De Guzman says no thanks to Toronto FC

The Toronto Star is reporting this morning that midfielder Julian de Guzman has declined a contract offer from TFC, despite having nothing waiting for him in Europe. Sensibly, he wants to play in Europe and not in the second-rate (third-rate?) MLS during the prime of his career.

The article also mentioned Canadian striker Rob Friend and midfielder Atiba Hutchinson as possible targets for Mo Johnston to sign, who appears to covet a quality Canadian for TFC's designated player spot. That's all well and good, of course, but there's just aren't that many quality Canadians out there who would be of use to TFC. Even de Guzman might not have been a great fit, since TFC already have that Welsh guy (who sucked balls against the Islanders, btw) playing holding midfielder.

I think it's pretty apparent that TFC needs a really good quality central defender. Nick Garcia is passable, but not the answer. TFC needs to be in a position where Velez never leaves the bench, and some 18-year old Gambian is not the best solution. The midfield is solid, Ali Gerba is a quality striker and they're not the ones throwing away games like used tampons.