TORONTO – Danny Califf isn’t sure what he’s done wrong.
Selected by Toronto FC with the first overall pick in last December’s MLS re-entry draft, Califf was expected to shore up a leaky TFC defence that conceded a league-high 62 goals last season.
Califf, a 33-year-old former U.S. international, played over 200 regular-season games over nine MLS campaigns before joining Toronto, and won an MLS Cup with the L.A. Galaxy in 2002. He also spent five seasons in Denmark with Aalborg BK and FC Midtjylland, so it was clear the Reds were getting an experienced centre-back who they expected to partner with captain Darren O’Dea.
At the time of the re-entry draft, TFC president and general manager Kevin Payne called Califf a “proven defender in our league, and a player with a lot of character.” Things have turned sour pretty quickly for Califf in Toronto, though.
He started the first four games of the current MLS season, but hasn’t played since April 30 when the Reds earned a 2-2 draw with LA. He missed the next game with the flu, and has been an unused substitute in the team’s last five league matches as youngsters Gale Agbossoumonde and Doneil Henry have leapfrogged him in the depth chart — although he did play in both legs of the Amway Canadian Championship semifinals.
And while Califf stopped short of saying he regrets coming to Toronto, he couldn’t hide his disappointment over losing his place in the starting line-up during a one-on-one interview with sportsnet.ca.
"Nobody wants to sit on the bench. I want to play. It certainly wasn’t what I expected coming to Toronto. In that respect, I’m disappointed," Califf admitted.
Califf said he had one brief conversation with coach Ryan Nelsen "almost a month ago" about his lack of playing time. Califf said he was disappointed that Nelsen hasn’t had any follow-up chats because he’s not sure why he isn’t being used.
"But to each his own with regards to the style of how you run your team. It’s your prerogative as a coach to do that," Califf conceded.
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For his part, Nelsen told reporters this week it wasn’t a matter of anything Califf has done or hasn’t done, but rather other players making the most of their opportunities and earning the right to start ahead of the veteran defender.
"We’ve got a guy like Gale, who’s been doing really well. Doneil Henry was superb in San Jose (in a 2-1 loss last week) for a young man. It’s all about what we do in training and the impact you can have," Nelsen explained.
"But Danny’s been great. He’s been training and training hard. He’ll have a major impact to play as the season progresses because there’s going to be injuries and it’s all about staying fit. His chance will happen."
You have to wonder if Califf’s chance will really come, especially in light of recent events.
Last week, TFC brought Steven Caldwell in on loan, and the club has already expressed an interest in signing the veteran Scottish defender to a long-term deal. Taken at face value, the arrival of Caldwell suggests that Califf’s tenure on the bench isn’t coming to an end any time soon.
Bringing in a new defensive recruit might also indicate how little TFC management think of how Califf has performed this season, although Payne was quick to shoot down that suggestion earlier in the week when he said Califf remains in the team’s plans.
Regardless, it’s clear that Califf has to fight even harder to regain his place in the starting 11.
"All I can do is keep doing what I’m doing and train hard every day. That’s what I control. I can only control what I can control. The rest is up to the coaching staff to decide," Califf said.
Califf’s recent exclusion is more than a little perplexing, as TFC has given up goals in the final 10 minutes in each of their last five games, throwing away seven points in the process.
“Our inability to defend the box late in games has killed us,” Payne admitted. “We really should be in the top four places in the East based on how we have played."
A player of Califf’s experience would have been invaluable in those games and might have tipped the balance in Toronto’s favour. But he’s had to watch from the bench as the Reds suffered one late collapse after another.
"I think it’s been a lack of concentration and it’s a lack organization," Califf offered. "Once the first couple goals go in it’s like a monkey on your back and you then start thinking about it, especially when the game gets down to those last 10 minutes or so.
"People get nervous and if you don’t have the experience and if you don’t have the organization, little things turn into big things and fires don’t get put out and goals get scored."
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