the yorkies 11 September @ 04:48 PM EST
TFC (aka
Scarborough FC) finally landed the international star that the team's fervent
supporters have felt they deserved for a long time. The biggest surprise is that instead of
splashing the cash on an aging European striker with two bad knees and former glories, the club
went out and got a really good footballer.
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the yorkies 08 September @ 04:37 PM EST
Does Mo Johnston take vacations to active volcanoes? The surly Scotsman sure does love watching a
good blow-up doesn't he? News in TFC-world this afternoon is that a press conference has been
called for tomorrow where any number of things may be possibly announced. The two most valid
rumours swirling around involve striker/ bald messiah Danny Dichio and the other our favourite
defensive midfielder/ afro enthusiast Julian De Guzman.
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According to Kristian Jack at the Score, Julian De Guzman has agreed to become our first designated
player. Mo Johnston is apparently shopping players around the league in order to make room for him
under the salary cap. Anyone else seeing Danny Dichio's two-month early retirement in the near
future?
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Let's test something this week. Sounders FC has a recent (last 5) form of 0-4-1 (0/8) and Houston
has a 2-2-1 (7/7) form in the same stretch of league play. Recent form would make you think that
Houston is a mid-table team and Sounders a bottom of the barrel expansion club. Recent form would
be [...
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On Thursday, the Houston Dynamo unveiled their first ever designated player, announcing they have
signed 24 year-old Mexican striker Luis Angel Landin on loan from Cruz Azul. In signing Landin, the
Dynamo had to release Ade Akinbiyi, who joined the team earlier this summer.
This is a good signing.
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MLS Rumors 20 August @ 06:44 PM EST
the yorkies 31 July @ 06:59 PM EST
There was the temptation to sub-title this article as "Breaking News" but it really is not. For as
long as the "
Julian De Guzman to Toronto FC" rumours have been out there - the possibly
subversive truth behind them has always existed in equal measure. When the first rumour appeared on
The Yorkies' "
The Word" a while back, the possibility of a mutual "using" of each
other between TFC and the De Guzman camp was explored.
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Not just because stars sell (see the 80s/90s for NBA, 90s for MLB), not just to improve overall
quality, but the fact is that there are Europeans that want to player soccer in America, to live
here. To enjoy the USA, but not quite enough to take massive paycuts, only small ones. I'm not
crazy. [...]
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Everyone in American soccer has been talking about Grant Wahl's book, "The Beckham Experiment" and
everything involved with it. I was given the chance a few weeks ago to get a copy of the book and
review it. With the game against David Beckham and the Galaxy coming up I figured it was the
perfect time to get my review of the book out.
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the yorkies 20 July @ 04:48 PM EST
When this rumour first appeared in The Word a couple of weeks ago, it was assumed that it would
disappear rather quickly. Here we are though, the Gold Cup is over for Canada and Julian De Guzman
is still sans club.
TFC has been very vocal that a substantial DP offer is on the table if De Gu wants to come home.
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the yorkies 07 July @ 06:17 PM EST
The one and only buzz around TFC this week are the rumours circling around Julian De Guzman. Some
stories have the deal as much as 90% completed while others seem to be taking it with a pinch of
salt, especially supporters.
The story does seem to have some holes in it. Why would a 28 year-old in the prime of his career, a
starter at Deportivo La Coruna in Spain's La Liga, suddenly drop down the equivalent of two
divisions?
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According to the Score's Kristian Jack, the Julian de Guzman to TFC deal is 90% done. JDG has
apparently been offered a 3 and a half year deal worth $10 million.
In some respects, he's the ideal candidate to fill our designated player spot. He's Canadian, he's
still in his prime, and he's from Toronto.
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This may be old news to some, but I hadn't touched on it yet, so I would just like to confirm that
Mo Johnston and Toronto FC have indeed offered Julian De Guzman a big-money contract to be our
designated player.
It's no secret that this is a hell of a longshot, but if JDG does sign, he'd instantly become
arguably the top midfielder in MLS.
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It looks Seattle is likely to add some depth at the Forward position in June. Yes, this is outside
of the transfer window, no I can't yet say who the player is. The player would be rotational
(meaning not better than Jaqua/Montero/Seba), but considering that June is when the Open Cup proper
[...]
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Sometimes the question you ask leads to an unexpected answer. In my efforts to suss out the
status of LWB Jared Karkas and LW Mike Fucito I made an unexpected discovery. Now some readers
may have known this already, but the Sounders have a Senior Roster spot available. Why is this an
unknown? Because the MLS [.
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This one is cool for me. My last name starts with a "Van," therefore, I am Dutch.
A few days ago, reports surfaced that Philadelphia Union have made contact with former Dutch
International Clarence Seedorf. Seedorf is one of those ageless wonders - he's 33, but just about
as good now as he was five years ago.
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The sky isn't falling. The honeymoon is not over. Quite simply there are a few issues that have
been displayed in the last two matches for Sounders FC, but the situation is certainly not dire.
The defense is not a problem. The offense isn't broken. Let's look at some facts concerning the
Rave Green [.
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MLS Rumors 23 March @ 10:47 AM EST
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MLS Rumors 10 March @ 10:06 PM EST
Keep in mind what we said in this post and our Twitter Feed about Freddie last Friday possibly
being on the bench for Seattle's home opener.
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Last Saturday morning, while he was in town to promote the fights taking place that evening at
Houston's Toyota Center, Oscar de la Hoya stopped by Estadio Robertson to chat with reporters while
watching his Houston Dynamo host the Montreal Impact in a 70 minute practice match. While most of
the de la Hoya [.
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Well, while that was just a short time ago, now things are very different. In reading Jose Romero's
Q&A with Nate Sturgis today I read some disturbing news. Midfielder Freddie Ljungberg is in Sweden
rehabilitating from hip surgery, and he and midfielder Peter Vagenas are on track with their
recoveries to take the field for Seattle in [.
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The league's best striker will be staying around a little longer. According to SBI, the New York
Red Bulls have extended Juan Pablo Angel's contract through to 2011.
With everyone focused on the David Beckham soap-opera these days, I thought this move was pretty
significant. The Red Bulls are still shite, of course, but re-signing the league's most successful
designated player is definitely a good move for both their organization and the league.
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Seattle Sounders FC and our great Puget Sound are joining Major League Soccer. There are some
unique rules and regulations that both make MLS uniquiely American, and yet in ways still keeps to
its European roots. I intend this peice to be an introduction to the league, its unique rules, its
teams and [.
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David Beckham wants out. Well, maybe that makes it seem a little harsh. He has, however, stated
that he does want to leave the Los Angeles Galaxy for AC Milan. If you don't believe the quotes
came from him, there is an audio clip in the article I linked to above.
What does this mean for MLS then?
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So, it's not going to happen, but still...just think about it.
It looks like the Los Angeles Galaxy are lining up a move for Newcastle United's English star
Michael Owen. The striker is out of contract at the end of the season, and will available on a
Bosman free transfer. He is apparently open to all offers, especially those in the range of his
current £5M salary from the Magpies, and the Galaxy certainly have the money to back up their
offer.
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Super Clubs aren't built on pretty boys, and they aren't built on goals scored. Quite simply, the
Super Clubs around the worlds leagues are built on consistent winning. I'm starting to think that
the problem in Los Angeles was not Alexi Lalas, but instead the higher ups like Anschutz. You see
after the Galaxy [.
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Piojo at last year's unveiling in Buenos Aires.
As you may have seen at the KC Star, or at ESPN Soccernet, or at Soccer By Ives or at ESPN
Deportes, Claudio Lopez has re-signed with MLS and Kansas City. Lopez became Kansas City's
first-ever Designated Player last season, but has re-signed for a figure that does not require the
DP tag for 2009.
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Claudio Lopez will be returning to KC next year, but he'll be doing so without the high price tag.
Ives Galarcep over at ESPN Soccernet is reporting that the Wizards have signed Lopez to a new
contract that is "considerably less than the $800,000 in guaranteed salary he earned as a
Designated Player in 2008".
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Just a few weeks ago, I talked about how a designated player would be a good fit with Toronto FC.
At the time, everything we heard mentioned that DP was on its way, possibly by this past Monday or
Tuesday. Early this afternoon, Kristian Jack figured out that we will not be getting a designated
player at the beginning of the season.
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Thanks to Kristian Jack for digging this up. Here's his post about it. More to come later. Guys,
this is not the end of the world.
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All the DP talk over the past few weeks has got me a little excited. After all, the designated
player rule was made to attract world class stars to Major League Soccer, and I think every Toronto
FC supporter has been waiting for this to happen since the rule was put in effect.
Obviously, the league looks at designated players as potential seat sellers.
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MLS Rumors 21 December @ 05:41 PM EST
Though he has said he's staying in Europe, Goal.com is reporting that Canadian international Paul
Stalteri may be coming back to this side of the waters. According to this excerpt:
The captain of the Canada national team has fallen out of favour at White Hart Lane since his
return from a loan spell at fellow London Premier League side Fulham, and now looks set to leave
the club.
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