It’s been 53 days since Toronto FC last won a match and in that time injuries and international call-ups consumed one third of the TFC squad. Seeing the depth of his side severely tested, head coach and technical director Aron Winter stressed that his team was in need of leadership and goals.
On Wednesday, hours ahead of an all-Canadian MLS affair (the first at BMO Field), the coach received his wish with the addition of designated players Torsten Frings and Danny Koevermans.
[inlinenode:7193]In midfielder Frings, Winter is getting one of the leading figures of his generation in German football. The former Werder Bremen captain in the German Bundesliga was linked with Leeds United and Rangers in recent days. This transfer swoop for Toronto adds to the spine of its squad.
German national team head coach Joachim Low praised Frings in 2008 when he was paired with Michael Ballack at midfield.
“(Frings) plays very sensibly,” said Low, “he keeps his eye on the ball while Ballack plays offensively more often.”
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RELATED: Frings & Koevermans Join TFC
Toronto obviously doesn’t have the luxury of a player of Ballack’s caliber at midfield to complement Frings. But like he did for Germany and at Werder, Frings can help stop the opposition, give TFC’s players the freedom to attack, while supporting a backline that has conceded a league-high 29 goals in 18 games.
It’s a disservice to Frings’ ability as a box-to-box player to simply call him a defensive midfielder. The German is quite versatile, which he showed by scoring six times last season in Bundesliga. Should Julian de Guzman regain form, Frings will be able to show his full range in Toronto’s 4-3-3 system.
[inlinenode:7194]Leadership element and midfield steel added, Winter will look to Koevermans to provide goals up front. The Dutch forward told TorontoFC.ca that his role is simple.
“I’m a centre forward,” said Koevermans, “my job is to get in the box and score goals.”
He sure makes it sound easy and Toronto could use this kind of confidence in the opposition third.
Koevermans' strike rate in Holland – 136 goals in 253 games – speaks to his instincts as a poacher, but for Winter he can be much more. Toronto’s best performances generally arrive when Alan Gordon is in the lineup, signaling that its system and players are best utilized with a target man up front. Koevermans is about the same size as Gordon and at 32, could have plenty to offer on the score sheet once he adjusts to life in North America.
When a 21-year old Koevermans first joined Sparta Rotterdam 11 years ago, one of the veterans there to welcome him was the same man now at the helm of Toronto. Koevermans mused about his longstanding relationship with Winter, that he will once again lean on his senior Dutch compatriot in a new environment.
The earliest Frings and Koevermans can play for Toronto is on July 20 at BMO Field against Dallas. For those starved for leadership and goals – like the head coach – that day can’t come soon enough.
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