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Toronto FC trades Santos for Avila

Avila (ISIphotos)

Photo by Nick Turchiaro/ISIphotos.com

Toronto FC has pulled the strings on yet another trade.

The Reds maintained their wheeling-and-dealing ways by trading forward Maicon Santos to FC Dallas for midfielder Eric Avila on Tuesday, adding a potential sparkplug in the midfield while dealing away a captain for the second time this season. Toronto traded then-captain Dwayne De Rosario to New York earlier this season before passing the armband on to Santos.

As for FC Dallas, the club had been trying to move Avila, a reserve midfielder who has scored a couple of big goals for the team over the last two seasons. FCD explored a potential loan move for him to Mexican club Atlas earlier this summer only to have the deal fall apart. Santos, who has scored six goals this season, fills a need for the club at forward, where depth has been an issue all season.

What do you think of the trade? Which team got the better end of the deal?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. This is a good deal for both teams. If Santos can be an effective goal scorer it will make FCD the team to beat for the championship. Dallas already has one of the strongest defenses in the league their vunerability is they can be inconsistant scoring goals.

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  2. as an FCD fan, like others I loved Avila, but he was always going to be a late game sub. I think Avila will add a real spark for TFC and Santos should prosper with SH’s Brazilian approach. I agree that TFC is primed for a late run (too late) but will challenge next year. It’s not like the East is loaded..

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  3. Retract that, Galindo is awful, not Luna. Got mixed up for a second. It was hard watching Galindo on the ball, he looked completely lost.

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  4. I was at the game Sunday and Luna looked bad. You could tell FCD was looking desperate at forward. Better deal for FCD, but both teams got what they wanted.

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  5. This deal stinks for Luna. It shows that he can tear it up during the preseason, but isn’t having his breakout for the second year in a row. No wonder he didn’t make the Mexico U-20 roster. His skill is too raw to make up for his inexperience. At least Castillo has pace and a bit more skill to make up for his.

    Now I’m wondering where Leyva will go…

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  6. I’d say this trade is straight up even. Both teams got better at areas they needed help at and all they had to do was unload players they didn’t need because of depth at the position.

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  7. TFC getting better by the day. With the emergence of a Koevvermans, Johnson, Plata, strike force Santos was a surplus commodity. Not quite a forward, can’t play wide, and not really a central midfield presence. Since Frings and JDG(asssuming he doesnt get traded) are holding down the center of the park.

    avila should really help this team, damn they havve done a great job the last few weeks and you can see the difference on the field. they arent a finished product but next year they could be a serious force, and good for the fans of TFC, they deserve a winner. (im not a TFC fan BTW)

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  8. Hes definitely not garbage by anymeans, just not flexible in positions he can play and can sometimes be a bit lazy, realistically tho a decent pick up for almost any team in the league

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  9. And that’s a good thing considering the past…TFC is finally moving in the right direction – best of luck to Santos, i liked him, a bullet of a shot but off and on….

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  10. departed since last year are: J. Conway, M. Usanov, R. Hscanovics, N. Attakora, D. Gargan, N. Garcia, E. Gomez, J. Peterson, M. Saric, G. Gala, K. Aleman (rights), J, Janniere (rights), T. Tchani (after being acquired in-season!), N. LaBrocca, A. Sanyang, D. DeRosario, J. Nane, A. Stevanovic (loan over), F. Ibrahim, O. White, C. Barrett, A. Gordon.

    Might be missing some? DeGuzman’s days numbered too?

    New blood in since last season: D. Borman, A. Morgan, D. Omphroy, D. Williams, R. Eckersley, A. Iro, M. Gold, E. Viator, D. Robinson, M. Yourassowsky, O. Cordon, E. Bouchiba, N. Sturgis, T. Frings, T. Dunfield, E. Avila, G. Zavarise, M. Stinson, L. Griffit, A. Stevanovic (since departed), T. Tchani (since departed), J. Martina, N. Soolsma, K. Makabuya, A. Gordon (sicne departed), P. Merosevic, J. Plata, D. Koevermans, R. Johnson

    Holy turnover, Batman.

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  11. 5 players left over from the 2010 Toronto team.

    I have never in a million years of sports watching, seen a housecleaning like this one.

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  12. I believe it has to be a longer period than same day to announce team, for tonight’s game.

    I read that, but I forget how long.

    Not sure longer term.

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  13. At least Santos is better than Milton Rodriguez. That dude was slow and incapable of beating anyone, let alone finishing off chances.

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  14. If you read above, it should be obvious why FCD fans are thrilled: One is a reserve midfielder who they had tried to loan out, one is a forward with 6 goals this year.

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  15. Avila is very talented but has not been able to fill the role of David Ferreriaor Dax McCarty. He needs to get games as an outside mid which is why Dallas wanted to send him on loan.

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  16. YYYYYYYEEEEEESSSSSSS!!!!!!!!

    (from an fcd fan)

    Avi’s a great guy and i know all of dallas wishes him well but… This is a fantastic trade for FCD.

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  17. Don’t hate the deal, think it favours Dallas who get a proven FW (who would have done much better if actually played every game at FW instead on in the MF). TFC get a little bit of a project, but some good upside. Shame Avila not still a GA, I think that would have made this a balanced trade. As it is, its another option for Toronto on the wings, though I suspect we might see Avila at the OM position, assuming Winter isn’t going to play Ryan Johnson (?!) there any more. In the short term this seems to be better for Dallas, especially considering their lack of depth at FW right now, but could be better for TFC in the medium to long term, depending on how he pans out. I know the two trades were independent, but in a way it was Santos for Avila AND Marosevic, which looks better for TFC.

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  18. Hate to see Avila go but we do need help at forward. Chavez who is a midfielder has done well when he play and Castillo before he left for the U-20 was doing ok. But having a six goal scorer that is not a midfielder is going to be nice.

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  19. How is Avila?

    Would he be considered a creative mid?

    Santos was a decent player but we had enough CFs that he was bound to go, especially as he can only really play that position. Regardless I wish him good luck as he seemed amicable on the field and did well enough for us.

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