Hold the anchovies.
Every week is MLS Rivalry Week in Toronto FC's front office! Hot off the heels of #inhumanely dealing Issey Nakajima-Farran to The Cheesemakers, The Reds sent another winger in Alvaro Rey to Columbus today. Coming in return from the Ohio Riviera is Ghanaian midfielder and speed merchant Dominic Oduro.
The 28-year-old Oduro makes TFC his sixth MLS home since 2006 which in official statistical analysis is referred to as "puttin' it about" or being "The League Bike". As mentioned above, Oduro's main skill set is his pace which must be attractive to Ryan Nelsen's "tactics" (stop laughing) which relies heavily on quick counter-attacks - mostly channeled towards the center of the pitch. Although Oduro may be pressed into wing service, the departures of Issey and Rey illuminate the lack of interest in natural wingers to Nelsen.
While Oduro has natural skills he has never managed to reach the next level of development in MLS and while useful, has left fans expecting more. While his wages are MLS-high, he is a domestic player due to an American green card which Rey was not. Also - Oduro is one of the FIFA All-Time Top 25 players to play a match with pizza shaved and dyed into his hair. Fact.
Speaking of fan expectations, Alvaro Rey leaves TFC with a few supporters wishing he had done more. The man who never said no to an unnecessary step-over could still carve out a useful MLS career under a system that keeps the ball on the deck but his $200k-plus wage was never of value at TFC. His previous career in the lower depths of the Spanish second tier never seemed like a good platform for this league.
But hey... Pizza Head!
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