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Someone mentioned the other day that maybe I should wait until TFC are completely out of the playoff picture before doing an analysis of the team and its players. When confronted with why I should do this, they said just in case they make the playoffs or geez even win the MLS Cup. In my mind I am thinking yes, just like New York Red Bulls last year (well at least they got to the final) who are now bottom of the league with a miserly 18 points.

Today I will look at the main defenders of TFC to get the ball rolling:

Marvell Wynne (trade or short-term stay)

Mo lost an opportunity by not trading Marvel Wynne when he was at his peak i.e. call up to the U.S. national team. Would likely have gained a major advantage here but now that the word is out in regards to his international prospects (limited) his stock value has diminished. While he's a great athlete with tremendous pace, Wynne is unfortunately limited as a technical and tactical player. When I think of the golden ages of technical development (6-12) and parallel it with Malcolm Gladwell’s 10,000-hour rule it is clear Marvell missed a good portion of this development – maybe an over-reliance on his athleticism is a factor here. While improvements will naturally take place over his career there is no hiding from the fact that he is not quite as comfortable on the ball as his teammates. Even when it appears he is, it is never really convincing. More importantly, as a defender, Wynne relies too much on his pace to pull himself out of vulnerable situations. The “right” defenders are endowed with first-class individual defending skills and an ability to read the game. Marvell struggles in both these areas and therefore is limited in the long term. Nevertheless he should not be released because he does have some value but if a trade opportunity comes then MO should pull the trigger. Keeping Marvell around in the long term creates an unnecessary problem because there will always be the tendency to justify why he should be playing through the mindset of “he is okay; he is improving", etc.

Nick Garcia (trade or release him)

When TFC gave up very little to acquire Nick from San Jose, all appeared well. Now with hindsight it clearly was not the right move. Lack of pace has never been more apparent in a player than it has with Nick. On the ball he is fine and while tactically he is experienced it has not prevented him from making fundamental mistakes. As if this was not enough apparently his attitude/mentality has been negative.

Adrian Serioux (trade)

The legendary Italian sweeper Franco Baresi once advised Rio Ferdinand that unless he took a ‘defending first’ approach to playing centre back then he would fail miserably at the level he is playing. Baresi’s point to Ferdinand was that he was more interested in looking good on the ball when in possession than defending responsibly. Concentration and reliability are the two intangible attributes all top-flight defenders must have. Unfortunately these are lacking in Serioux and he certainly seems to be suffering from a ‘play to the crowd’ mentality. Monitoring his performances, it becomes clear that on a game-to-game basis he is very likely to make a game-breaking mistake be it giving the ball away, a mistimed tackle, or a poor tactical decision. Rather than being reliable, Adrian appears careless. One coach I spoke to recently quipped that they try to give the ball to Adrian so he will set them up for a goal. While this may be exaggerating, the point is there. I am also not quite so convinced with Adrian’s tough-guy approach – who can forget his unfortunate “welcome to the MLS” comment to David Beckham when he played for Dallas. It sounds tough but really every time Adrian gets ticked at himself the world knows about it. In either event Adrian, who incidentally is a really nice guy off the field, is someone who needs to be replaced but not sure who will take him. May have to keep him in the short term particularly as he is a Canadian but if TFC realistically wants to build an MLS powerhouse team then they have to set their standards higher than what Adrian currently provides.

Nana Attakora (stay)

A shinning light in amongst an awkward group of defenders. Big, strong, fast, tough, and reliable are the pivotal attributes Nana has that allow him to excel. While he is a good athlete he is also an excellent one v. one defender. Tactically, when playing for the Canadian U20 team in 2007 he looked uncomfortably naïve especially against Congo, however now he is better and certainly more savvy. With an assuredness on the ball as an added bonus, Nana will over time become the linchpin of the TFC’s back four. At such a young age it is a credit to him but also the TFC staff in allowing him to develop.

Jim Brennan (stay – move up to left midfield)

Word on the street is that Jim is about to be moved out from the playing ranks. Cannot quite understand this as he is still an asset especially in the appropriate position. Let us not forget he is also a Canadian. Not being a naturally developed defender, Jim has overall performed admirably playing the fill-in role at left back. The problem is when you play the selfless part, people still judge you on the merits of the position itself and have little sympathy for the circumstances behind the selection. Jim’s major problem is his one v. one defending in certain key situations. Like in all positions there are naturally developed (position specific) skills that are cultivated over time – Jim being new to the position when he started lacked some key individual defending skills and instincts. On the ball though he is fine. With a great left foot he is more comfortable when he is going forward and can provide crosses and shots on goal. Moving him permanently to left midfield is the correct move. First of all it will give the team more stability in one of the wide areas which has been lacking throughout the first few seasons. It is so frustrating seeing round begs placed in square holes caused by an imbalance of player personnel. Jim’s situation is not complicated. Keep him, move him up to left midfield.

Other of interest:

Gomez: Too young and experienced at the moment to get a solid read. Nevertheless he is athletic with a good mentality and shows good defensive instincts. He is also cheap to keep around. So nothing to lose with keeping him for the next year to see how he develops.

Carl Robinson: Will address Carl Robinson in the next blog but for the defending positions it is hard to fathom why he has not been inserted into the centre back role. He is the perfect profile for the position (in all aspects) and would have been a great mentor for Nana plus a leader for the team. Apparently Carl did not want to play the role? Well if this is to believed then we have a leadership problem within the TFC technical staff because the decision did not need to be a democratic one – “a let's agree to listen to me” type of approach was the order of the day.

Chris Pozniak: A missed opportunity here also. Knowing Chris during my days as U20 coach I always thought his best position would end up being as a centre back if he could embrace it. The times I played him there under intense pressure from the opposition he was excellent. He would have been a better selection than most of the defenders they have at the moment.