Quote sheet from Jan. 31 training
Richard Eckersley on his return to the club: I was considering it all of the offseason. It was only recently until it was definitely going to happen. It was really long-winded and I’m just glad to be done.
Eckersley on the camp roster: You see the quality in the team and you see the quality in the players. (We’ve) brought some really good players in and we’re more of a team now. When I first came the changing room was quiet at times but now everyone is laughing and joking and I think you need that to get results in hard games.
Luis Silva on his first week: It’s more intense, faster and people are stronger in every single aspect. It’s different. I just have to adjust and I think the first week, for now, I’ve been doing pretty well keeping up with the guys and just trying to adjust to the system the coach wants us to play and the speed of the game.
Aron Winter on if he’s satisfied with defensive acquisitions: Yes. I have the feeling that our (central) defenders are very good players – Geovanny Caicedo and Miguel Aceval. Adrian (Cann) … and Dicoy (Williams) are almost fit, but they need the time after not playing for a year. With Caicedo and Aceval you have for sure reinforced your defensive line.
Aron Winter on Aceval: Andy Iro isn’t anymore and Aceval is a very good player – a left-central defender. He could also maybe play on the left, but on the left we’ve got Ashtone Morgan and also Jeremy Hall who can play at that position. The most important thing is that the season is long … and you want at each position at least two good, similar players so you can manage them well.
Thomas Rongen on the academy players who are up with the first team: Aron Winter and Bob de Klerk have brought up nine (academy) players to the full squad and it has given me a real broad spectrum of what the level is here. I’m very, very pleased with what I’ve seen … They’re playing well and, at the end of the day, it’s important that these kids gain these kind of experiences.
Thomas Rongen on his first week of training with TFC: I’ve been a head coach for four MLS teams and (TFC) are probably right now the most professional … They conduct themselves on a very high level and I was very impressed with the media day. They use all their resources and the club has great aspirations. It’s a club that’s spending money in departments where it needs to be spent.
More in Thursday’s Sun…
kurtis.larson@sunmedia.ca
@KurtLarSUN
Tags: Aron, BMO, Eckersley, FC, Field, Luis, MLS, Rongen, Silva, TFC, Thomas, Toronto, Winter