So this afternoon Toronto FC made yet another players move. This time it was a trade with FC Dallas that saw TFC swapped Maicon Santos for Eric Avila. At first look many might wonder why TFC have moved Santos as he has basically been the teams top scorer all season but that fact of the matter is that for the most part Santos has failed to live up to his price tag. He was one of Toronto's top paid players and as such the club should have expected an even better return from him than 10 goals in his 32 matches for the club. Avila on the other hand represents another move towards youth and potential for Toronto but he is also capable of jumping right in to the starting lineup.
So let me now introduce you to Eric Avila. He was drafted in the second round of the 2008 MLS Super draft having come out of UC Santa Barbara a year early. He ended up with FC Dallas where he was in his fourth season and made 58 appearances. As an attacking midfielder he scored only 3 goals for the club but what he has to offer goes beyond the stat sheet and his goal tally. Avila is a dynamic player who has the ability to create space in the center of the field as well as being able to create chances for those around him. At only 23 years of age Avila still has some time to mature and develop his game so he may yet reach his scoring potential. Avila showed that potential when he was in college where as a junior he was nominated for the Hermann trophy. While at UC Santa Barbara he played in 66 games scoring 15 goals and collecting 18 assists. That is an impressive scoring record for a midfielder at the college level and it is just that kind of potential that TFC will be hoping he begins to show in the MLS.
Avila is an American born player who comes from California. He played for the US national team at both the U-17 and U-20 levels a total of 30 times. He was also a part of the US residency program that was set up in Bradenton, Florida which he joined in 2003. Avila is very much one of the players who shows the fruits of the US national teams efforts to develop young talent and TFC will now be hoping that he continues to develop and reaches the level where he can play at the senior level.
So Toronto have gotten younger and a bit more potential which is the point of a rebuild. For that reason I think that this is a great deal for them. It continues to develop the team in the way that Winter has said he wants to since Avila is a creative player who is capable of playing something similar to Total Football. The other good part of this deal from a TFC point of view is that they are saving money on salaries as well as adding another international roster spot. All in all it was a good move for TFC and hopefully it sets the stage for a good result tonight.
Interesting facts:
1. The addition of Avila brings TFC within one player of breaking the MLS record of 36 players used in a single season.
2. Aside from home grown players only 5 players are left on TFC from the 2010 squad and two of them are keepers (thanks to Luke Wileman for that one)
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