Toronto FC’s affinity for signing players on loan knows no bounds.
On Thursday, the Major League Soccer club announced it has secured Israeli international defender Tal Ben Haim on loan from English Premier League club Queens Park Rangers.
Ben Haim, 31, joins Toronto after signing with QPR in January when current TFC coach Ryan Nelsen was still playing with the English outfit before retiring.
"Tal Ben Haim has been one of the top defenders in the EPL for nearly a decade. He captains his national team and Ryan thinks the world of him," GM Kevin Payne said in a release.
"He’s exactly the sort of veteran defender we need."
The move comes on the heels of Toronto securing Scottish defender Steven Caldwell and New Zealand forward Jeremy Brockie on separate loan deals earlier this week. Other foreign players currently on loan at TFC include winger Hogan Empraim (from QPR) and midfielder John Bostock (from Tottenham).
The loan deal approach may seem indecisive, but Payne defended the tactic prior to the start of the season, saying it allows him to evaluate how players will do in MLS and adapt to the league before offering them full-time contracts.
"We’re trying to adopt a strategy of not getting married to players until we really understand what they’re about and what they’re about in our league," Payne said in March. "There’s been plenty of great players who’ve been successful in other leagues, but they may not be the right fit for our league. Unfortunately, you don’t always know that until they play in our league,"
While Payne’s claim that Ben Haim "has been one of the top defenders" in the Premiership for nearly a decade is a major stretch, he does have a wealth of international and club experience.
Ben Haim began his pro career at Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv before signing with Bolton ahead of the 2004-05 Premiership season. After Bolton, he enjoyed tenures at Chelsea, Manchester City, Portsmouth and West Ham United.
In total, he made over 300 appearances during eight Premiership seasons and has earned 71 caps for Israel’s national team since making his debut in 2002.
Caldwell and Ben Haim coming aboard could signal an end to Danny Califf’s tenure in Toronto.
Califf was selected by TFC last December via the re-entry draft, and the thought was the veteran central defender would partner with captain Darren O’Dea to marshal the back line.
"Danny Califf is a proven defender in our league, and a player with a lot of character," Payne said at the time. "Our defenders are young and we expect Danny to provide important leadership as we change the culture of our team."
But Califf has seen limited playing time under Nelsen, as youngster Gale Agbossoumonde has moved ahead of him on the team’s defensive depth chart.
It’ll be interesting to see how a player such as Ben Haim, who has only played a handful of English Premier League games over the past two seasons, adapts to playing in MLS.
The signing of Ben Haim is also curious in light of Payne’s public statements in January about signing aging players to the team.
“We’re not interested in 33-year-old halfway-over-the hill EPL players,” Payne stated.
