TORONTO – You can’t help but wonder if Steven Caldwell and Jeremy Brockie know exactly what they were getting themselves into.
So for their benefit, in case they’re reading: Toronto FC is riding an eight-game winless skid, it has only one win in its last 24 Major League Soccer matches, and another playoff-less campaign is looking more likely with each passing day.
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To stop the bleeding, GM Kevin Payne and coach Ryan Nelsen decided to shake things up and bring in a few more experienced hands, signing Scottish defender Caldwell (32) and New Zealand forward Brockie (25) to separate loan deals last week. The pair practised with the MLS club for the first time on Tuesday and will both be available for selection for Saturday’s home game against the Columbus Crew.
With a 1-5-4 record, TFC currently sits eighth in the Eastern Conference and could be out of the playoff picture fairly soon if they continue to drop points at their current rate. Considering this team’s history (six years in the league without a single playoff appearance) and a high level of fan unrest, it would appear that Caldwell and Brockie have their work cut out to help convert this ship of fools into a smooth-sailing ocean liner.
But Caldwell, a veteran defender with a wealth of Premiership experience, isn’t put off by the team’s inglorious past. He’s only interested in making TFC a better team.
“It’s not up to me to worry about (fan) discontent. Hopefully, I can bring good help and be part of a winning team, and a team that does well. I know it’s a great club and they’re well supported,” Caldwell told reporters after the team’s Tuesday training session.
“It’s a club that should be doing better and challenging for championships. Fingers crossed we can get it right and have a successful few years.”
Brockie doesn’t care about the past either and feels he can be a valuable offensive asset. He scored 16 goals and finished as the second leading scorer in the Australian A-League during the 2012-13 campaign while playing for the last-place Wellington Phoenix.
“I’ve come off a pretty good season back in the A-League. I’ve been in training since our season finished so it shouldn’t take me too long to adapt to (my new teammates) and how they play. … Obviously there’s been a little bit of bad luck in the previous couple of games, so hopefully that’ll turn pretty quickly and we can start moving up the standings,” Brockie offered.
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Caldwell has been touted as a no-nonsense centre back who can help a beleaguered Toronto defence that has conceded in all 10 league games and has been plagued by inconsistent and error-prone play. Payne hasn’t downplayed his expectations of the Scot, who spent the past two seasons with Birmingham City of England’s League Championship, to help shore up Toronto’s defence, a sentiment echoed by Nelsen.
“Steven is going to be invaluable around the place. We’re obviously a very young squad with a lot of young players. Having his presence and communication, and just being a very good footballer as well, he’ll have a great impact on the team all around,” Nelsen stated.
It’s a lot of pressure, but Caldwell says he’s put pressure on himself every time he’s joined a new team to make them better.
“I enjoy the pressure. It’s why you play football – to experience that,” Caldwell said.
Nelsen explained that Brockie can play either up front as striker, or out on the wing in a three-man attack, although Brockie feels his greatest success has come as an outright striker.
Brockie has spent his entire career in the A-League, a physical league similar to MLS.
“The A-League is pretty physical, as well. I think I’ll be used to it. I’ve played a few international games and they can get pretty physical too, so that part of it really doesn’t worry me,” Brockie offered.
Caldwell admitted he was unfamiliar with MLS, but that he spoke with friend and former TFC midfielder Carl Robinson (now an assistant coach with the Vancouver Whitecaps) to get some insight into the league.
Caldwell also came up against Nelsen when the current Toronto coach was still playing in the Premiership before retiring in January. And the Scot has a connection with TFC captain and new central defensive partner Darren O’Dea – Caldwell’s brother Gary, now captain of Wigan Athletic, previously played alongside O’Dea at Scottish club Celtic.
Brockie played with Nelsen on New Zealand’s national team, which paved the way for the forward to join TFC on loan.
“Ryan pretty much gave me a phone call and (asked) if I wanted to swap a Wellington winter for a Toronto summer and come score him some goals. It took me about ten minutes to convince my wife and then (I phoned) him back and told him I was keen to come,” Brockie explained.
While chances are very good that Brockie will return to Wellington before the start of the new A-League season in October, Caldwell could be signed to a permanent deal once his two-month loan is completed. It all depends on how well Caldwell does on the field and how he settles into living in the city with his family.
“We’ve had brief discussions about that,” Caldwell admitted. “Hopefully it’s a possibility that I can stay here longer, but while I’m here during this initial loan spell I’ll be doing my utmost to help them win games and push up the league a little bit.”
To make room on the roster for Caldwell and Brockie, Toronto FC announced Tuesday that it cut forwards Ashton Bennett and Taylor Morgan.
Nelsen said of the decision: “It was really tough. We’re so desperately young and inexperienced at the moment that we needed some experienced guys around, and unfortunately Taylor and Ashtone had to make way.”
NOTES: Danny Koevermans, out since last season with a torn ACL, will play in Saturday’s reserve league game. Nelsen confirmed that if the Dutch forward comes through that game without incident, he could potentially return to the first team… Nelsen said that injured defender Richard Eckersley (hamstring) trained at 80 per cent on Tuesday and is getting closer to returning to full fitness… Nelsen also confirmed that “talks are ongoing” over a permanent contract with Tal Ben Haim. The club announced last week that it signed the Israeli defender to a loan deal, but then revealed he might not play for TFC as he has offers from teams in China, Saudi Arabia and England. Nelsen said: “We had to get a loan agreed so we could move the negotiations along. … If we do come to an agreement he’ll be ready to go straight away.”
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