photo by Andrew Katsampes/ISIphotos.com
Richard Eckersley will be calling Toronto FC home for the foreseeable future.
Eckersley was signed to a permanent move with the Reds after joining the club on loan from Burnley last April, the club announced on Thursday. The 22-year-old English defender figures to be a key part in Toronto's defense after a good first year with the club.
In 2011, Eckerlsey started in 22 of the 23 games he appeared in and he also featured in all four matches for Toronto during its run to its third straight Voyageurs Cup win during the 2011 Nutrilite Canadian Championship.
Per league and club policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Here are more notes from around MLS:
IMPACT CRUSHES ITESO UNIVERSITY
Playing in its third preseason match during its training camp in Mexico, the Montreal Impact crushed Iteso University 7-0 in a game played in Guadalajara. The Impact saw five different players find the back of the net in the game, with Miguel Montano, Juan Jose Pena, Reda Agourram, Aaron Schoenfeld and Mircea Ilcu all scoring. Montano and Schoenfeld each had two goals against the Mexican university.
DYNAMO-EARTHQUAKES GAME RESCHEDULED AND MOVED
The Houston Dynamo's regular-season visit to Buck Shaw Stadium to face the San Jose Earthquakes on March 18 has been moved. The game will now take place on March 17 and will be played at AT&T Park in San Francisco as part of a doubleheader featuring Mexico and Senegal's Under-23 teams. Kickoff for Houston-San Jose is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. CT.
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Glad to see Toronto FC lock up Eckersley? Impressed by the Impact's big win? Like that the Dynamo's match versus the Earthquakes has been moved to AT&T Park?
Share your thoughts below.
AT&T only seats 40K, so that’s not possible.
I saw a soccer game at AT&T once, a friendly between the US and Japan in 2006. It really doesn’t work that well. The field was designed exclusively for baseball, remember, and during a soccer game they just throw up a huge bleacher set in the middle of right field. It’s kinda amateurish.
I thought the Man City/Club America game, the last soccer game played there as far as I know, looked pretty bad on TV too.
But who knows, maybe this is an opportunity for a new Quakes attendance record.
I liked Eck when I saw him playing for TFC – seemed like a solid, active RB.
That’s a great ballpark- and I don’t mind riding the train for a game. Can do an awesome pub crawl and skip the Mexico match. 🙂
MLS in San Francisco? Cool.
+1 everything you just said.
No info about the deals really make it difficult to say if it’s a good deal or not. If it’s 3-5 years at a league competitive salary, great. If it’s 7 years and an unfair wage it’s a bad deal… MLS is so dense, they should realize from watching other leagues contract issues are huge talking points for the league and its players. Talking point, good or bad, bring about attention to the league.
Montano’s got some crazy skills. I hope he can keep his ego in check and really shine this year.