Toronto FC’s new Spanish signing Mista is hoping to finally make his Major League Soccer debut on Saturday afternoon against FC Dallas. The striker made his first appearance for the team playing 45 minutes of the Carlsberg Cup friendly against Bolton Wanderers at BMO Field on Wednesday night but is yet to play in the league.
Mista travelled with the squad to Philadelphia last week but had to watch on from the stands as the Reds lost to the Union. He signed for the team earlier this month but could not be selected until the transfer window opened on July 15. However, his debut was delayed as the team waited for his International Transfer Certificate to arrive from Spain.
Now after almost four weeks of waiting, the 31-year-old is ready for action. “I don’t want to promise that I will score a certain number of goals but I am a striker and I will try my best to help out the attacking play of Toronto FC,” he says. “Hopefully I can contribute to the team and help us to get some good results in the second half of the season.
“In Spain the season finished a couple of months ago, so it is important for me to train hard every day and make sure I get up to full fitness as soon as possible. I am very happy to be here and have been welcomed with open arms by everyone at the club. It is a very good organization and I already feel like it is home.”
The move to Toronto signals the first time that Mista has played for a club outside of his native Spain. He began his career under current Inter Milan boss and former Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez at Real Madrid where he spent three seasons before moving on to Tenerife where he helped that club gain promotion into the first division.
Mista’s most successful seasons in La Liga came while he was a member of Valencia from 2001-2006 when he made 142 appearances, scoring 40 goals. He won two Spanish league titles (2001-02, 2003-04) during that time and was a member of the 2004 UEFA Cup winning squad and scored the second goal in a 2-0 victory over Olympique de Marseille of France in the final.
“Playing in the UEFA tournament with Valencia and me having personal success in it has been the highlight of my career so far. I scored a goal in the final and I was also named the best player in the tournament so that was a very special honour for me.” By winning that title Valencia went on to compete in the UEFA Super Cup where they defeated FC Porto of Portugal 2-0.
Mista’s next stop was Atletico Madrid. He stayed there for two years before signing for Deportivo La Coruna where he scored on his debut in a 2-1 win against Real Madrid. One of his teammates at Deportivo was current Toronto midfielder Julian de Guzman.
Now Mista is looking forward to experiencing life in a new league. With the recent arrival of Thierry Henry in New York and Mexico’s Nery Castillo in Chicago as the league’s latest designated players, he is certain that Major League Soccer is continuing to move in the right direction.
“Many players across the world are starting to look towards this league as somewhere they would like to go to. I can certainly say that Europeans are starting to realize what is on offer here in North America. When a player like Julian de Guzman is brought here from a top European club, it raises a lot of heads. Players see moves like that and it gets them thinking that this could be a good place to play. It feels like the league is growing and going on the right path, that’s for sure.”
To read a full feature with Mista, make sure you pick up a copy of the Matchday Programme at BMO Field on Saturday.
