Maybe Toronto FC director of soccer Mo Johnston has some kind of backroom
deal cooked up with Philadelphia Union boss Piotr Nowak. Or, maybe the
newest member of the Scottish Football Hall of Fame has developed a penchant
for Russian roulette. Or high-stakes poker.
It might explain the decision to leave goaltender Brian Edwards exposed for
today’s expansion draft. Yes, bigger names like Amado Guevara and Carl
Robinson — along with their hefty salaries — are available. But a player
like Edwards, just two years out of college and making less than US$50,000 a
season, is the kind of bargain a shopper like Nowak might not be able to turn down as
he looks to stock his club for the 2010 season.
Edwards has done nothing but be a model citizen for TFC. He came in and
spelled Greg Sutton effectively in 2008, then was caught in the numbers game
when Stefan Frei came out of the 2009 draft and took the No. 1 job. After
Sutton was released, and Frei got hurt, Edwards was excellent in two of the
team’s final three games of the season. It’s hard to judge him in that final
5-0 loss to New York that wrecked the TFC season; on that night, the entire
team was swept up in disinterest.
Even though Frei was nominated for MLS rookie of the year in 2009, Edwards
has Frei trumped in a couple of areas. Edwards is better on crosses and
corners, and his distribution on throws and goal kicks also beats Frei.
No matter what the next collective bargaining agreement brings, there is no
denying that an American making very little offers a lot to an expansion
team. He’s not much of a hit against whatever the cap will be, and he
doesn’t hurt a team’s international allocations.
Oh, and he’s got plenty of potential to be a true MLS No. 1.
Maybe Johnston saw this. Maybe he thought that with Frei starting for the
forseeable future, it’s time to let Edwards go.
But to lose a player like Edwards in an expansion draft, rather than a
trade, is a real shame. A player with that much potential should get a club
something in return.
If I’m Nowak, I call Johnston’s bluff.
24 hours sports editor steven sandor has written about the beautiful game
for numerous publications around the globe. he appears wednesdays in 24
hours.
steven.sandor@sunmedia.ca
