Toronto Releases Two, Signs Ricketts

Some may call it the “if its broke, fit it” style of correcting a roster that hasn’t been successful on the field so far in the MLS. Toronto FC announced today that they have waived forward Collin Samuel due to personal matters. Other reports out there say that the club has also released Andrew Boyens to help make way for midfielder Rohan Ricketts.

This makes the third signing by the Canadian club since last week when they introduced forward Laurent Robert. We saw the other day that they finally signed former league MVP Amado Guevara as well. All of these moves could take some time to pan out for the Reds but at least they didn’t have to wait around until the summer transfer window to get it done.

I talked about Ricketts a couple weeks ago when it was reported that he would be on trial in Toronto. He finally signs with the club today and honestly I cannot wait to see what he brings to the table for the club. He has bounced around from a couple noteworthy clubs like Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Wolverhampton. He is still young and could be a great addition in the attack.

The 25-year-old Ricketts will be available for selection against the LA Galaxy on Sunday, pending the completion of his International Transfer Certificate.

As for releasing Samuel, I think most will agree that it was only a matter of time. His play never wowed anyone in Toronto and around the league. As far as the Boyens release I am still waiting on final word that it is complete.

I like these roster moves by Mo Johnston here. He is sort of using the same kind of mold that Chivas used when they started out a couple years ago. He is ripping up the club that was not very good last year and so far this year. I wouldn’t be too shocked to see him trade a couple more players within the league here like Jeff Cunningham.

Will these moves make them a contender in the east? I doubt it right away but as we all know even cold starts in the league in April and May don’t always mean no playoffs come the end of the year. This club still has some work cut out for them but they are getting a midfield that is much better than before and one that could be able to keep the ball on their offensive end more than their defensive end. They may still be a quality defender away from being a threat in my eyes though. Getting Juilus James back this weekend may help more though so they might not have to sign someone else after all.