On Saturday night when Toronto FC took to the field against the Vancouver Whitecaps they did so with a very young squad. Despite a lack of experience, the youngsters acquitted themselves admirably in a 1-0 loss to the Vancouver Whitecaps in the championship game at the Walt Disney Pro Soccer Classic.
The fact that coach Aron Winter fielded such a young side was in large part due to the fact that the first team was back in Toronto to prepare for their CONCACAF Champions League match against the LA Galaxy. Despite the loss, fans can still take away some value from this match as it showed that TFC has a substantial amount of young talent in their system. That talent represents the future and if they can continue to develop it means that the club’s long-term outlook looks bright.
It is no mistake that Toronto FC has so much young talent. If you look at the world’s top teams, such as Barcelona and Manchester United, there is a common thread. The reason that those sides have enjoyed continued success is because they are constantly restocking with young players to keep that balance between youth and experience.
That is a model that Winter and the staff are looking to emulate. They have veterans in the form Torsten Frings, Julian De Guzman, Danny Koevermans, and Miguel Aceval who are now joined on the first team by a wealth of young talent.
Over the past two weeks in Orlando there was a recurring trend of young players taking on key roles in the squad. It was on a whole other level in the final but even in the 3-0 win over FC Dallas Winter had a lot of young players in important spots — Toronto had six starters who were 23 or younger in Richard Eckersley, Ashtone Morgan, Matt Stinson, Luis Silva, Reggie Lambe, and Joao Plata. Those are all guys who are likely to play a significant role this season for the club as they look to make the playoffs for the first time.
With that core of players already in the conversation for spots in the starting line-up, Toronto is shaping up to be one of the youngest teams in MLS this year. When you add in home grown players Oscar Cordon, Keith Makabuya, and Doneil Henry, along with SuperDraft pick Aaron Maund, the importance of youth for TFC this season cannot be overstated.
What Saturday also showed is that there is a core group of academy players who look set to one day join the first team. The likes of Quillan Roberts, Stefan Vukovic, Jordan Hamilton, Jay Chapman, and Sergio Camargo all turned in solid outings against the Whitecaps. They demonstrated an impressive dedication to the cause and a high work rate to keep things respectable against Vancouver. Despite being obviously outclassed by their opposition and conceding an early goal the academy players put in a strong effort. Even if these players are not technically skilled enough or physically mature enough to compete in MLS, they do have the mental strength.
With the mentality and raw talent that these young players have fans can look forward to watching them develop under the leadership of Thomas Rongen. The new academy director, as well as the new facility, shows that youth development will continue to be a key focus for Toronto FC.
If the Walt Disney Pro Soccer Tournament proved one thing to TFC fans, it is that both the present and the future of this team are looking to be increasingly bright. With the club’s continued investment and focus on developing young players they have a chance to one day be the MLS equivalent of those clubs like Barcelona and Manchester United.
David Rowaan is a Toronto-based writer and key contributor to Waking the Red, a blog about Toronto FC and Canadian soccer. Follow Waking the Red on Twitter.