Considering sports fans rarely are content to live in the present, it’s no surprise that a feature on Sebastian Giovinco’s conquest of Major League Soccer talks a lot about what’s in store for the Toronto FC man’s future.
Fortunately for TFC, the diminutive ex-Juventus star isn’t trying to find his next landing spot. The 28-year-old, billed as “MLS’ Classiest Act” by The Guardian, was asked if he’ll be returning to Serie A soon.
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It’s not an unreasonable question. After all, Toronto and MLS could make a buck off his rising value. From The Guardian:Giovinco is non-committal: “For now, my goal is to play here and perform well. As for the future, you never know.”
He likes the anonymity of playing in Canada. It’s something Tim Cahill often spoke about when he played with the New York Red Bulls.
“The difference between Italy and here is that here we can enjoy time with family, time with friends,” Giovinco says. “So after training, we can just go for a walk, we can go for an ice cream with the family, shopping, whatever. And when we do get stopped by fans, they are very respectful, and they are not so touchy and aggressive. So it’s a different lifestyle, and I’m definitely enjoying it.”
The article is also loaded with praise from TFC boss Greg Vanney, who backs Seba for a return to the Italian national team.
Vanney thinks Giovinco is better for having to assume a mantle of leadership at Toronto. And that’s an interesting point when it comes to whether more “younger” players could try MLS sooner (not to mention the issue of players like John Stones risking development time at Everton over the bright lights of Chelsea, but I digress). Doesn’t it make sense to play and grow as a leader rather than hope a legion of other players falter while you rise in training?
Back to the point: In speaking with Justin Morrow for a piece on Notre Dame boss Bobby Clark, I quizzed the TFC defender on Giovinco. This was right after Seba slaughtered New York City’s defense in a 4-4 draw.
“He’s probably the most dangerous player in this whole league and he’s incredibly fun to play with,” Morrow said. “Sometimes I get caught behind the ball watching him, a little mesmerized.
“He’s a joy to watch and on top of that he’s a good teammate. Getting DPs in this league is not always the easiest situation. You have to deal with some high profile names, but out of all the DPs I’ve worked with Sebastian is right at the top of the list. He truly cares. He shows it every time he walks on the pitch. He doesn’t care if he scores a hat trick and the team ties like we did in New York. That pissed him off. He was mad that we didn’t win and that’s exactly what you want from your DPs.”
