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Report: Former DC defender Nelsen to be new TFC coach


New Toronto FC president Kevin Payne appears set to shake things up a bit more at BMO Field.

According to a Soccer By Ives report on Monday, Payne has relieved current head coach Paul Mariner of his duties, and is set to name former D.C. United defender Ryan Nelsen as Mariner's replacement. This comes just hours after the news that technical manager Bob de Klerk has also been let go.

There is expected to be a press conference announcing Nelsen on Tuesday.


http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/articl...-new-tfc-coach

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Toronto FC sign ex-Sporting midfielder Julio Cesar


Recently hired Toronto FC manager Ryan Nelsen made it very clear that he wants a team that resembles himself: strong, dedicated, smart, tough to beat.

On Tuesday, the club made it's first move in that direction, announcing the signing of former Sporting Kansas City midfielder Julio Cesar

http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/articl...er-julio-cesar

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MLS SuperDraft:
Toronto land both their targets and more



INDIANAPOLIS – Toronto FC may have traded away the No. 1 pick in Thursday’s MLS SuperDraft, but that didn’t keep Kevin Payne from landing the player he coveted above all others.

In fact, by virtue of some shrewd wheeling and dealing, Toronto landed both of their primary targets – the Ontario-born duo of Kyle Bekker and Emery Welshman – as well as allocation money from New England, Vancouver and Seattle to move down in the draft order from No. 1 to 3, No. 4 to 10 and finally No. 10 to 16.

It was about as well as the day could go for TFC, especially since Payne and his staff thought Bekker, a midfielder who can play box-to-box as well as in an attacking role, was the draft pool’s premier talent.

http://www.mlssoccer.com/superdraft/...rgets-and-more

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Full-time job:
Nelsen set to take reins at TFC on Feb. 1


TORONTO – The uncertainty is over for Toronto FC.

Ryan Nelsen said on Tuesday at the club’s media day that he will become head coach on a full-time basis as of Feb. 1, when the team opens its Orlando phase of preseason training.

Nelsen, 35, was hired on Jan. 8 as head coach, but because he still is playing for Queens Park Rangers, who are battling to avoid relegation in the English Premier League, it was not certain when he would take over his new job on a full-time basis.

“We had a talk and we wanted to give QPR as much time as possible to bring in a replacement or sort their things out,” Nelsen told the media on Tuesday. “If they knew I was leaving earlier it would have been harder in the transfer window.”

The New Zealand international center back is scheduled to play his final game next Tuesday for QPR against Manchester City in an EPL match.


http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/articl...eins-tfc-feb-1

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Traded For Pick
TFC trades Joao Plata to Salt Lake for 2015 2nd round draft pick.


http://www.torontofc.ca/news/2013/01/plata-traded-pick

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Payne furious with unfit TFC players in preseason camp


TORONTO – Kevin Payne’s attempt to change the culture at Toronto FC took a step backward this week, thanks a group of players who showed up at preseason camp out of shape and left the club president demanding more from his new team.

“I told them, ‘You will never, ever come back here after a break looking like this again,’” Payne told reporters on Thursday. “’It just won’t happen, or you won’t be here, end of story.’ Lots of guys did a great job, came back in great shape, but there were more than one or two who were not close to being fit.”

Payne, who joined Toronto FC in November after eight years running D.C. United, said he doesn’t think the club has done a good enough job monitoring the team’s offseason fitness routine, and he’s struggling to understand why players don’t take the initiative on their own.

“Ryan [Nelsen, head coach] feels the same way,” Payne said. “We were kind of joking – being paid to go to the gym, now how hard is that? Most people have to spend money to go to the gym and shoe-horn it into their schedule. There’s just no excuse for it.

“In D.C., we didn’t accept it and there was an enormous level of peer pressure brought to bear on guys that showed up unfit, and we need to get to that point here. That’s not the case right now. I didn’t see any evidence of that within the locker room.”

http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/articl...preseason-camp

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First Home Match At Rogers Centre

Toronto will open its 2013 MLS home slate against Sporting KC on March 9

Toronto FC will return to the Rogers Centre for its first home game of the season for the second straight year.

Reds open the 2013 Major League Soccer season on March 2 in Vancouver. A week later they’ll be at the Rogers Centre to kickoff its home calendar against Sporting Kansas City. Time for this match is still to be decided. Toronto will open at BMO Field against LA Galaxy on March 30.


http://www.torontofc.ca/news/2013/01...-rogers-centre

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TFC's Frei suffers broken nose, will have surgery Tuesday


Stefan Frei will have surgery on Tuesday to repair the broken nose he suffered over the weekend, and it’s unclear how much time the Toronto FC goalkeeper will miss as he recovers from the injury.

The incident occurred in Saturday’s 1-0 loss to the Columbus Crew during the Disney Pro Soccer Classic in Orlando, Fla., late in the first half after a collision with Crew striker Ryan Finley.

Frei charged out of the box and went down to cut off a long Columbus pass and Finley was running toward him to get the ball. Finley’s boot hit Frei on the left side of the nose, and the ‘keeper left the game after staying down on the field momentarily.

It was Frei’s first game after missing almost all of last season when he suffered a fractured left fibula and torn ankle ligaments during training last March.

http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/articl...urgery-tuesday

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2013 Depth Chart: Toronto FC

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Injuries force Toronto DP Frings into retirement


If Toronto FC can manage to turn around their fortunes when a new season begins on Saturday, they’ll do it without Torsten Frings.

The 36-year-old German defender announced his retirement on Tuesday after 18 years in the game, citing concerns stemming from a hip injury that required surgery last season. Frings, who joined Toronto as Designated Player in July 2011, left Toronto FC preseason camp in Florida earlier this month

http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/articl...ngs-retirement

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2013 TORONTO FC PRIMARY KIT

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Toronto FC add Welsh international striker Robert Earnshaw


Toronto FC announced Friday the club has signed Welsh International striker Robert Earnshaw. As per team and league policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed. He will be added to the roster upon receipt of his International Transfer Certificate (ITC).

Earnshaw, 31, most recently spent time on loan in Israel with Maccabi Tel Aviv from Welsh club, Cardiff City FC. He began his career with Cardiff's youth program and turned professional in 1998. The Welshman made 168 appearances, scoring 83 goals in all competitions in his first stint with the Bluebirds.

In 2004, Earnshaw was transferred to Premier League side, West Bromwich Albion FC. He went on to score 12 goals in 43 appearances over two seasons with the Baggies.

http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/articl...obert-earnshaw

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Away Support Mark Set To Fall Saturday

Traveling TFC fans expected to nearly double their own record set in 2008

Montreal Impact vs. Toronto FC still might feel like a fairly new rivalry to many MLS fans given their recent additions to the league as expansion teams.

But the history runs deeper than you think. Here’s all you need to know about this weekend’s Rivalry Week matchup at Montreal’s Olympic Stadium (4 pm ET, TSN/RDS in Canada, MLS Live in the US): A soon-to-be-new MLS record 4,200 traveling supporters will be making the trek from Toronto (TFC fans already hold the all-time MLS record for traveling supporters with 2,400 in Columbus back in 2008).

“We absolutely expect to beat that record on Saturday,” Toronto FC senior director of business operations Paul Bierne told MLSsoccer.com by phone on Monday afternoon. “We worked with the front office in Montreal to arrange for a special allotment of tickets to be made available to TFC fans. As a result, over 5,000 tickets have been requested. We’ll see how many actually travel to Montreal. After this week’s win against Sporting Kansas City, I expect it will be a good solid number.”

http://www.torontofc.ca/news/2013/03...-fall-saturday

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Toronto FC add New Zealand international forward Jeremy Brockie on loan


Toronto FC were busy on Tuesday, getting Scottish defender Steven Caldwell on loan and then announcing later that they've acquired New Zealand international forward Jeremy Brockie (above, left) on loan from Wellington Phoenix FC.

The 25-year-old Brockie – who was a teammate of now-TFC head coach Ryan Nelsen with New Zealand at the 2010 World Cup – joins the Reds after spending the past season with the Hyundai A-League outfit, where he appeared in 24 matches and scored 16 goals; finishing second in league scoring. Brockie has scored 32 career goals in 98 A-League matches.

http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/articl...y-brockie-loan

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Toronto FC acquire Israeli international defender Tal Ben Haim on loan from Queens Park Rangers


Toronto FC coach Ryan Nelsen's foraging for England-based talent continued on Thursday as the club announced the acquisition of defender Tal Ben Haim on loan from Queens Park Rangers, Nelsen's former team who are bracing for relegation from the English Premier League.

The 31-year-old Israeli international joins Toronto FC after signing with QPR in January. He made six appearances for the London club in all competitions. He has made more than 300 appearances during nine seasons in England, eight of which have been in the EPL.

http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/articl...-loan-queens-p