Rory Delap made it vogue again at Stoke City and now Toronto FC has its own missile man in Adrian Serioux.
Human slingshot, rubberband man, circus act; call it what you will, but the freakish ability to throw a game ball upwards of 30 yards is lethal.
When thrown, the ball comes in with the same pace of a corner kick, but it creates a level of indecision among opposing defenders that makes 10-year veterans look like trialists.
'It's difficult to defend, isn't it," TFC coach John Carver asked, reversing my own question.
Historically the long throw-in is reserved for teams with big, tall centre forwards. But TFC showed in using the long-throw to perfection against FC Dallas that the athletic ability of a diminutive striker works just as well.
"We are not the biggest team in the league," Carver added. "But if you position yourself to expect it, then it'll go in."
On Saturday theSerioux throw-in sailed in from the far touch line to the penalty spot, where 5-11 forward Dwayne De Rosario rose to head it by a helpless Ray Burse. The goal seemed like improvisation, but Serioux admits he is able to pinpoint a target.
"I'd say I can pinpoint it, yes," Serioux explained. "It works because it causes defenders to look in two directions."
As mentioned, the term long-throw has long been a part of the game but it re-surfaced in the soccer lexicon when Stoke City's Delap bombarded opposing teams with 30-yard tosses to earn promotion to the Premier League in 2008.
Teams adapted to Delap in England and will do the same to Serioux in Toronto. But until that time, Serioux is quite content to give opposing players and managers fits with his unorthodox -- but perfectly lawful -- long throws.
