TFC Add Defender

Toronto FC announced Wednesday they have signed free agent defender Lesly Fellinga. As per league and team policy, financial details were not announced.

Born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Fellinga, 23, arrives in Toronto after playing most of his young professional career in Holland. Adopted by a family from the Netherlands as a baby, Fellinga was scouted by FC Gronigen where he played on their youth squad in the 1996-97 season. While there, he was called up regularly for the Dutch National team at the U-15, U-17, and U-19 levels.

Fellinga spent the last season in the Dutch Eredivisie with SC Heerenveen, and prior to that was with BV Veendam (2006-2008) of the Eerste Divisie.

In March of 2007, the defender decided to play for his home country and made his debut for the U-23 Haitian National team in a friendly against the U.S. and was involved in the qualification process for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. This past summer, he was a part of the Haitian squad for the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup squad but did not get any minutes.

Fellinga will be available for selection pending the approval of his ITC and work permit. He will be training with the team on Friday at BMO Field, prior to the team's match Saturday, August 15 against Eastern Conference rivals D.C. United.

Lesly Fellinga #5

Position: Defender

Height: 5-8

Weight: 157

Birthdate: September 29, 1985

Hometown: Port-au-Prince, Haiti

Nationality: Haitian

Roster Status: International

Second Best and Second Rate

One of the positive aspects of the two game total goal format is that over two games upsets are harder to come by and the best "team" usually wins.

Toronto FC's abortive run at the CONCACAF Champions League is perfect example. Over two games the better "team" - the Puerto Rico Islanders - won the series 1-0 scoring the only goal of the series in the opening game on a set play and then shutting Toronto's dysfunctional attack not once but twice.

Not that shutting down TFC's attack has ever been that difficult but the Islanders did a great job with a group of players that as individuals probably does not match up position by position with Toronto.

The Islanders however certainly had a better work rate over the two game series and were well organized defensively (another thing TFC rarely gets accused of) and as they say "hard work will beat talent that does not work every time." That and a good game plan which the Islanders had and Toronto FC appeared to be lacking.

As the game wore on Toronto FC became more and more a collection of individuals highlighted by Nick Garcia's central defender having a go from forty yards out late in the game with three TFC attackers waiting in the box for a simple service and the Islanders down a man due to the obligatory CONCACAF official "what the hell? call.

Even Toronto's appointed saviour in waiting Dwayne de Rosario was guilty one more than one occasion of trying to do too much on his own most often over running the ball as he ran into a wall of Puerto Rico defenders or firing one of Toronto's many shots from well outside the penalty area (not to mention postal code).

One bright spot, yet again Danny Dichio, who came off the bench to at least breathe some life into the anemic Toronto attack. Of course the mystery remains of why the TFC staff continue to see Dichio as a ten minute man in an attack that couldn't score in an Amsterdam brothel. Time to give the lad a run out and see what he can do over a longer stretch what have they got to lose? At least pair him up with Ali "the next great hope" Gerba and see if Dichio can at least open some space up for him.

Up next some provincial club from Spain that have want to be champions of the world - oh vey.

Diggin' A Hole

Toronto FC continues to find ways to shoot themselves in the foot on the field.

Unfortunately their accuracy for self inflicted torment is much better than their accuracy in front of goal and that was once again one their main problems last night as they hosted the Peurto Rico Islanders in the opening game of CONCACAF Champions League match.

TFC lost 1-0 in a game where in the opening 45 minutes they showed little and frankly could have been down a goal early, then paid the price in the 67th minute when Trinidadian forward Kendall Jagdeosingh scored and finally looked interested in the final 15 minutes but could not score.

Last weekend it was a moment of defensive insanity that cost a vital TFC split of the points on the road against the Columbus Crew in an all too familiar late game collapse.

This is a team that has descovered new ways to lose home and away and despite the assurances of coach Chris Cummins who still likes his team’s chances of advancing, provided they show the mental strength to bounce back from this loss.

“We’re still in this [series] … the players have to take some responsibility and pick themselves up,” Cummins said.

It has become standard media speak for TFC - we're ok everyone just has to do better. Gee you think?

The best competition (the over/under was 25 times) on the field last night was between Chad Barrett and Carl Robinson to see who could give the ball away more often. Both players made more passes to the guys in white than red and the fans let them both know reigning (maybe too strong a word) the boos down on both.

Sorry Mr. Cummins but despite the "Miracle at Saputo" earlier this season against the Montreal Impact scrubs this team is going no where fast except down in the MLS standings and out of the Champions League.

Something Smelly?

Toronto FC overcame tremendously long odds to win the Nutrilite Canadian Championship last night in Montreal with an emphatic 6-1 win over the host Impact overcoming a tie breaking four goal differential and thereby leaving the Vancouver Whitecaps (who were in attendance) out in the cold.

The Montreal line-up, game plan (or lack of one) and apparent lack of effort has left fans seething in two cities and celebrating in another and almost everyone unsatisfied with the ending of what up until this point has been a great competition.

For Impact coach Mark Dos Santos who faced the prospect of playing two games in three days - the first a meaningless game in a competition his side were already eliminated from and 48 hours later an important league game - the game represented the ultimate no win situation.

Put your best team on the field and risk further injury to an already injury depleted side before facing the Whitecaps in what is turning out to be a must win game league game for the Impact on Saturday

OR

Field a mostly reserve squad, hope to keep the score close, bow out of the competition gracefully and rally the troops for Saturday’s USL1 showdown with Vancouver. . (You think this game suddenly has new meaning for the Whitecaps? – Oh and it just happens to be live on the CBC network…)

Most, make that almost all, coaches in the professional game would choose option two and hoped that their reserve players would come through with a professional effort in order to raise their stock in the eyes of the coach.

Ah the best laid plans of mice and men and coaches…

Unfortunately for Dos Santos his players laid the proverbial egg and have left a proud franchise looking very, very bad.

For the club it the third body blow in the past six months the first being rejection by MLS, the second the on field collapse in last year’s Champions League quarter-final versus Santos Laguna and then last night’s collapse.

It’s is going to be interesting to see how the Impact win back the faith of not just their followers but MLS. The first be a much more difficult task the second answerable with dollars.

The much bigger question for Canadian soccer is how to fix the Championship so the chance of this kind of thing is reduced (it is almost impossible to eliminate).

Among the ideas bring a fourth team or initiate some sort of pay for points system that rewards teams for every point won during the competition.

While both ideas have merit both have problems at this point.

The idea of a fourth team while intriguing is probably the one farthest off if only for the reason that determining that fourth entry from the myriad of non-amateur sides in Canada would require a great deal of money on the part of the teams who would like to challenge the big three and it is money they just do not have at this point.

The pay for points concept is an interesting one if the sponsorship money could be found. How the money was distributed would be the main issue – does it go to the club? The players? And who decides?

All in all a disappointing ending to what up until now has been a hugely successful effort to determine a true Canadian champion – let’s put it down to growing pains, move to improve things and continue to support the growth of the professional game in Canada.

Addition by Subtraction - Mo's New Math

The release of goalkeeper Greg Sutton by Toronto FC and acquisiton of defender Nick Garcia and the rights to Canadian striker Ali Gerba is by now old news overshadowed this week by some guys named Ronaldo and Kaka and their visit in August with the Spanish League runners-up, word that grass may eventually indeed be the surface of choice at BMO stadium and last but least some wailing from Toronto FC fans who have announced the honeymoon is over.

But to me this move of addtion by subtraction by Mo Johnson is just the latest in a long line of moves that while promising much probably in the long run won't add up to much.

First just the economics of the move - $160,000 annually for Sutton who has served the team well on and off the field and even in a season where the young Stephen Frei stepped forward and took the number one job continued to soldier on without bitching.

In exchange $200,000 for Garcia a central defender from one of only two defenses with a worse record than TFC's and a player (and salary) that the worst team league in the year was more than willing to part with (a THIRD round draft pick). San Jose so values a third round pick they were even willing to throw in the rights to Gerba.

The much travelled Gerba despite scoring 10 goals in 24 appearances with MK Dons in the England's League One was not offered a new contract by the club. Gerba despite finding the goal in various leagues both here in North America and in Europe has not managed to wear the same jersey for more than two seasons since 2004-05 with the Toronto Lynx. Since that time he has made 84 appearances for seven different clubs while scoring 28 goals that kind of scoring rate would usually warrant some stability so one has to ask what's the problem?

Expected to sign with Toronto by Monday or Tuesday Gerba is certain to add to at least the number of clubs he has played for and appearances if not goals scored if form holds true to any other striker that puts on the TFC jersey.

So in exchange for a solid back-up veteran Canadian goalkeeper and reduced depth at this key position when the number one is already nursing an injury and waiting for the clock strike midnight on what has been a Cinderella rookie season we get a veteran American defender who had obviously wore out his welcome as the captain and heart of the worst defense in the league. Oh yeah throw in an attacker with obvious talent who has trouble holding down a job.

This is progress?