TORONTO – You can take Jermain Defoe out of Tottenham but not Tottenham out of Jermain Defoe.
Defoe played for a number of teams during his 15 years in English soccer prior to joining Toronto FC this season, including West Ham United, Portsmouth and Bournemouth. But the London-born Defoe looks back at his time with Tottenham with the greatest affection.
Defoe, 31, spent close to a decade with Spurs in two separate stints, scoring 142 goals in 362 appearances in competitive competitions. He ranks fifth on Spurs’ all-time scoring list and is the club’s top scorer in Europe with 23 goals.
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It’s hardly a surprise, then, that Wednesday’s international friendly between TFC and Tottenham at BMO Field is a very special occasion for Defoe, who still has many friends on Spurs’ roster.
“The fact that I stayed there so long, that’s the club where I enjoyed my football the most. I played with some unbelievable players over the years, playing in some great squads with so many great memories,” Defoe told reporters after Wednesday’s practice.
TFC’s top scorer this season with 11 goals, Defoe still considers himself a Tottenham fan. He’s looking forward to watching the club perform and challenge for a top-four spot this season under new coach Mauricio Pochettino, who helped Southampton finish eighth in 2013-14.
“If you look at Southampton last season, they were the fittest team in the league, and so organized. With the players they have with that manager, I think there’ll be a lot of changes,” Defoe offered.
“I think he’ll do really well. I wish them the best, and I’ll be watching them closely.”
Tottenham is in North America as part of its pre-season training for the upcoming Premier League campaign. Spurs battled the Seattle Sounders to a 3-3 draw on the weekend. After Wednesday’s game they travel to Illinois to face the Chicago Fire on Saturday. Tottenham opens the Premier League season on Aug. 16 away to West Ham United.
Wednesday’s friendly comes at an inopportune time for TFC, who are in the thick of a playoff race in the Eastern Conference and have eight league games scheduled between now and the end of August.
“We can’t really complain. It’s another football match at home that we’re going to try to win even though there are no points at the end of it—we still want to put on a good show for the fans and give (Spurs) a good a test,” Defoe said.
Defoe is suspended for Saturday’s league match at home versus Sporting Kansas City, but that won’t have any bearing on how he plays against Spurs.
“It’s a football match. Any game you play, you give everything—even in training. Nothing is going to change. I’m not going to approach it differently, like saying ‘It’s just a friendly, I don’t want to run around’. I still want to play and enjoy the game, and hopefully get a couple of goals,” Defoe stated.
Toronto coach Ryan Nelsen has recalled several players out on loan—forward Jordan Hamilton, goalkeeper Quillan Roberts and midfielder Jeremy Hall (Wilmington Hammerheads of the third-tier USL-Pro league) and defender Ryan Richter (Ottawa Fury of the second-tier NASL)—so that they can get some playing time against Spurs.
NOTES: Aside from Defoe, also unavailable for TFC in Saturday’s game against Kansas City will be captain and central defender Steven Caldwell (quad tear), and right back Mark Bloom (MCL strain). Brazilian winger Jackson (Achilles injury) is doubtful…