Not all milestones are to be celebrated. Such it is with Toronto FC as the club sits just two players away from having played 100 different players on the senior roster all-time (in all competitions). With Aron Winter seemingly interested in replacing the whole roster during the current break, the 100 number will be blown away – it’s possible that six new players could suit up in TFC’s next game.
By the time the fifth season is over, Toronto will have had more players than both of the 2005 expansion sides.
The only way to appreciate the amount of turnover Toronto has had you need to compare the club to the rest of the league. CSN has done just that:
Using data from the end of 2010 (the most recent available that allows us to look at all teams) Toronto ranks 13th out of the 18 teams that have played in MLS (for the purpose of the calculations Houston is considered a distinct club from San Jose and the current Earthquakes keep the pre 2006 stats).
It breaks down like this:
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- New York – 235
- Colorado – 198
- New England – 189
- DC United – 188
- Columbus – 170
- Los Angeles – 162
- San Jose – 162
- Dallas – 158
- Chicago – 143
- Kansas City – 143
- Chivas – 96
- Salt Lake – 90
- Toronto – 82
- Tampa Bay - 81
- Miami – 70
- Houston – 54
- Seattle - 35
- Philly - 28
However, just looking at the raw numbers doesn’t really tell the story. Obviously teams that have played 15 season will have had more players than those that have played four. Removing Seattle (just two seasons) and Philadelphia (one season), here are the average amount of players per year statistics.
- Toronto – 20.5
- Tampa Bay 20.25
- Miami – 17.5
- Chivas – 16.0
- New York – 15.66
- Salt Lake – 15
- Colorado – 13.2
- San Jose – 12.46
- DC United – 12.53
- New England – 12.6
- Columbus – 11.33
- Chicago –11.0
- Houston – 10.8
- Los Angeles – 10.8
- Dallas – 10.53
- Kansas City – 9.53
In fairness, there is a bump for expansion teams that, by necessity, have to look at a lot of players early. However, it is telling that of the original clubs, New York – they of zero trophies – ranks highest in player turnover. Also, you can’t chalk all of Toronto’s numbers up to being an expansion side. The Reds are significantly higher than any active team.
If all six of the new Reds debut, Toronto’s average turnover number will actually increase at the end of the year to 20.8.
Clearly, the mess Mo Johnston left Toronto had to be cleaned up. So, it’s hard to be too critical of the new management. However, one would hope that they are aware of a need to push Toronto down a few spots on that list.