Toronto FC director of soccer Mo Johnston made the only trade he needed to at the 2009 MLS SuperDraft when he swapped his riverboat for a rowboat.
It must have tore the Scotsman up inside to walk to the podium three times in the first round and make three selections; but it was the right thing to do. In his third-year as team architect Johnston seems to have settled down and accepted that building a winner is not a race.
(However, all this lip service may be in vain as the silver-tongued Scot is forever a risk to relapse and pull the trigger at any moment.)
But looking just beyond the surface of the three names selected by MoJo in Missouri indicates that a plan to usher out the old with the new is indeed in place.
Sam Cronin, Midfield, Wake Forest
While Cronin posed with MLS commissioner Don Garber the ESPN2 panel of experts regaled the television audience with high tales of Cronin's collegiate career. In short, the 22-year-old is a natural leader who defends like a pit bull. Ring a bell? Carl Robinson. I spoke to Cronin immediately after he was selected and he informed me that he is ready to step into this lineup.
"I'm going in with the attitude to help the team win in any way that I can," Cronin said. "I don't have any specific role in mind. Most likely it's going to be different than what I anticipate, so, whether it's to contribute right away or help the team get better in training, I'm excited just to help the team win and either way it will be a success for me."
Under the tutelage of Robinson, it might not be a case of easier said than done.
O'Brian White, Forward, University of Connecticut
The Director formerly known as Trader Mo picked a player who may not even see the light of day at BMO Field until 2010. Regardless, it will be worth the wait. The 23-year-old White is a 1 v. 1 menace, scoring an NCAA-high 23 goals in 2007 to capture the Hermann Trophy as U.S. college soccer's top player. White had six goals in 14 games this season at UConn before suffering a season-ending knee injury.
Knee injuries are a dime a dozen in the sport and in Toronto White has the support of friends, family and arguably the best medical staff in the league.
Considering TFC talisman Danny Dichio is playing out the final year of his career on the pitch, it makes sense to a replacement waiting in the wings.
Stefan Frei, Goalkeeper, University of California
Drafting a goalkeeper two years running does not make much sense for a team starved for offence. But if you think about the nature of the position the decision to select Frei sheds a bit of light: Competition fuels those brave enough to stand in the way of the game's hardest shots and quickest crosses.
Last season Greg Sutton played admirably, but the times that he didn't also didn't matter. Despite starting in the season debut versus Columbus rookie Brian Edwards drew the training pitch ire of head coach John Carver for not making an effort to keep the shirt.
The triumvirate of a veteran in Sutton, a sophomore in Edwards and a highly-touted rookie in Frei will make the pre-season battle for the two open spots one to watch.
Mo may have dropped the "trader" moniker at this year's SuperDraft, but he picked up three valuable pieces in the future of his club.
