Toronto FC will introduce Canadian national team star Julian DeGuzman as the club's first Designated Player at a press conference today in Toronto in a multi-million dollar move that should help TFC make a serious push toward playoff contention.
DeGuzman, 28, joins TFC after a lengthy and successful career in Europe, where he played in Germany and Spain before agreeing to a deal this week to become the club's most high-profile signing since being founded in 2007. He is joining the team on a free transfer and a portion of the money spent to bring him to Toronto FC came from the club's revenue from the sale of midfielder Maurice Edu to Glasgow Rangers last season.
A central midfielder who's vision, skill and tenacity make him a dominating player in the middle, DeGuzman passed up offers in Europe to return to Canada and serve as the new face of a franchise that was still in need of another marquee player. DeGuzman, 28, is the second-youngest DP in league history, with recent Houston Dynamo signing Luis Angel Landin (24) being the youngest.
What's the SBI take? He has the talent to step in and be one of the best, and certainly one of the most influential, central midfielders in MLS. He won't score goals, but his workrate, leadership skills and vision will provide a boost that should help a TFC squad that was lacking a bit of fire in the lineup. The move is a bold one by Toronto FC, to go after a player who is still very much in his prime, a player who still had options in Europe. You can only hope that other MLS teams take notice and attempt similar moves to lure better and younger marquee talent to the league.
TFC currently sits in fifth place in the East, two points out of a playoff spot.
What do you think of this signing? Impressed with Toronto FC's successful push to land the Canadian national star? Think the club should have signed a forward instead? Can you see TFC making the playoffs for the first time in team history?
Share your thoughts below.
I dont understand people saying that DeGuzman was signed to bring more fans?? They’ve had 20,000 plus at all their home games since 2007 so we signed him for his quality in moving the ball forward and his ability to clog up the midfield! I think this also spells the end of Carl Robinson or at least a drastic pay cut for the man!
This, along with the aggressive nature that TFC has gone after MLS worthy Canadian talent settles us in well when the Whitecaps join the league and Toronto is forced to compete for the limited Canadian pool of talent in order to appease MLS nationality guidelines.
Its a great signing…now all we need is a clinical striker and it’s on.
This is a very good DP signing for MLS, and the way the league needs to go.
Beckham was needed for marketing reasons, but to attract more fans to the MLS, the league needs more DPs who are in the prime of their careers like this.
Now we need the Philadelphia Union to pick up Ebi Smolarek as their DP 🙂
Fantastic signing for the MLS in general
De Guzman was already a big TFC fan. He wouldn’t have come back to play for NY or Columbus or somewhere. He was a fan, a follower, and now he’s a player for his hometown team, playing along his boyhood friend Dwayne De Rosario. The money he’s getting is probably very nice, and he’ll actually get paid (which seemed a problem in Europe)… and he’s gonna be comfortable being in his home city.
And it looks like grass is on the way for 2010, so it’s the right situation for him at the right time.