The newest member of TFC's story is very different from that your average draft pick.
Demetrius Omphroy.
Remember the name. Not because he's destined to become a superstar, we have no idea about that, but we do know that Toronto FC's first pick in the 2011 Superdraft is unique.
That's because the 26th pick in the draft has multiple sclerosis. That's right, the disease of the nervous system we've all heard about.
"Impossible!" you say?
Not at all.
Here's the story.
As a 17-year-old, Omphroy was trained in Portugal and a bizarre incident led to the disease's discovery.
"All of a sudden I went nearly blind in my right eye" he told me. "It eventually went away and I went back home to California."
End of story, or so he hoped.
A while later he felt a strange tingling sensation in his foot. That sent Omphroy to see a doctor who recommended he have an MRI done.
The resulting diagnosis was multiple sclerosis.
Did that get him down?
Of course not. He's on a strict organic diet, taking regular daily injections and follows doctor's orders religiously.
"I've been symptom free for a year," said the 21-year-old right back. "And I can't wait to get to Toronto. Its one of my favourite cities anywhere. And I'll have someone to show me the ropes."
That someone is TFC goalkeeper Stefan Frei. The two were teammates at the University of California when Omphroy was a freshman.
"The doctors say if I do what they tell me, there's no reason I shouldn't remain symptom-free and have a long career," he said it with a huge smile on his face. I could see it through the phone line separating us from his home near Oakland.
Now there's a guy you have to cheer for.
