Thursday, January 19, 2012

Toronto snap up defender

Toronto FC have completed the signing of Richard Eckersley from Burnley.

The former Manchester United defender was on loan with the Canadian side last season in which he played 23 times for TFC. He made his debut in the 1-1 draw with Columbus Crew on April 23 following the switch from the English club.

Although Eckersley is a right back by trade, he was used in the centre of defence on more than one occasion by coach Aron Winter last season following injuries in the squad.

Toronto’s Director of Player Development Paul Mariner helped persuade Eckersley to join the MLS side, who remain one of the favourites for the play-offs in the live soccer betting , as he was the 22-year old’s manager when the defender went on loan to Plymouth in 2010.

Eckersley signed for Burnley in 2009 after he rejected a new contract from United. The Turf Moor club offered him a four year deal when they were promoted to the Premier League after winning the Championship play-off final against Sheffield United at Wembley.

The Reds won the Canadian Championship last year for the third consecutive season and as a result have qualified for the CONCACAF Champions League, though the soccer betting tips are predicting they will struggle to make an impact in that competition. In the MLS they finished 16th overall after winning just six of their 34 games with just the New England Revolution and Vancouver Whitecaps FC behind them in the standings.

Toronto’s second capture this week is Ecuadorian Geovanny Caicedo who signs from LDU Quito. The 30-year old defender has played eight times for his country and was part of the Ecuador squad that took part in the 2011 Copa America. His last appearance for the national side was against the United States in October 2011.

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