TORONTO — How badly did Sporting Kansas City want to offload Bobby Convey?
So badly that when he arrived for practice on Thursday morning he found his locker had already been cleared out by the club after they traded him to Toronto FC for a third-round pick in next year’s MLS SuperDraft.
“That’s how it went down,” Convey told reporters after arriving in Toronto on Friday morning.
“It’s not a fun thing to go through, but it is what it is and I’m happy to move on because (Toronto) wants me to play and I’m ready to play.”
Soon after he heard the news about the trade, he received a phone call from TFC and was making arrangements to get here ahead of the Reds’ home game against the Columbus Crew on Saturday. Convey trained on his own Friday in Toronto and could see action for the Reds against Columbus.
In Convey, TFC is getting an experienced winger who is in his 10th MLS season, having previously spent time with D.C. United (where he played with current Toronto coach Ryan Nelsen) and the San Jose Earthquakes. The 29-year old also spent five years with English side Reading, and earned 46 caps for the U.S. national team, and was part of the American team that competed at the 2006 World Cup in Germany.
He has made 189 regular season and playoff appearances in MLS, scoring 14 goals and registering 33 assists after beginning his pro career at D.C. United in 2000 at the age of 16. After D.C., he moved on to Reading but returned to MLS ahead of the 2010 campaign when he signed with San Jose and was named MLS Comeback Player of the Year in his first season back in the league.
Convey has also been named to the MLS All-Star team on three occasions during his career.
But he fell out of favour with Kansas City where he sat on the bench after starting the first two games of the current season. In total, he’s played in only three games in the league in 2013, with his last appearance coming as a substitute on April 20 in a loss to the LA Galaxy.
Convey said there was no falling out with coach Peter Vermes that led to his lack of playing time.
“I guess they just moved on. They brought in other players. No one said anything to me,” Convey admitted.
That being said, he wasn’t surprised when he was dealt away.
“I knew there was a possibility (of a trade) from pre-season; I know that Sporting wanted to get rid of me. It was a difficult situation. They didn’t take care of the issue at the beginning of the season, so I was just sitting there waiting,” Convey stated.
He later added: “When you’re not talking to the coach … and when you see them playing younger guys or different guys … I was just waiting and they finally pulled the trigger.”
Nelsen is clearly happy to have Convey aboard, and feels the MLS veteran, who can play as a left fullback, can address the club’s problem area on the left side of midfield.
“His crossing is a major strength. He can knock some fantastic balls. He’s very comfortable on the ball out wide, and we do need some productivity out in the wide areas,” Nelsen said.
Indeed, TFC have struggled to create scoring chances, a major reason why the team is winless in its last eight league games (four losses and four draws) and currently sits ninth in the 10-team Eastern Conference with a 1-5-4 record. The club has yet to record a clean sheet this season, and only has one win in its last 24 MLS matches.
But the dire state of affairs on the field for TFC doesn’t fill Convey with any kind of trepidation.
“For me, it was going from somewhere where I wasn’t wanted and not playing to somewhere where I’m wanted and you get instant confidence from that. You get confidence from a coach who says he wants you,” Convey said.
With loan signing Hogan Ephraim doubtful for Saturday’s contest with an injury, Convey could see some action against the Crew. Even though he wasn’t playing with Kansas City as of late, he was training on his own and doing gym work to try to stay in shape.
Nelsen confirmed that Ephraim will return to QPR from loan this summer, which means the starting job on the left side of midfield is Convey’s. And he’s looking forward to making up for lost time after sitting on the bench in Kansas City.
“I came into the pre-season feeling great. When you don’t play for a while you lose little bit of fitness but I’ve always been a fit person and I think I can contribute right away,” Convey promised.
NOTES: Aside from Ephraim, defenders Darrel Russell and Gale Agbossoumonde are also doubtful for Saturday’s game. Midfielder Terry Dunfield, and defenders Richard Eckersley and Logan Emory have been ruled out with injuries… Nelsen stated that newcomers Jeremy Brockie and Steven Caldwell, recently acquired on separate loan deals, can expect to see playing time on Saturday. Nelsen also said that more new recruits will be added as the season progresses, promising that they will be “name players” who fans know… Brazilian centre back Gleison Pinto dos Santos, who goes by Santos, is currently on trial and trained with the Reds on Friday.
