By now you’ve probably seen this rumor out there this morning (or afternoon depending on where you’re located). Toronto FC is looking to trade yet again with the Colorado Rapids for the third time this year. Earlier the Rapids sent Jacob Peterson to the Reds, then Ty Harden.

Now it appears the two clubs will swap players yet again several outlets are saying Toronto will sent defender Marvell Wynne to the Rapids in exchange for midfielder Nick LaBrocca and a draft pick.

On the surface I don’t like this trade at all for either side. LaBrocca doesn’t do a whole lot for me in a fairly crowded Toronto midfield. I’m guessing the addition of Jeff Larentowicz this winter possibly put a big dent in his playing time for Gary Smith. My bet he’ll split time with Sam Cronin in the defensive part of Toronto’s midfield, or even play in the back considering how few defenders Toronto has at this point.

As for the Rapids its an interesting addition. Part of me thinks this is a huge upgrade while the rest of me thinks its not the best of ideas for Smith’s team. He’ll add some speed and some service to the right side but part of me actually sees Conor Casey’s goal production going down this year. His service on the wing at times is spotty. Some folks may disagree but if you look at Toronto’s offense these last couple years you won’t see a huge spike in goals because of Wynne.

It could work out for both sides, I think Toronto dumping another defender is a mistake but Preki knows how to win without a lot of talent. But saying that he’s really getting rid of a lot of talent here.

What do you think of this trade?

Toronto FC has talent, but little depth. (Getty Images)

Its the very last team in our 2010 Look-in series. First off sorry TFC fans for not posting this sooner. I had ever intention of doing this last week but set backs got in the way.

Lots of changes have taken place in Toronto this winter. From the turf being removed for natural grass at BMO Field, to a new manager in Preki taking cover and re-doing the roster his way. Lots of changes have taken place but have any really done a good enough job of getting this club ready for 2010?

Will this be the year that Toronto finally gets to the playoffs? Is Preki the right guy to lead the way? Let’s take a look now to see where this team is at right now and what places they need to improve on before the new season gets underway.

Keepers:

Who they have: Stefan Frei, Brian Edwards

Notes: Honestly they are set for years here between these two. Frei is an All-Star keeper in the making and Edwards may be one of the better backups in the league. I’m sure they’re working on getting a third keeper on the books as well. Still they’re covered here.

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Defense

Who they have: Nana Attakora, Nick Garcia, Jim Brennan, Marvell Wynne, Ty Harden, Gabe Gala, Emmanuel Gómez, Zach Harold.

Notes: What they did this winter in this area was added a young prospect in Harold and traded for Harden. Two moves that aren’t bad but aren’t exactly going to help them out in the area that I’d argue they are pretty weak in still. But things could improve since the field is no longer turf, which has to help out the older guys like Garcia and Brennan.

I would have liked to have seen them go more for depth in this area this winter. Adding a quality center back would have been a real upgrade here and would help increase their playoff chances. They do have good speed on the outside with Wynne.

I’d like to think they improved here over the winter but I’m just not buying it yet.

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Midfield

Who they have: Dwayne de Rosario, Julian de Guzman, Sam Cronin, Nane Joseph, Amadou Sanyang, Jacob Peterson.

Notes: Losing Carl Robinson wasn’t a terrible thing in my eyes. Cronin will slide in nicely in his old spot and for the most part they shouldn’t miss too much of a beat with De Rosario and de Guzman leading the way in the center of the park. I would have liked to have seen them go for more depth on the wings but the trade for Peterson should help that area out a decent bit if he is full fit to go this year.

They lost a lot of fire power in this area with Robinson and Amado Guevara both exiting this winter. But if I were a Reds fan I would see it as addition by subtraction. Sure Robinson was a big leader and a fan favorite but if he wasn’t happy there he wasn’t going to help this club in the long haul.

They’ll need more depth on the wings and possibly in the attacking portion of the midfield  here to get through the long season and the Nutrilite Canadian Championship.

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Forwards

Who they have: Chad Barrett, Ali Gerba, O’Brian White, Fuad Ibrahim.

Notes: One thing is for certain either Barrett or Gerba have to step up in a big way this year. Also the club has to hope that both Ibrahim and White grow as players. No doubt there is the most pressure on this group of players as compared to the rest of the club. If the team doesn’t score they won’t win, it is as simple as that.

Most would have liked Mo Johnston to get a primary striker for this season this winter but that didn’t happen. Most likely that will come this summer, if at all. I’d like to think they can win with these four (and the help of De Rosario and de Guzman in the midfield) but realistically they didn’t improve in this area at all this winter.

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Overall:

No doubt there is loads of pressure in Toronto this year. Offensively they have to produce like never before and defensively they have to be able to prove to teams that they won’t give up 5 goals in a must-win game. Preki is a good coach though that will change the culture of that club inside and out. The team will be tougher, which may have been lacking in the first place.

I do however have trouble seeing if this club improved this winter though. They have so many questions to be answered as well. I think depth wise they are very weak but I do like the talent they have starting out on the field.

It just looks like another long, yet interesting year in Toronto.

Michael Parkhurst is as good as gone from MLS, but who is will join him? (Getty Images)

I think it is safe to say that it is open season right now for foreign clubs to pick apart MLS talent in preparations for the upcoming transfer window.

Lots of rumors are swirling around who will go where and for how much. A lot of transfers unfortunately will probably cost MLS more due to the lack of possible transfer fees as some players are out of contract. But they could make up for it with some young stars that are looking to move on from the league.

Defenders are at a premium for the taking right now. But so are some young talent that we’ve been saying would be ripe for the picking for a while now. There is also now some veteran players in the league that could see their chances elsewhere increase in the coming weeks.

Again, loads of rumors and only so many will come true. Even with the amount of possible players leaving it always means the door will be open for more to come in. From what I’ve seen so far there are plenty of possible players to join the league this winter in transfer deals.

Let’s just look at this at a player-by-player case:

• Landon Donovan: He’s either in Munich or he’s not for a loan right now, depending on who you ask. For the most part we know he will be there until at least March. I still have a slight feeling he won’t be staying longer than that for an extended stay. Sure he has grown up a bit since his last couple tries but I just see this not working out yet again in Germany for LandyCakes.
• Taylor Twellman: No way Twellman is leaving MLS right now from what I’ve been hearing. If he leaves New England it will be in a trade to somewhere else in the league. Right now that seems like the most likely scenario of anything for him.
• Michael Parkhurst: He is as good as gone. According to Steve Goff today he will be in Denmark. The Scandinavian club Nordsjaelland is the destination and in the words of the Insider, “the Revs have already began preparing for 2009 without him.” Toughest part is not seeing the league and the Revs get any sort of transfer fee for Parkhurst.
• Sasha Kljestan: Dutch side FC Twente want him and will get him, I just don’t know if it will be this winter or next summer. If he does leave this winter he will get Chivas (and MLS) a nice little transfer fee. Part of me still thinks this won’t go down until the summer but either way he is going to Holland before long.
• Chad Marshall: I don’t expect any big name clubs to come calling Marshall’s name this winter but the MLS Defender of the Year will probably land on his feet in some Scandinavian league. Go figure right? He’s one of the few that hasn’t been linked to any clubs just yet and if he has Crew fans aren’t willing to mention which ones they are either. (EDIT: Now it appears that he could be going to Germany. He will be having a trail soon with German club Mainz.)
• Kenny Cooper: German Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt seems to be the ones wanting Cooper now. We all recall the summer months of rumors with Cooper and the various clubs out there. It’s funny though because here in Dallas there isn’t a huge discussion on Cooper leaving, most feel his two club options on his contract will be picked up and he will have to wait it out again for getting sold to a European club. His big pay day is still in the works as he wants DP-style contract in MLS, which of course they won’t give to him. My money is on him leaving next month though because I think Dallas will make a couple big trades with the loads of cash they now have that Dulio Davino is off the books for 2009.
• Marvell Wynne: He wowed some people at the Olympics a few months back so expect some suitors to come calling Mo Johnston’s office here in the next few weeks. If Johnston is going to have the fire sale that some believe he will in order to land a couple high priced players in January, expect Wynne to be the first to go in a transfer. He will probably land in a smaller league, possible with a Danish or a Norwegian side but there has been some interest from Italy and Holland.
• Joe Cannon: When the Quakes decided to not pick up his option it showed me one thing, they weren’t as smart as some pegged them to be. Not picking up his option and low-balling him in an offer allows one of the league’s best keepers to be on the world market for a free transfer. I was kind of shocked when I first heard they didn’t pick up his option but now the word is some Norwegian clubs are looking at Cannon. I may be the first to say it but if they do lose Cannon this way they will not make the playoffs in 2009 unless they get a solid replacement, maybe a Chris Seitz from RSL?
• Bakery Soumare: When you are big, physical and hold a French passport some people take notice in the soccer world. That is he life that Soumare is leading right now. He jumped from a bench warmer to a star in 2008 and now he could very well cash in on a big pay day in Europe. He probably won’t go cheap though for Chicago to let him go that easy. I would imagine it will take some big number to get him to go.

Feel free to give your thoughts on a player listed here or bring up a name that isn’t being talked about that could see a move across the pond.

I will do this in a couple different sections too. Players who could go now or have tried and players who are more in line to be the next Brad Guzan or Maurice Edu.

Players Who’ve Tried:

1. Kenny Cooper, FC Dallas: We all know Coopers attempts this summer to go to either Rosenborg or in Cardiff City. FC Dallas said no way to any and all transfer fees, even the really nice ones like Cardiff’s $4 million offer. I think we all know his name will be thrown out again come winter, even though his club has a couple options left on his contract AND they are still actively working to get him a new deal.

2. Landon Donovan, LA Galaxy: We’ve heard him say he wants to try his hand at Europe once more. I would say if this whole deal with Bruce Arena falls apart you could see him throw his name out a bit more. But in all reality he is a whipped man at home and he doesn’t appear ready to leave his wife and TV star Bianca Kajlich behind just yet. I think its more of a thing if her TV career falls in the tanks, you could see him go. For me its a ‘never-say-never’ kind of thing with Landon and Europe.

3. Taylor Twellman, New England Revolution: He tried to leave and it didn’t happen. Sort of like what Dallas did with Cooper. Said no way and good day. I think Twellman’s injury status this season and the Revs quality play may help him out if he still wants to leave this winter. The Revs know they can win without him, but the biggest question will be if anyone still wants him. I’m sure they do but it may not be as high of a value as it could have been back in January.

4. Shalrie Joseph, New England Revolution: The man should be in the big-boy leagues but he isn’t yet. He nearly went to Celtic at one point and I would not be shocked to see him try to go once again if he isn’t happy. If the right deal comes along you could see Joseph land a nice contract with a good team in Europe. I think that’s what he is waiting on if he still has European aspirations.

5. Pablo Mastroeni, Colorado Rapids: He wants to go after this year and he will. It is just a matter of where. I’d kind of love to see him get traded this year to an actual contender and see him get a MLS Cup before he goes.

Young Guns Waiting To Go:

1. Sacha Kljestan, Chivas USA: Don’t be at all shocked if this winter you see his name float around in the rumor mills. Kljestan has the range that many European clubs would look for in the midfield. Not to mention he will probably have enough international experience at the nice age of 22 to make plenty of clubs want to spend some serious cash on him.

2. Chris Seitz, Real Salt Lake: We hardly see the 21-year old with RSL because of a veteran in the way but believe me Seitz has the size and potential to be a real stud in goal for years to come. Plus since he rarely plays you can bet some club will snag him for cheap and the league won’t even realize it.

3. Brek Shea, FC Dallas: We know some big name clubs have mentioned Shea here and there. While I don’t see that happening I do think before long he will get some serious mention from other clubs and will make the move. His size and the fact that he is still very young makes him a big time prospect for other clubs. Another one that the league will lose and get hardly anything for it because of the lack of PT he has gotten this year.

4. Michael Parkhurst, New England Revolution: Good Ol’ Park is one of those guys that will probably leave sooner rather than later here. That is unless New England puts the stop to him going like they have before with other players. He’s one of the, if not the best defender in all of MLS. The way he reads the game on the field is pretty fun to watch for someone who use to play defense. I’d hate to see him go but I know he’s got the potential to do well abroad.

5. Ricardo Clark, Houston Dynamo: If he gets the anger issue in control he will be a prime candidate for a move. He’s another one of those defensive midfielders that cover a lot of ground on the field and would be able to fit right in to most European clubs.

6. Bakary Soumare, Chicago Fire: I wasn’t too high on this kid when he first came into the league but the more I’ve seen him the more I’ve seen him grown as a player. He doesn’t get pushed off the ball too easily and his size is perfect for his position. He isn’t overly speedy but is overall size would be enough to make some clubs spend a little cash to get him. Easily a candidate for one of those Scandinavian leagues.

7. Marvell Wynne, Toronto FC: Who doesn’t love a big, speedy wing-back who can cover the entire sideline? I love watching Wynne play because of that reason. His play in the Olympics may have helped him get noticed a bit more too.

8. Stuart Holden, Houston Dynamo: There are times when I doubt this kid but then there are times that I cannot help but thing he will end up in Europe one of these days. His play in the Olympics was just like that. One second he was brilliant and the next he was so-so. This may be a wildcard and that is why I saved him for last but who can’t say one of those Scandinavian clubs wouldn’t want Holden in their midfield?

Not a lot of changes at the top of the overall voting list.In fact that top three remain:

1. David Beckham
2. Landon Donovan
3. Cuauhtemoc Blanco

Once you get by the top three the positions break down pretty easily. You can also tell which fan groups are voting like crazy here for this game. Mostly the home fans in Toronto wanting their own in the line up as the All-Stars take on West Ham United. Its also interesting to see Toronto’s main rival Columbus have a few players on this list. The Crew are having a solid season so far and their players deserve the nod in my book.

Goalkeepers:

• Greg Sutton
• Jon Busch
• Matt Reis

Defenders:

• Frankie Hejduk
• Marvell Wynne
• Jim Brennan
• Jimmy Conrad

Midfielders:

• David Beckham
• Cuauhtemoc Blanco
• Amado Guevara
• Dwayne De Rosario
• Guillermo Barros Schelotto

Forwards:

• Landon Donovan
• Danny Dichio
• Juan Pablo Angel
• Jeff Cunningham
• Alejandro Moreno

Am I surprised by any of this news? Not really. The one shocker to me may be Juan Pablo Angel getting the votes. He was the MVP in last year’s game but he has been hampered by injuries and clearly isn’t as effective as last year because of those injuries.

Other than that I’m not totally surprised by it. I would like to see Kenny Cooper or Edson Buddle get some votes.

Some are still asking for my line-up, that will come later on once voting is complete on July 2. Remember, the online fan voting will comprise one quarter of the All-Star First XI selections, with coaches and general managers (25 percent), players (25 percent) and media (25 percent) all getting a say in who is named to the First XI, which will consist of one goalkeeper, three defenders, five midfielders and two forwards.