Toronto FC Make Trade for Defender Justin Morrow
By Aaron Rench
There have been several trades raging throughout the league, two or three being announced each day, and several more being rumored. Tuesday was no different as the D.C. United made the big trade for Eddie Johnson, but not to be left behind, Toronto FC acquired defender Justin Morrow via trade for allocation money with the San Jose Earthquakes.
Morrow played for the Quakes since being drafted 28th overall in the 2010 MLS SuperDraft. As could be expected, a defender does not score many goals, but Morrow’s He faced some tough positional competition this year as English-addition Jordan Stewart came in midseason.
“In Major League Soccer, you can have players making a good salary, but the players who aren’t starting? Those players need to be on a lower salary,” said Quakes GM Jon Doyle to MLSSoccer.com, “In our end-of-the-year session, it was clear: he’s on a starter’s salary and [Stewart] was going to be the starter.”
Toronto ended the 2013 season with the third worst record (6-17-11, 29 points), but so far this season have been adding new players to turn the team around. The team traded for midfield Jackson from FC Dallas, and more recently brought in young Brazilian striker Gilbreto.
“We promised our fans back in September that this club would make bold moves this offseason and that they should evaluate our progress in January,” Bezbatchenko said when introducing Gilbreto, the club’s newest DP. “We feel that this is a key step and we will continue to work towards delivering on that promise over the next month.” So far, they’ve definitely kept that promise.
One of the most exciting rumors floating around the internet is the potential addition that TFC is reportedly attempting. Tottenham Hotspur striker Jermaine Defoe is said to have heard from the Reds, and also their celebrity friend Drake, who just wants to see his hometown team grow into a potential champion. As for now, the Defoe talks are just talks, nothing serious has happened, but the club is making moves to improve what they have, and it already looks to be more interesting and more competitive than the 2013 edition. We’ll surely be keeping an eye on what happens with TFC.