The Toronto Star’s opus on the Canadian club’s pursuit and acquisition of England international Jermain Defoe is chalk full of great, juicy details.
Word of warning: it is a leeeengthy piece. But if you’ve got a few minutes, and if you’re into the nitty-gritty of MLS, it’s worth the read.
The connecting thread of the piece is Tim Leiweke’s aggressive makeover and efforts to get this wandering club back on the trail.
But anyone who knows much about MLS understands what Leiweke can do; he was the architect behind the single most significant MLS personnel move in league history, the David Beckham snatch. So the real juice in the Star’s piece is found in all the smaller bits.
Not all of the great details we learn are necessarily about Toronto. For instance:
- The LA Galaxy’s pursuit of Frank Lampard was never a huge secret. But we know a little more now, as Leiweke (or someone with the club or with MLS) apparently revealed the that the Chelsea veteran’s MLS rights belong to the LA Galaxy. (It would apparently be on a “discovery,” which is really just a technical point – but it’s still kind of amusing the think of the longtime England international as being “discovered” by anyone.)
- Encouraging everyone around the club to “think big,” Leiweke approached Toronto manager Ryan Nelsen for high caliber internationals to pursue. Nelsen handed over his wish list of 100, which was soon filtered down to 10.
- If it wasn’t going to be Defoe to lead the TFC strike force, it was going to be Italian international Alberto Gilardino, who has 57 caps for his highly successful country.
- Signing Defoe required nine separate contracts. Nine! Who knew?
There’s more in the article. That’s really just a teaser. It is great reporting.
