Every Friday, Sportsnet.ca will chat with Sportsnet soccer commentator Paul Dolan—a former Canadian national team goalkeeper—about the big stories and issues in Major League Soccer.
What’s been your impression of Toronto FC midfielder Marky Delgado as he’s filled in for the absent Michael Bradley? Has he done enough to earn a regular spot in the starting 11?
I was surprised he was still available when Toronto picked him as late as they did in the dispersal draft as I’d seen enough of him last year with Chivas USA to know he was a young player with potential. I thought he had a bit of a rough first start for TFC in the Canadian Championship match in Montreal back in May. I think it shows the importance of confidence, though, as he looked much stronger when he returned from playing for the U.S. at the FIFA U-20 World Cup, where he was one of the team’s leaders and better performers.
He did all of the right things in his first MLS start for TFC a few weeks ago and has carried on from there with good ball retention and confident passing for the most part, and a penchant for joining the attack in the box to take advantage of a couple of Sebastian Giovinco set-ups to score as well. He obviously doesn’t replace a Michael Bradley at this point in his career. Greg Vanney will be very happy knowing he has solid depth from what may have been an unexpected source to start the year and Delgado has the versatility to play any one of the three attacking midfield positions should the need arise.
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Christian Dean has started the last two games for Vancouver, and with Jordan Harvey suspended this weekend, he could start again. What’s your evaluation of Dean this season?
He’s progressing and that’s the main goal with any youngster, especially defensive players who require a steeper learning curve to step more comfortably into difficult game situations. Whitecaps coach Carl Robinson has asked Dean to be more physical and use his strong frame to make things more difficult for opposing forwards and he’s a smart enough player to take that on board. He’s combined a greater physical presence with a better positional understanding to give the manager another option at both centre back and fullback where he’s also looked comfortable in the lineup
Canadian midfielder Kyle Bekker was traded from Dallas to Montreal last week. What kind of future do you think Bekker will have with the Impact? How much playing time can he expect in Montreal?
That’s entirely down to Kyle Bekker. There’s an opportunity in Montreal in the middle of the park where they need some youth and athleticism and a player that can contribute in different ways. He’s an excellent passer of the ball, very good from set pieces and when he finds the rhythm of the game he can help control the tempo with good possession as he showed in back to back games with Canada recently against Guatemala and Puerto Rico. It’s about taking advantage of any opportunities he gets now to try to hold down a starting job with consistent performances.
A number of teams, including the Montreal Impact, are reportedly interested in Didier Drogba. How do you think the Ivorian would do in MLS at this stage of his career?
I think he’d be the perfect replacement for Marco Di Vaio should he end up in Montreal. He’s a player that will always threaten to score and if not, open up spaces for the rest of the team to take advantage of. He’s not young but he has incredible experience and finishing ability, much like Di Vaio, and I think he’d also bring a belief to the Montreal fans that the Impact are serious about spending to try to improve.
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