With De Rosario going home, what else does it mean for the Reds? (Getty Images)

Not only has Toronto FC sold out their season tickets for 2009, they finally get the chance to showcase their home boy Dwayne De Rosario.

I’ve said many times that I thought Toronto should and would make this deal happen. Today they finally pulled the trigger on the move.

While it looks good on paper it means a few other things will probably go down as well.

We all know that the club is still looking to sign a designated player for the upcoming season. That player will more than likely be a striker.

That probably means Carlos Ruiz’s time in Toronto is looking to be over really quickly. Mainly I just can’t see the club keep Ruiz, DeRo, and a DP contract on the books for next year. Continue Reading…

The past couple of days got me thinking, this year we’ve seen so many trades between the clubs. Some moves have paid off and others have been more of a waste than anything. I felt like today was a good day to look back at the moves that have paid off and the moves that haven’t been able to do anything but fill up lines on a piece of paper (or lines on the net).

Now I will stay away from the allocation trades and things like that. So you won’t see a grade for Brian McBride or Will Johnson or guys in that category since clubs signed them, even though allocation position was traded. We can do grades on guys like that later on.

Interestingly enough, only Columbus is missing from the trade game this season. They’ve made some moves (and yes I know they traded for Pat Noonan’s rights) but haven’t gone after a player from another club like some teams have this season. Very interesting, maybe that is why they are on top of the standings and everyone else is looking up at them.

But as for how the other trades have gone this year, here is what I am giving them. Feel free to discuss trades involving your clubs or moves you thought worked out well this year.

Chad Barrett to Toronto FC: For the most this move has worked out well for this club. He’s produced and has actually been fairly consistent with his play. Not to mention he’s signed a contract extension with the club already.WVH Trade Grade: A-

Arturo Alvarez to San Jose Earthquakes: Alvarez wasn’t going to cut it in Schalles Hyndman’s system so a move was going to happen. San Jose was the best destination for him and so far this move has worked out well for the Quakes as they’ve made a serious push for the playoffs in recent weeks.  WVH Trade Grade: A

Abdus Ibrahim to Toronto FC: He had to leave Dallas due to family issues but I must say Toronto got a hell of a deal with this kid. We may not see it on the field this year but in years to come he will end up being a big time player in this league. WVH Trade Grade: A

Ivan Guerrero to DC United: Guerrero didn’t work out well enough in San Jose but his move to the Nation’s Capital has worked out. He’s been a quality addition to DC’s midfield play and has established himself as a starter. WVH Trade Grade: B+ Continue Reading…

You read that headline correctly, Toronto FC is on a retreat – in the middle of a playoff race. Yup, head coach John Carver decided to get the club away from things in Toronto for a couple days and for the new players to get accustom to their new teammates. One of those new players being Carlos Ruiz.

The Fish has landed with his new club on the way to this retreat. Good news too and probably a huge sigh of relief out of Carver who’s had to dodge Ruiz questions all week.

“It’s a chance for him to get to know the guys, and get in amongst them,” Carver said.

“I’m not going to bring him in and have a war against him (and) I think that’s what happened in L.A.,” said Carver, referring to the rocky relationship between Ruiz and Ruud Gullit, the Galaxy’s former coach. “This is a guy you might have to cuddle.”

Rightfully so. A gutsy move by a coaching staff that is in the middle of a playoff race. Toronto currently sits a couple points out of contention in the east. Getting the distractions and regrouping as a team though at this time of the year is not a bad thing at all. These kinds of things either do a lot of harm or a lot of good. That is why they bumped this trip up from later on in the season.

Plus it is a chance to play on the el naturel of surfaces.

“We’re going to take them up to Blue Mountain resort, wherever that is,” Carver said after yesterday’s 90-minute practice. “It’s a great opportunity to train on grass.”

You think these guys can’t wait until BMO Field gets a natural surface next year? I think so. But what do you make of a club like Toronto doing such a thing this time of the year? Will it pay off for the club who has seen a lot of change in recent weeks or will it do more harm?

We finally got some confirmation that two deals went down today that we’ve been talking about for a couple days now.

• LA Galaxy ships striker Carlos Ruiz to Toronto FC for a first and second round pick in the 2009 MLS Supplemental Draft and salary budget considerations.

• The Galaxy also sign veteran midfielder/defender Eddie Lewis.

First off, Ruiz gets dealt for TWO supplemental picks and “budget considerations.” Good lord have the mighty fallen hard. That is just laughable at this point. Toronto gets an absolute steal of a deal really. If anyone comes out on top it has to be Toronto. Even if Ruiz doesn’t produce well while he is there its still a cheaper deal for them considering the lack of talent that comes out of the Supplemental Draft anymore.

LA doesn’t come up short handed though either, I love the addition of Lewis.

So for the last time, who comes out on top here now that we see it all laid out?

Well crap, no more than two second after I hit save on the last post about Toronto FC releasing Laurent Robert to possibly make room for Carlos Ruiz, I get an update saying that Ruiz has been shipped off to Toronto.

Yep, the LA Galaxy have traded Carlos Ruiz to Toronto FC, according to SBI. Details of the deal were not available yet, my assumptions are that LA will be getting a draft pick and allocation money in return.

The Galaxy’s dealing of Ruiz now clears the way for LA to sign U.S. national team midfielder/defender Eddie Lewis.

The more I think about this deal for Ruiz and Toronto, the more I like it. He will be paired with a young attack and a quality attacking midfielder in Amado Guevara, who is apparently good buddies with Ruiz. The Reds now appear to have a forward stable that includes Ruiz, Danny Dichio, Chad Barrett and teen standout Abdus Ibrahim. So there’s some depth to this team that could come in handy down the road. Continue Reading…

Sounds to me like Toronto FC is in the Carlos Ruiz sweepstakes after all here. Today they announced the release of midfielder Laurent Robert.

Robert started in 16 of 17 games scoring one goal and adding three assists.

Kinda of a surprise release to me. I’m not sure if it was a personal kind of decision on Robert’s part in that he asked for a release or if the club is just trying to change things up by getting rid of some salary to make room for someone else like Carlos Ruiz.

From all that I’ve heard from Galaxy-land is that they will be looking to swing some deals by at least Thursday of this week. They have another Primetime match this week against the Fire. The Galaxy and their new boss Bruce Arena are hoping to land Eddie Lewis before long and to do so would mean shipping Ruiz off.

What do you make of this release by Toronto? Think it is a precursor to land Ruiz?

Surprise, surprise…the LA Galaxy are still shopping Guatemalan striker Carlos Ruiz. The main reason why The Fish is back on the trading block (was he really ever off?) is due to LA’s desire to claim Eddie Lewis through the allocation system. They would need to free up some space and dump Ruiz as we all know would easily do so.

Right now according to Ives Galarcep, Toronto FC seems like the most likely destination for Ruiz. They have loads of allocation (which LA is desperate for right now) and have a large need for a quality striker.

Don’t be too shocked to see a deal go down in the coming days. I know I sound like a broken record on that one but LA wants to get Lewis sign as soon as possible here and moving Ruiz is really the only way possible to do so.

Its a good deal overall for the Galaxy too. I do like the addition of Lewis to their roster if they can work it all out because having a stronger midfield would certainly ease the pressure on their sloppy defense. Lewis would help provide that ease of pressure.

Plus getting rid of Ruiz as we all know will probably do wonders for this club. I think John Carver could get a lot out of Ruiz in Toronto. I know it isn’t a sexy destination for him but he has to believe that he could make a large impact on that club. Plus, like I’ve said before, having Ruiz and Amado Guevara on the same roster would give people another reason to hate Toronto. That kind of hatred would fuel some heavy passion around the league and folks that is a good thing to have this time of year.

What do you all make of Ruiz possibly going to Toronto here? Good or bad?