.” http://www.torontofc.ca/news/2012/12/toronto-claims-califf
Toronto FC acquire Agbossoumonde Gale Agbossoumonde is coming in from the wilderness. After three years split between five clubs, mostly on loan, scattered between the United States and Europe, the 21-year-old defender has finally found a home in MLS with Toronto FC. The Reds acquired the US youth international via weighted lottery on Thursday, beating out the likes of Dallas, Houston, Seattle, LA and San Jose for his services. Toronto (57.3 percent) and Dallas (25.9 percent) had the best shot at the promising young center back, who was entered into the lottery process as a draft-eligible player to whom an MLS contract had been offered in the past but opted not to sign ahead of the SuperDraft. Agbossoumonde spent 2012 on loan with the NASL's Carolina RailHawks, appearing 17 times and scoring one goal, and has also spent time with Miami FC, Sporting Braga, Djurgården and Eintracht Frankfurt since turning pro in 2009. “We’re thrilled to have Gale Agbossoumonde join Toronto FC,” president and general manager Kevin Payne said. “He’s a young and immensely talented center back with solid international experience at the U-17 and U-20 level for the United States, and we hope he will be a member of our team for years to come.” http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2012/12/20/toronto-fc-acquire-agbossoumonde-weighted-lottery
Report: Former DC defender Nelsen to be new TFC coach New Toronto FC president Kevin Payne appears set to shake things up a bit more at BMO Field. According to a Soccer By Ives report on Monday, Payne has relieved current head coach Paul Mariner of his duties, and is set to name former D.C. United defender Ryan Nelsen as Mariner's replacement. This comes just hours after the news that technical manager Bob de Klerk has also been let go. There is expected to be a press conference announcing Nelsen on Tuesday. http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2013/01/07/report-former-dc-defender-nelsen-be-new-tfc-coach
Toronto FC sign ex-Sporting midfielder Julio Cesar Recently hired Toronto FC manager Ryan Nelsen made it very clear that he wants a team that resembles himself: strong, dedicated, smart, tough to beat. On Tuesday, the club made it's first move in that direction, announcing the signing of former Sporting Kansas City midfielder Julio Cesar http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2013/01/15/toronto-fc-sign-ex-sporting-midfielder-julio-cesar
MLS SuperDraft: Toronto land both their targets and more INDIANAPOLIS – Toronto FC may have traded away the No. 1 pick in Thursday’s MLS SuperDraft, but that didn’t keep Kevin Payne from landing the player he coveted above all others. In fact, by virtue of some shrewd wheeling and dealing, Toronto landed both of their primary targets – the Ontario-born duo of Kyle Bekker and Emery Welshman – as well as allocation money from New England, Vancouver and Seattle to move down in the draft order from No. 1 to 3, No. 4 to 10 and finally No. 10 to 16. It was about as well as the day could go for TFC, especially since Payne and his staff thought Bekker, a midfielder who can play box-to-box as well as in an attacking role, was the draft pool’s premier talent. http://www.mlssoccer.com/superdraft...raft-toronto-land-both-their-targets-and-more
Full-time job: Nelsen set to take reins at TFC on Feb. 1 TORONTO – The uncertainty is over for Toronto FC. Ryan Nelsen said on Tuesday at the club’s media day that he will become head coach on a full-time basis as of Feb. 1, when the team opens its Orlando phase of preseason training. Nelsen, 35, was hired on Jan. 8 as head coach, but because he still is playing for Queens Park Rangers, who are battling to avoid relegation in the English Premier League, it was not certain when he would take over his new job on a full-time basis. “We had a talk and we wanted to give QPR as much time as possible to bring in a replacement or sort their things out,” Nelsen told the media on Tuesday. “If they knew I was leaving earlier it would have been harder in the transfer window.” The New Zealand international center back is scheduled to play his final game next Tuesday for QPR against Manchester City in an EPL match. http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2013/01/22/full-time-job-nelsen-set-take-reins-tfc-feb-1
Toronto FC Hires Pat Onstad TFC adds former Canadian international goalkeeper Pat Onstad to staff. Toronto FC announced Tuesday it has named former Canadian international goalkeeper Pat Onstad as Chief Scout and Manager of Football Partnerships. A native of Vancouver, B.C. Onstad, 44, has spent the past two seasons on D.C. United’s staff as an assistant coach. He came out of retirement in 2011 to play in three matches for D.C. due to injuries at the goalkeeper position. In addition to his duties as chief scout, Onstad is responsible for liaising and managing relationships with football clubs in Major League Soccer and internationally. He will also work with football agencies and foreign soccer development academies. http://www.torontofc.ca/news/2013/01/toronto-fc-hires-pat-onstad
Traded For Pick TFC trades Joao Plata to Salt Lake for 2015 2nd round draft pick. http://www.torontofc.ca/news/2013/01/plata-traded-pick
Payne furious with unfit TFC players in preseason camp TORONTO – Kevin Payne’s attempt to change the culture at Toronto FC took a step backward this week, thanks a group of players who showed up at preseason camp out of shape and left the club president demanding more from his new team. “I told them, ‘You will never, ever come back here after a break looking like this again,’” Payne told reporters on Thursday. “’It just won’t happen, or you won’t be here, end of story.’ Lots of guys did a great job, came back in great shape, but there were more than one or two who were not close to being fit.” Payne, who joined Toronto FC in November after eight years running D.C. United, said he doesn’t think the club has done a good enough job monitoring the team’s offseason fitness routine, and he’s struggling to understand why players don’t take the initiative on their own. “Ryan [Nelsen, head coach] feels the same way,” Payne said. “We were kind of joking – being paid to go to the gym, now how hard is that? Most people have to spend money to go to the gym and shoe-horn it into their schedule. There’s just no excuse for it. “In D.C., we didn’t accept it and there was an enormous level of peer pressure brought to bear on guys that showed up unfit, and we need to get to that point here. That’s not the case right now. I didn’t see any evidence of that within the locker room.” http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2013/01/31/payne-furious-unfit-tfc-players-preseason-camp
First Home Match At Rogers Centre Toronto will open its 2013 MLS home slate against Sporting KC on March 9 Toronto FC will return to the Rogers Centre for its first home game of the season for the second straight year. Reds open the 2013 Major League Soccer season on March 2 in Vancouver. A week later they’ll be at the Rogers Centre to kickoff its home calendar against Sporting Kansas City. Time for this match is still to be decided. Toronto will open at BMO Field against LA Galaxy on March 30. http://www.torontofc.ca/news/2013/01/first-home-match-rogers-centre
TFC's Frei suffers broken nose, will have surgery Tuesday Stefan Frei will have surgery on Tuesday to repair the broken nose he suffered over the weekend, and it’s unclear how much time the Toronto FC goalkeeper will miss as he recovers from the injury. The incident occurred in Saturday’s 1-0 loss to the Columbus Crew during the Disney Pro Soccer Classic in Orlando, Fla., late in the first half after a collision with Crew striker Ryan Finley. Frei charged out of the box and went down to cut off a long Columbus pass and Finley was running toward him to get the ball. Finley’s boot hit Frei on the left side of the nose, and the ‘keeper left the game after staying down on the field momentarily. It was Frei’s first game after missing almost all of last season when he suffered a fractured left fibula and torn ankle ligaments during training last March. http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/artic...suffers-broken-nose-will-have-surgery-tuesday
Injuries force Toronto DP Frings into retirement If Toronto FC can manage to turn around their fortunes when a new season begins on Saturday, they’ll do it without Torsten Frings. The 36-year-old German defender announced his retirement on Tuesday after 18 years in the game, citing concerns stemming from a hip injury that required surgery last season. Frings, who joined Toronto as Designated Player in July 2011, left Toronto FC preseason camp in Florida earlier this month http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2013/02/26/injuries-force-toronto-dp-frings-retirement
