TORONTO – Finally, the band is all together.
No, the Rolling Stones aren’t about to embark on another ambitious world tour. And no, Robert Plant and Jimmy Page aren’t reforming Led Zeppelin for one final gig.
Wednesday marked the first time that Toronto FC’s entire roster (with some minor exceptions) practised together during this pre-season. The majority of the side spent last week in Florida for training camp, while Jozy Altidore and Michael Bradley were away with the U.S. national team, and Italian playmaker Sebastian Giovinco was settling in to life in Toronto.
All three of TFC’s designated players, along with the notable newcomers (midfielder Benoit Cheyrou, defender Damien Perquis, forward Robbie Findley and the crop of draft picks) were under the bubble at the team’s Downsview training facility on Wednesday morning.
Absent were Jackson, who is still in Brazil after his wife recently gave birth, and Gilberto who is on his way out of the club. Altidore was held out of practice, to do some baseline fitness testing, but the American forward assured reporters he’s not injured and that it was strictly a precautionary move.
Other than that, though, it was all hands on deck for the first time, and it was such a big occasion that Tim Leiweke, president and CEO of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, put in an appearance.
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Wednesday was a stark reminder of just how much this pre-season has differed from past training camps, when management was struggling to fill out the roster right up until the start of the campaign. This time around, GM Tim Bezbatchenko worked diligently to address the club’s major off-season questions, including getting rid of Jermain Defoe, bringing in a creative No. 10 in Giovinco, bolstering the back line and adding a few pieces up front.
Coach Greg Vanney heaped praise on MLSE for giving Bezbatchenko the necessary resources in allowing him to make a number of off-season moves in such a timely fashion, and putting TFC in a better position to hit the ground running once the regular season begins.
“It’s amazing. The process that the (MLSE) board of directors has gone through to get everybody here at this time of the year is massive. No matter where you come from there’s an adaptation process—it’s getting settled into the city, getting your lifestyle organized, getting your family here,” Vanney told reporters.
“It’s an amazing commitment that the board has made to help us to get everybody here. I see this in terms of the whole group being together as Day 1, and the intensity and the focus and the quality are better today than it’s ever been.”
Altidore added: “I thought the energy level was great. Everybody’s up for it, and I thought that was really impressive. … It’s only been my first day but you saw already the energy levels are so high.”
Energy levels are high, but so are expectations after another major off-season overhaul and on the back of eight seasons without a single playoff appearance to show for it, facts not lost on Bradley.
“We’ve been given everything possible from the club and the organization. Now it’s up to us to take ownership of it …and show that this is going to be different going forward,” Bradley stated.
Giovinco trained with his new teammates for the first time since signing with TFC last month. His last game action was on Jan. 16 when he started for Juventus, his former club, in an Italian Cup win over Hellas Verona.
“I’m feeling well. I’m not 100 percent (match fit) yet because I haven’t been playing for a while but I’m getting there and I’m sure I’ll be at top form soon,” Giovinco said through a translator.
The Italian admitted he had a good first impression of his new coach.
“I like the way the team plays (under Vanney). He has some very good ideas about the game,” Giovinco stated.
Likewise, the Italian made an immediate impression on Vanney with his form in Wednesday’s training session.
“He’s very quick and nifty in the pockets, and in those little tight spaces he gets himself facing forward. He’s shifty in that he can unbalance defenders and create (opportunities) in areas where a lot of guys can’t,” Vanney stated.
“His vision around the field to bring other people into the game is special.”
A change in captain
Wednesday’s practice came less than 24 hours after TFC confirmed that Bradley would replace Steven Caldwell as club captain. Vanney revealed last month that he planned to talk to players over the ensuing weeks before making a final decision over whom to give the captain’s armband for the 2015 campaign.
Vanney admitted that Caldwell, who is in the last year of his current contract, didn’t do anything wrong to be stripped of the captaincy—it was about hitching the team’s long-terms fortunes to Bradley.
“We feel as a team that we’re headed in a (new) direction over the next few years, and Michael for us is the name and the face (of the team). … He needs to step up and be that guy,” Vanney said.
Vanney explained that Caldwell would still have an important and prominent voice in what the team is calling its “leadership council”—a group of six or seven veteran players who management will consult and exchange ideas with.
“I’m very proud. First and foremost in talking about the captain of this team we all have to talk about Stevie, and what an important player and leader he’s been for this team. I know he’ll continue to be that. That’s the most important thing to make clear,” Bradley offered.
“I’ve been here a year. It’s no secret I feel a close bond with the city. I’ve also learned very quickly that being captain of a team in this city, it’s an honour. There’s some extra responsibility, there’s some extra pressure. … You have to enjoy that. You have to relish that, and I certainly will.”
Caldwell admitted he was disappointed, but also stressed the matter is behind him, and he plans to give his full support to Bradley in his new role as captain.
“I’m a little bit upset how it’s been handled. That being said, it’s done now. I love this club and I love this city. I feel like I gave my all as captain, and I’ll continue to do that. At the end of the day, people don’t follow (who ever wears the captain’s) armband—they follow leaders,” Caldwell said.
“There’s many different ways to lead—by example, by actions, by bringing people together. Many different ways. We’re looking to create an atmosphere where people step up and they do it together. Good luck to Michael, I’ll be there to support him. The matter is finished now, in my opinion.
“I probably deserved a little bit more respect in the way it was done. We all knew it was coming and it should’ve been dealt with quicker and in a more precise manner. It dragged on. … But it’s over and done with now. By no means is it playing on my mind. It’s finished.”
NOTES: Toronto FC returns to Florida next Monday for the final two weeks of training camp and then opens the regular season on March 7 away to the Vancouver Whitecaps… Jackson is expected to join the team early next week in Florida… Vanney offered no substantive update on Gilberto, other than that a number of MLS clubs have inquired about him, and that TFC expects to move him before the league’s roster compliant date.
