Toronto FC interim head coach Nick Dasovic has welcomed the arrival of midfielder Nathan Sturgis. The midfielder was acquired from Vancouver Whitecaps FC on Thursday in exchange for Toronto’s natural first round selection (eighth overall) in the 2011 MLS SuperDraft.
[inline_node:5442]“I know Nathan from when Canada played against him with the U.S. Under 20s a few years ago,” Dasovic told me at BMO Field Thursday. “He has played at the U20 World Cup on a couple of occasions and after starting his career as a defender he played for Seattle in the midfield last year. The Sounders had a great run towards the end of last season with him playing in the middle of the park.”
RELATED: Toronto Acquires Nathan Sturgis
RELATED: Sturgis Combines Present And Future
“He is a good player to bring into the midfield and has a great character. We talked to coaches that he has played under and they all had good things to say about him. We want players with good character who want to be here and work hard. We think he is a good fit for the club and we are looking forward to having him here.”
The arrival of Nathan Sturgis comes a day after six players departed from Toronto FC’s 2010 roster, including O’Brian White who was picked by Vancouver in the Expansion Draft and subsequently traded to Seattle.
“I spoke to O’Brian yesterday after the deal was done and I wished him my best,” said Dasovic. “I thanked him for his efforts and his contribution here. I told him that maybe a change of venue will help him out. Sometimes as a player it is good to move to a new area and get some new motivation. I think he is excited about it and looking forward to the challenge.”
“We have lost a striker who came in here with a really good reputation from college. Unfortunately he came in here with an injury and never really seemed to get back to where he was at. He is a great kid and Seattle will be happy to have him.”
Maxim Usanov, Raivis Hscanovics, Martin Saric, Mista and Gabe Gala also left the club on Wednesday. “The whole staff looked at the situation with the players we had and there were some guys we felt needed to move on as we look towards building for next season. When you don’t make the playoffs there needs to be some changes. We are looking to bring in young players and a couple of older, more experienced heads. We thank all of the players who have been here, but now we are looking in a different direction.”
“Hopefully as time goes on we won’t keep letting large numbers of players leave. We want to keep a group of players together for the next two or three years and build on that.”
Discuss this with
Luke on Twitter
.
