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Scolari confirms Julio Cesar move to Toronto FC

Julio Cesar

Photo by Andre Katsampes/ISIphotos.com

By FRANCO PANIZO

If Julio Cesar is to play his way onto Brazil’s World Cup roster this summer, he will do so as a member of Toronto FC.

Brazil national team head coach Luiz Felipe Scolari confirmed during a press conference on Tuesday that Julio Cesar is set to join Toronto FC. Scolari did not provided details as to whether or not the veteran goalkeeper’s move is a loan – as has been reported – but he did say that Julio Cesar will now have an opportunity to make the Brazilians’ World Cup roster after not making a single appearance for current club Queens Park Rangers in England’s second division.

Landing Julio Cesar, 34, would be the latest big coup in an offseason full of them for Toronto. The club has signed Michael Bradley, Jermain Defoe and Gilberto as Designated Players as well as brought in playmaker Dwayne De Rosario this winter.

Joe Bendik, Chris Konopka and Homegrown Player Quillan Roberts are the goalkeepers currently on Toronto FC’s roster. Julio Cesar would compete with them while also trying to earn the No. 1 spot for Brazil, where the likes of Victor, Jefferson and Diego Cavalieri are in contention.

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Still shocked that TFC is set to land Julio Cesar? Do see him doing well with the club and in MLS? Think he will be starting for Brazil in the World Cup this summer? What do you make of the 16 foreign-based players Scolari selected?

Share your thoughts below.

 

Comments

  1. Aaaahhh stop it already. Scolari trusts this guy even with his bank account I dare to say. He will be Brazil’s goalkeeper in the World Cup and he will play well. Scolari will die (or rather lose) with Julio Cesar. See wizards of Ives, a goalkeeper is not a field player, so not playing for some time is not going to have the same effect as it would on a field player. It’s not like he lost his skills or anything like it. He will get plenty of time to play in an all erratic MLS which will prepare him for those far in between few erratic times by the Brazilian team in the WC. I still put my money on Uruguay and Argentina to win WC.

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  2. Not sure why ppl Say JC is done?? Even if he were done you can’t tell me Bendik couldn’t learn something from an all pro?!!!

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  3. this is almost certainly a short term loan, QPR will want to use the world cup to leverage a sale this summer. they absolutely need to get him off their books, and Toronto isnt going to do that or them.

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  4. For MLS to take the next step, they need to figure out a way to get a couple of teams into the qualifying stages of UEFA champions league.

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  5. Cesar might have been a top 10 world GK from 2009-2011. but it’s 2014 and he’s no.2 on a Championship club.

    he may be top 30 as of now. maybe 1 of the best GK’s in the championship
    but going to MLS seems pretty weird. he’s only doing it because QPR wanna offload those heavy wages.

    why can’t Toronto just spend that money and get Gigi Buffon or Iker Casillas

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    • He is not the no. 2 based on ability. It’s all about the size of his contract. Why the F do you people find it impossible to do any reading on the subject before commenting. 90 percent of the comments in this section are completely uninformed.

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      • Because we dont think hes world class were uninformed? Ok then. He isnt playing because he cant get along with QPR and his wages are outrageous but that doesnt change the fact that he isnt world class anymore to me. Above average, yes. World class (top 10), no.

    • toronto isnt paying #$it for him, he makes 6 million a season and TFC have 3 dps already. this is not about QPR offloading wages, its about them leveraging a sale this summer. Sorry TC he wont be with you for long.

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  6. Has an MLS club ever had such a big off-season? Bradley, Defoe, Gilberto, DeRosario and now Julio Cesar,…this talent up upgrade is on an order of magnitude not seen before. Wow!

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  7. I’d just be cautious in our expectations. I remember how excited Galaxy fans were when they signed Cuduchinni (sp?) last year at this time and look how that turned out. I mean, it isn’t like Julio Cesar has been overtaken by a young buck…..he’s been bumped aside by 34 year old Robert Green (he of the dribbled Dempsey goal in South Africa).

    Maybe JC will be great. Maybe he’s old and shot. It isn’t like Brazil needs a stud between the pipes very often anyway.

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  8. how can they afford him?

    why can’t they either change the salary cap from 3 million to 6 million by 2020?

    Or simply do away with the cap. MLS is not going away. Soccer is destined to become as great as basketball/football even if it takes 30 years.

    I wanna see Ronaldo playing in MLS with Miami in 2017. It’s gonna take 20 million a year but well worth it if you ask me. He will sell loads of jerseys, tickets and PR

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    • They can afford him because it is a “loan.”

      He is not under contract with MLS. The club (TFC) pays a fee to have him here temporarily, which does count against the cap, but his contracted club (QPR) pays another undisclosed amount of his wages. Football.

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  9. I chuckled at that last line…yeah, Julio Cesar is going to “compete” with Joe Bendik, Chris Konopka and Quillan Roberts. I don’t know if Julio Cesar is going to beat out Chris Konopka. I mean Konopka has the pedigree, but just maybe JC might be able to get a game or two.

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      • You got Nick Rimando and Panedo in the running. I like Dan Kennedy at Chivas–he has had so much practice stopping shots since they have been so bad and he really has been outstanding. I don’t know why Klinsmann hasn’t given him a look see.

      • That is some serious hyperbole, Cesar is certainly an above average goalie but im not sure id rate him in the top 20 right now, definitely not top 10

      • Smh did you watch qprs games last season? He was the best player on the team. Or go watch brazils games, theres a reason hes brazils number 1

      • Saying he was the best player on QPR last year isnt saying much. 5 years ago Cesar was a top 5 goalie, he just isnt as good anymore. I could easily name 10 goalies Id rate above him right now. Also part of the reason hes Brazil’s number one is that they arent exactly famous for their great goalies, their is only one other person near his level for that team and Scolari doesnt like him.

      • Easily? Not in my opinion. Still think he makes the top ten. And go watch qprs games to see how good he is. If you want stats (even though im not much of a stat guy myself) he made i believe 97 saves in 24 games.

      • Goalkeeping is based off recent form, he has barely played at all this year. I have no idea how you can rate him in the top 10 right now. He shouldnt even start for the Brazil team, it should be Diego Alves based off recent performances

      • Cesar everytime hes played with brazil even the mos recent games hes been solid/great. Look at a player like casillas who has only been getting cup games. He is still making his case as one of the best. But i guess none of us can say for sure how good he is until the season starts. But i do expect him to be a monster in net

      • Based on what? His ability to rot on a bench? We havent seen him play much at all since the confed cup, goalies can lose it fast if they arent playing regularly.

      • have you ever seen him play Travis or are you just talking out of your ass? He was spectacular (at times) LAST SEASON in the premier league. His not playing right now is not about his ability.

      • Ive watched him play a ton, including when he was sublime at Inter so stop talking nonsense. I am aware his not playing now is more than just ability but the fact still stands he isnt playing and that hurt goalies a lot. He simply isnt world class anymore, he’ll probably be the best in MLS but he is definitely not top 10 in the world to me.

    • With bad teams it can be hard to separate defense from GK, but Bendik allowed 46 goals in 33 games, which comes out to a tepid 1.4 G/g avg.

      If we were talking about this in the abstract, I don’t think anyone would say that a team that lost Frei and has Bendik, Konopka, and Roberts around is “set.”

      I think “rentals” are less than ideal (they might be back on the GK market in just a few months) and I wonder how they cap-afford this, but I think for several MLS teams if money was no object this would be a no-brainer. International GK who is not dessicated old like we usually get, and would be coming here hungry because this is his ticket back in. Even if there’s a risk he’s “lost it” some teams would take the risk.

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  10. I don’t get it… he’s the starting keeper for Brazil, but hasn’t made an appearance for a second division club? What’s the backstory? I’m kind of flabbergasted that a player for a top tier national side would find a move to MLS a step up. Nothing against MLS of course, but one has to wonder if Iker Casilias is on his way to New York or LA now. 🙂

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    • Considering he’s been riding the pine in the Champioinship, joining MLS is a clear step up. He’ll be played and will likely be shelled (Toronto’s defense wasn’t that good). Could really help his ability to perform in the WC.
      In all reality many top tier national sides have a weak point….and Keeper seems to be one for many national teams. US fans don’t realize how blessed we are to routinely produce top notch keepers (Freidle, Keller, Howard, Guzan, Meola, etc….).
      Cesar has great experience and wish him the best.

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      • US is well regarded for producing solid goalkeepers, maybe this was a better place for him to sharpen his skills before a WC.

      • Although not many of our keepers have played in France or Italy, we have had several in Germany, and Scandinavia (Denmark, Norway, Sweden). Hard for me to say why.

      • Not really. Riding the pine in the Championship is still preferable in the eyes of many to playing in MLS. Maybe its the wages or they still underrate MLS but how is the Brazilian no.1 not able to find a club in Belgium or Turkey or Switzerland.

        why? I believe his wages are like 80-90 K a week (british pounds) but Man City could afford that. why does he expect he will be the no.1 for Brazil come summer?

      • “Riding the pine in the Championship is still preferable in the eyes of many to playing in MLS”. I am just curious if you meant many players or many fans or many coaches?

      • I could be wrong, but isn’t the transfer window closed in those European division you mentioned? I think playing for Toronto and MLS would also be in front of more eyes live and worldwide TV audience, then playing in Switzerland.

      • No. He’s been riding the pine in the championship because QPR doesn’t want to pay his wages and are trying to force him out. It’s about his contract to his ability. Even the manager, Redknapp, has said so.

        He will NOT get shelled at TFC; have you not been paying attention to what’s happened this offseason? You can’t make any claims about TFC based on last year’s team.

      • Yeah, there are a lot of rumors that his contract with QPR has significant bonuses per appearance. QPR are broke and are looking to pay him as little as possible.

      • also negating the fact that our defense has strengthened since the start of last season, significantly

    • I was surprised when he left Inter for a bottom rung EPL team. However, he was a good keeper and played much better than I thought he would.

      If he is not playing in the Championship, good for him for trying to make a move to play.

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      • Yeah, the former #1 in England who got banished after his howler on the shot from Dempsey in the last WC. I saw some of their game yesterday and Green still looks kind of shaky.

      • Green has been outstanding for QPR all season. QPR are not playing Cesar largely because they’re deperately trying to get rid of him, he is in no way shape or form part o their plans going forward.

      • Whatever you think of Green, QPR has emphatically decided they prefer him to JC. They have a league low GA of 21 in 29 games (now if JC played forward, another question). They’re in 3rd place with a chance at automatic or playoff promotion. Teams in those kind of table positions usually don’t roll the dice on personnel changes. You buy players after promotion is secured and you don’t risk the golden goose trying to squeeze an out of favor GK back out there for international reasons.

    • GK is different. Only one plays and if they get entrenched, you will be watching a lot. They can’t try you at left GK or right GK or try a two GK scheme.

      Also, QPR was for a brief period an EPL side, which got relegated. He was their GK then. He lost his foothold on the GK job as they plummeted. He was loyal to QPR and rode out his deal for a while. But QPR is currently in a playoff spot and still in for automatic promotion. He needs to play to “go to Brazil” (jk, he can go there any time, but the point holds). Wrong man, wrong place. I think he could play in the EPL for the right team, but QPR might not be as indulgent regarding contract escape then, and he would risk being trapped in the same spot of trying to earn his way out of backup mid-season.

      I don’t think he cares about wages right now. MLS is respectable enough to allow him to make his case but needy enough to provide him his platform. I think it’s like Edu, he’s fighting to stay relevant in his home country and with a few months left this is one of the few reliable stages left. Unless he literally can’t catch and allows 5, TFC will give him his run outs ahead of their mediocre GK pool. If he shines, maybe he wins his job back. If he struggles, well, anything was better than sitting pine in QPR with no control over his future.

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  11. cant wait to see how Toronto fits him into the cap.

    only thing I can think is he agreed to a serious pay cut and its a 2.5 month loan, so he wont be on the books for that long.

    Great signing though. It will be pretty cool if Brasil wins and he’s the starter that an MLS player could win a WC trophy.

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    • If JC gets a “loan” for the rest of the season and costs something like $150K against the cap while QPR pays the rest of his salary, that is a bad precedent to follow.

      European clubs (one in particular who wears baby blue) would love this, as it could essentially put any player they want on an MLS team with the parent club paying the salary.

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      • While this might possibly have implications for NYCFC, you really can’t make speculations as to the actions of a club that in truth, barely even exists.

      • You absolutely can speculate. To flat out say that NYCFC *will* do this would be unfair — true. But to say that the precedent has been set and that NYCFC or some other MLS club with big pockets and well-established relationships abroad *might* do this is not unfair at all, not in the least.

        It’s absolute truth that the precedent has been set. There is no debating that. A precedent, having been set, leaves the field open for any other entity to whom the precedent might be applicable to engage in the same behavior.

        You really don’t think this sets a precedent for abuse by circumnavigating MLS’s salary cap regulations? I’m not “concerned” but it definitely is worth keeping an eye on that.

      • I think it would be a bad precedent only for american “squad” teams, which would be the new New York FC, owned by Man City and Chivas USA.

        I would hope that Coach Jason Kreis would let the Man City owners know how poorly that Chivas USA has been, and that they want to avoid that. New York city is not a forgiving place. If Man City chooses to make NYFC a farm team, they will lose their money quickly.

        Otherwise, I think the loan system could work well for the MLS, as long as the MLS clubs get players who want to compete and not end of the career vacationeers.

      • The fact that Kreis claims the players he is looking at for loan are on their U-21 and U-18 teams is a GREAT sign, imo.

        These are the type of players teams like NYCFC need to bring in. The sexy names will come too, if nothing else just to be a seller for the lofty ticket prices.

        It seems like Kreis has the right attitude and hopefully Soriano & co. do too.

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