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Friday, December 14, 2012

Danny Califf ends up nowhere but Toronto

"Hello Anywhere But!"

If this move works out then it may be one of the more shrewd bits of business that Toronto FC has pulled off in recent history. If it goes pear-shaped then it could mark the introduction to the next disgruntled member of your Eff Cees. With the 1st Overall pick in today's MLS Re-Entry Draft (Round 2: Electric Boogaloo) The Reds selected CB Danny Califf - that same Danny Califf who famously begged Philadelphia not to trade him to Toronto last summer.
 
The big and sturdy Califf was instead traded to Chivas USA this past season but The Goats seem to be headed back to their Hispanic roots and decided not to pick up Califf's option, leaving him unprotected. Fast forward to today and the eternal search for a Toronto FC centreback made the temptation too much for Kevin Payne & Posse to pass on. Is there a risk? Perhaps. However, Payne has been in this league too long to take such risks and many assume that the club has already sounded out Califf with some outlets claiming a deal has already been agreed upon.
 
Danny Califf is a very capable MLS central defender and the pairing of him and Darren O'Dea is if nothing else - tough. It could turn the middle of The Reds' defence into "The Land Where Ankles Fear to Tread" - and that is a good thing. In fairness to Califf, his comments last summer regarding Toronto, while unfortunate, were not exactly absurd. TFC was a winless disaster zone and the management circus was on the edge of fracture (again). Perhaps it is the influence of a thoughtful president such as Kevin Payne, that TFC's future doesn't look as unpalatable to a veteran like Califf. Some supporters will hold it against him if he does indeed suit up for TFC in 2013 - but will forgive if he can do what so few before him have... defend.
 
Elsewhere in the Re-Entry Draft, former Reds were popular, making TFC the Ireland of MLS - spreading its diaspora far and wide. Chad Barrett and Hunter Freeman were picked by New England; Ty Harden and Dan Gargan will aim to make San Jose "The Team That Preki Likes"; Conor Casey (barely TFC) will negotiate with Philadelphia; and Eric Avila is currently trying to find a place to buy skinny jeans in the Denver area after Colorado grabbed his hip rights. In the other non-draft news, TFC also announced the official re-signing of Andrew Wiedeman and Jeremy Hall. So… yeah... that.

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