Preki starts the TFC clear-out

A day after the news broke that Amado Guevara was about to sign with Honduran club CD Motagua, TFC confirmed that they were indeed releasing the midfielder. Along with Guevara, two players who were touted as rising stars of the future when they were signed, Pablo Vitti and Lesly Fellinga, were also dispatched.

When Mo Johnston signed Vitti on loan from Independiente of Argentina (after seeing him in a friendly) you could have been forgiven for thinking the Reds had signed Pele Maradona Jr. Johnston was crowing about the great skills of the young Argentine but it became quickly apparent that Vitti lacked one major skill needed in a striker - scoring. TFC already has a striker who can't strike in Chad Barrett, so as of today - one is enough.

Johnston had also shown a great deal of enthusiasm for Lesly Fellinga when the Haitian Not-So-Sensation joined TFC from the Netherlands midway through last season. Another of Mo's "hidden gems" that obviously will never shine at this level. However, Preki seems to have Johnston's ear on who is in and who is out and will hopefully be the one to bring in replacements. At the very least, we won't have to hear Johnston proclaiming yet another mediocre reserve is the "next great thing".

BREAKING NEWS: It's a Haitian Sensation! Fellinga Joins TFC

“Yes, we’ve got Fellinga – it is, Sexual Healing-a” Okay, that may be the worst chant of all time but big kudos to anyone who is heard singing it on Saturday. That’s right fans of Haitian International football, 23 year old Lesly Fellinga has signed with Toronto FC with the club officially announcing the move today. For followers of THE WORD, the Fellinga rumour has been around for a couple of weeks now, so it is safe to assume that the young left-back impressed enough during trials or is willing to be paid by MLSE in Haitian currency.

The new Red is something of an unknown quantity but did have the chops to break into the first team of Dutch heavyweights SC Heerenveen-Gone Tomorrow. If he shows actual quality, he may press Jim Brennan for minutes as the captain has definitely shown diminished qualities this season. Depth is certainly lacking on TFC so any reinforcements are more than welcome but the signing, and any more at this level, will be a bitter pill for any easily tricked supporters who may have honestly believed Julian De Guzman was really coming home. Lastly, kudos to you Mo Johnston – a Haitian via The Netherlands – it’s true, you do know that there are countries that exist outside of the English speaking world.

THE WORD: Trials And Errors

Maybe part of Mo Johnston's rumoured contract extension includes a Eurail Pass because all of a sudden TFC is being linked with Central European based players. As reported in THE WORD last week, European press are claiming that The Reds are close to signing Haitian defender Lesly Fellinga, last of Holland's SV Heereveen (Gone Tomorrow) and that the player is on trial in TFC's secret bunker.

This week, the EU quotient is being upped at BMO with the apparent trials of Dutch midfielder Dominique "Not Wilkins" Van Dijk and Czech striker Michal "Cherry Flavour "Pospisil. Now who dares say Mo's map of the continent was torn anywhere east of Newcastle! Somebody's been in geography class.

Van Dijk is a 29 year old journeyman who may or may not own a windmill but has played for one of the world's best named teams - Go Ahead Eagles. Love them. Read it like a 30's gangster: "Go Ahead Eagles... do your worst, see!". His best years were with lower divisie SC Cambuur - which may also be a type of vegetable. He would be dirt cheap... " a stunning player" says MLSE's accounting department.

Pospisil is not a delicious frozen treat on a stick but rather another journeyman, this time Ceski! Ahoj Michal...Pivo? (It means "Hello Michal...Beer?" My time in Prague really did wonders) Pospisil has had some decent years up front especially during spells with Slovan Liberec of the Czech Gambrinus Liga (Gambrinus is a marvellous pivo by the way) and with Hearts in the Scottish Premier. Oh, now i get it Mo.. Scotland. Either way, he'd be a bit cheap too... "great work rate and a top-notch soccer scoring striker type of guy thingy" says MLSE's accounting department.

It seems unlikely that TFC would be ready to hand out this many international slots but word is they are on trials at The International House of Cut-Rate Players aka BMO Field. Maybe Mo figures 4 or 5 mediocre players equals the one good one he was never really going to... I mean tried really hard to sign.

WORD FACTOR: 5 / 10

MO JOHNSTON GEOGRAPHY FACTOR: 2 / 10

The WORD: More Than a Fellinga?

This one has been floating around the old internetting machine for a few weeks but it has started to gather some steam overseas. Sources claim (why can't sauces ever claim instead?) that Toronto FC is about to sign 23 year old left-back Lesly Fellinga from Dutch Eredivisie outfit SC Heerenveen on a free (of course) transfer.

The young Haitian international (12 caps) has spent his entire professional career in the Land of Pancakes and Windmills as opposed to former TFC striker Collin Samuel who got wind after going to International House of Pancakes. Fellinga started his career in FC Groningen's youth set-up before being given a start at Dutch lower division (sorry, divisie) side BV Veendam. He impressed there and made the jump to Dutch big boys SC Heerenveen where he toiled in their reserve teams before making two senior appearances last year.

Any player with a solid, high-level European training background at least has some promise and TFC definitely needs some depth in the back. At worst, Fellinga could add some competition on the left side of a back four that includes rapidly aging veterans, especially Jim Brennan, but also a couple of decent looking youngsters in Attakora and Gomez. The only strange thing about this rumour is that no one knew that Mo Johnston's scouting radar went any further east than the North Sea. Maybe he fell asleep in front of GOL-TV and "Eridivisie This Week" was on, or he was looking up “Dutch” things on the internetting machine. We will follow this rumour to see if it pans out or if it is Heerenveen and gone tomorrow. Sorry... I had to... the Dutch are hilarious… sounding.

WORD FACTOR: 6.5 / 10