TFC's original keeper is hanging his cleats. The news is not surprising, but after 13 pro seasons and a half, Canadian goalkeeper Greg Sutton is about to make public he’s calling it quit at age 35.
SoccerPlus was told the veteran has already notified Impact head coach Jesse Marsch and the club’s management of his decision, saying he no longer has the motivation to pursue his playing career.
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The first keeper in Toronto FC’s history returned to Montreal with his Quebecois wife in 2011 after five seasons in MLS with the Reds and New York Red Bulls. Sutton only played two tough games since returning to the side he led to second division glory in 2004, including his counter-performance on May 26 in Colorado.
Replacing an injured Donovan Ricketts halfway in the second period, Sutton did not look good on the Rapids’ game winning effort in the dying minutes of the game.
The three-time All-American from St. Lawrence U. was the only keeper claimed in the 1999 MLS College Draft, a second round pick by the Chicago Fire.
In 50 MLS starts, Sutton showed a 14-24-15 record with a 1.57 GAA and 11 clean sheets. There’s no way of calculating it, but there’s a strong possibility the head concussion during a Canadian National Team training camp in Florida in June 2007 did reduce his career span.
Sutton did rebound in 2008 starting 24 of TFC’s 30 games with a 7-10-7 record, 1.46 GAA and six shutouts. Victim of the revolving door policy at BMO Field, he was let go in June 2009.
The Canadian reappeared in MLS in 2010 with New York, but he played only 13 matches in the Red Bulls’ uniform, sliding behind Bouna Coundoul and Frank Rost on Hans Backe’s depth chart. He was loaned to Montreal’s NASL side in the summer of 2011.
His only game in 2011 for the Impact was on August 10 at Saputo Stadium where he and his team mates lost a two-goal lead to Tampa Bay in the final five minutes for a disappointing 3-3 tie. Need we remind our readers that Montreal missed the NASL playoffs by one point last season.
The highlight of his career was during his first stay in Montreal’s D2 side between 2001 and 2006 when he was Most Valuable Goalkeeper four seasons in a row, including in 2004 when he led the team to the D2 title and was picked the league’s MVP.
On the world scene, Sutton played 16 games for Canada, including seven shutouts between 2004 and 2009.
WHAT’S NEXT IN MONTREAL
In this context and facing the under par performance from Donovan Ricketts, it would not be surprising to see the Impact be active on the market to acquire a new keeper.
One option would be to trade within MLS, for instance to pick up former Impact Andrew Weber, who was recently pushed back to the No. 3 spot on Seattle’s roster. Otherwise, there’s certainly a resume or two from a foreign keeper under study on Nick DeSantis’ desk.
The Impact does count on one of the best up and coming Canadian product in Maxime Crepeau within its ranks, but in the context of an immediate MLS need, it might seem precipitious to push him on the front of the stage at this time in his journey.