Asif Hossain

Reds Make Moves On The Fly

Hours after a Champions League victory that may breathe new life into the 2011 season, Toronto FC made a pair of moves on Thursday as head coach and technical director Aron Winter continues to shape the team as needed.

The frequently reported departure of fullback Dan Gargan officially materialized when he was shipped to Chicago in exchange for versatile defender Dasan Robinson. 

Additionally, Toronto signed 22-year old forward Peri Marosevic from FC Dallas.

[inline_node:7459]Both of these signings were made to increase the depth of Toronto’s squad and it’s likely that Winter will continue to tinker until the summer window closes next month. 

It’s understandable that some supporters were left scratching their heads over the conflicting reports regarding Gargan that had surfaced since Monday. The club wasn’t able to make a confirmation of his status until all proper guidelines were satisfied by the league office, which was quite busy this week hosting the All-Star Game against Manchester United at Red Bull Arena.

Gargan was loved by TFC supporters for his work ethic and personality but had lost his place on the right side of defence to Richard Eckersley. It was important for Toronto to find more cover in the middle of its backline, which Robinson provides.

Toronto flew to Portland on Thursday to start a wild two-game western trip.  First, it’s the Timbers on Saturday night (GOL TV Canada, 11 p.m. ET). Then the Reds will travel to Central America, hoping to defend its Champions League preliminary round lead (2-1 aggregate) versus Real Esteli of Nicaragua on Tuesday (Rogers Sportsnet One, 10 p.m. ET).

They’ll cover approximately 8,300 kilometers over six days, playing two games in three nights, before the return flight to Toronto from Nicaragua. 

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