A clown and a monster: Boyd preps Toronto FC for his game

Terrence Boyd’s tone on arrival from Germany sounds a lot like fellow German-American player Jermaine Jones when the latter hit Major League Soccer a half-decade years ago.

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The USMNT striker, 27, has joined Toronto FC, bringing 85 goals of experience from his time with Rapid Vienna, RB Leipzig, Darmstadt, and the II sides for Borussia Dortmund, Hertha Berlin, and RBL.

Boyd spoke plainly about his inability to get starter’s minutes at Darmstadt in 2.Bundesliga and issued rather gutsy praise for his former coach, ex-TFC player Torsten Frings.

Don’t mention Frings’ handball against the U.S. at the World Cup, Nick. Don’t mention it, doooooon’t.

Frings costing the USMNT its rightful place in the fixed 2002 World Cup semifinal isn’t something we should hold against Boyd, who is ready to show his fellow Americans a thing or two.

“Off the field, I’m kind of like a clown; I don’t take life that seriously,” Boyd said to Sportsnet’s John Molinaro. “But on the pitch, I think of myself as a monster. I’m one of those guys who presses the defenders to try to force them to make mistakes, and just puts my body into everything. I just go out and kill people in the name of the team. You will see.”

Injuries have plagued Boyd since his prolific years with Rapid Vienna, but he’s capable of both wonderful goals and A-plus poaching. Provided health, he should have plenty of success in MLS. Maybe not at a “tempting the league leaders” level, but double-digit goals would seem about right.

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