Eric Avila Traded To Toronto For Maicon Santos
by Drew Epperley on Aug 2, 2011 3:03 PM CDT
in Roster Moves
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A move that will shock us all in some form or fashion.
We knew from earlier in the day that Eric Avila would be moved, loaned, sold or something at some point today and that news finally came down. He was sent to Toronto FC in exchange for 27-year old striker Maicon Santos. FC Dallas will also receive an international slot from Toronto FC through the remainder of 2011.
"We are very excited that Maicon Santos is joining FC Dallas," FC Dallas head coach Schellas Hyndman said. "He is an established player in MLS. He's got great size. He is the leading scorer for Toronto FC with six goals. Given the way we play and the type of ball movement we get, I believe he will contribute immediately to the team."
The surprising part of this move is landing Santos, a big striker that has scored 12 goals in 51 MLS games since joining the league back in 2009. He started off in the league with Chivas USA but then later moved to Toronto last season. He became the first non-Canadian captain for TFC this season when manager Aron Winter gave him the honor back in April. It didn't last long however as he fell out of favor with the Dutch manager.
Edit: Maicon Santos is on the Toronto FC Champions League roster even though he did not play in their first game meaning he is officially ineligible to play for FC Dallas in CONCACAF Champions League play. However, I hear this may be waived, stay tuned on that one.
(read on for more)
In terms of salary, this deal makes sense as both made decent numbers (Avila makes $133k w/ bonuses, Santos gets $126k). If anything Dallas is going to save a little coin on this deal.
At first glance its a weird deal for both sides. Avila doesn't exactly fit Winter's 4-3-3 system while Santos doesn't strike me as a guy that fits perfectly into Schellas Hyndman's system. Thankfully for Dallas, Santos could easily improve around the type of players that Dallas has right now. I don't believe Santos has ever really had the quality surrounding him that he'll have here in Dallas. He's a big guy that has to be able to get on the end of some crosses from Brek Shea and others.
In the end it isn't a sexy deal in the least bit but it is a deal that shows Dallas is continuing to fight to win here this season. It's been well documented all year about how badly Dallas needed a target striker and Santos fits that bill.
I hated seeing Avila go but it was pretty clear that once he returned from the failed loan deal in Mexico that he just wasn't "in it" as much as he used to be here. I don't believe you can say he fell out of favor with Hyndman or that the two had issues with one another, I never got that sense. Avila worked hard and in the end just needed to move on so he could improve as a player. He wasn't going to be able to do that here in Dallas with the current talent around him improving over him.
"For us, it was very difficult to see Eric Avila leave," Hyndman said. "We are going to miss him. He is a great team player. He has scored some very important goals for FC Dallas. He has been a part of this team for almost four years. He has some very good friends and coaches here in Dallas. The problem was he was not getting enough time here and I think Toronto FC really wanted Avila to be a part of their team, which encouraged us to make a trade."
What do you all make of this deal?
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Not sure what to think of this
Certainly not what I thought would happen. A good need-for-need trade that gives us some extra height in the box for set pieces along with more speed than Uncle Milton was providing. TFC’s season is done (except for CCL), and they need to build from youth, so I think this helps them quite a bit. Avi’s a good player and has a bright future.
Now let’s hope that Hernandez and Co. can get him on the same page as the rest of the team.
They should. Santos should feel much more at home with this club than he ever did in Toronto. Given the fact that FCD has enough Brazilians to star a rock band now, he should have no trouble getting used to things here.
Editor/writer at Big D Soccer, writer at SBNation.com/soccer, owner/founder of WVHooligan.com and you can follow me on Twitter.
by Drew Epperley on Aug 2, 2011 3:24 PM CDT up reply actions
FACT
I think we fans are going to have to learn Portuguese just to cheer our squad on lol. I like this move. Nothing against Chavez, he has handled the top spot fine for what he brings to the table, speed and good work rate. Now we’ve got a big guy who is apparently a bit selfish on the ball; isn’t the selfish part the iconic adjective used for all strikers? At 27, he could be our target guy up front for a few years to come, should he work well in the system FCD plays. Alas, so much for going after Cooper as many people wanted. Adding Maicon and soon to return Castillo, plus a pending return for Dahvee; we look very good and have depth.
by Timothy Winning Voyles on Aug 2, 2011 3:38 PM CDT up reply actions
Yep
Depending on his mindset, this guy appears to have the tools to flourish in the offense.
It will be interesting to see if he is handed the starting striker role and, if so, what happens to Jax and Chavez. One of them would figure to stay central with DH and AJ, but not sure Chavez has the consistent first touch to operate in tight quarters and not sure Jax has temperament to play central without accumulating a lot of cards. Of course, always nice to have the option to rest one of the three (or bring off the bench when needed) – Brek, Jax, Chavez – and let DH/AJ/EA man the middle behind the new striker.
Sad to see Avila go, but he was regressing as a player and is too good to ride the pine waiting to play in a system where he was never going to be a 90-minute guy. I hope he becomes the creative force that TFC is lacking and goes on to much success (except for against us).
by jyj on Aug 2, 2011 3:44 PM CDT up reply actions
Keep in mind, I’m sure we all don’t care to see it happen, Jackson may be some relief to Loyd or Benitez on the back line. Hernandez’s knees aren’t getting any younger. It was a rather odd substitution when Jax replaced Warshaw but, I liked it. Once again Jax shows willingness to play anywhere SH puts him and he did pretty well. I think he would make a splendid CDM who has the pace, skill, and willingness to go both ways; DH is hard pressed to make it past the center circle other than on set plays.
I wouldn’t have put Avi in any other spot besides mid, but certainly not CDM. This moves shakes up our depth chart a bit and hopefully provides a true striker up top.
Imagine this: Loyd, John, Ugo, Benitez all on back. Jax CDM, Brek and Chavez outside mids. Bruno/Alexander/Villar playing center mids then Maicon up top. This doesn’t even take Castillo or Ferriera into the lineup yet. So much speed and goal scoring potential from all over the field. Other than a PK has DH scored for us?
Idk, I may be crazy and have my own coaching mindset going here but, I am really liking what this deal brings us for depth and new looks for the team; not this year but for the upcoming season or two.
by Timothy Winning Voyles on Aug 2, 2011 4:02 PM CDT up reply actions
Wow
Target Man at least, but I hope we don’t miss Avila too much
by Robert L. Bishop on Aug 2, 2011 3:37 PM CDT reply actions
Eric Avila=Chris Davis
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-SB Nation Dallas/Ft. Worth-
-FC Dallas-
by Daniel Robertson on Aug 2, 2011 3:54 PM CDT reply actions
Good analogy
Hopefully both will flourish in their new locales
Cap tied?
Is Santos cap tied in the CCL since he was on TFC roster when qualification began? I don’t know if CONCACAF cares about that stuff like they do in Europe, but that is something to consider.
I was wondering about that too
Santos wasn’t on the gameday 18 last week and therefore hasn’t played in any CCL matches for Toronto. Hopefully that means he will be eligible for us going forward (if we can hold on to win tomorrow).
Good question, I’ve never heard of a CONCACAF policy on that.
Regardless, I like the trade. Twinge of regret that this means no Cooper, but any time you can trade a reserve for a likely starter at a position of need (who was captain of his old team), it seems like a no-brainer.
by fennsk1 on Aug 2, 2011 4:22 PM CDT via mobile up reply actions
Should be okay here since he wasn’t on the 18-man game day roster for TFC last week.
Editor/writer at Big D Soccer, writer at SBNation.com/soccer, owner/founder of WVHooligan.com and you can follow me on Twitter.
by Drew Epperley on Aug 2, 2011 4:23 PM CDT up reply actions
By the by....
I want to send a hearty “kiss my tuckus” to all those who were criticizing the FO for not getting a forward in here before the season started. I said it then, and i think this sort of proves it right…..wait until mid-season, assess your needs, and wait until a good deal shows up. They would have overpayed for a question mark forward in the pre-season. Now they pick up a good player for basically very little and we aren’t in panic mode because the results have been there.
John Daniels...
…is still the best GM in town, but Schellas/Quinn are closing fast.
I meant Gorman....
…not Quinn. Darn it. Although it would be interesting to get an inside look at how that whole power dynamic works between the three of them.
Disagree
Gorman’s time here has been very checkered so far.
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-SB Nation Dallas/Ft. Worth-
-FC Dallas-
by Daniel Robertson on Aug 2, 2011 4:35 PM CDT up reply actions
I hear ya....
…I think it’s real tough at this level, with this budget, and the lack of scouting infrastructure, to hit on a high percentage of acquisitions. I think they manage the process pretty well. They don’t go crazy, they don’t over-react. I like the process.
So I've heard the Alianza game is going to be general admission with seating only on the west (shaded) side
Can anyone confirm this?
I got that e-mail too...will have something up on that later.
www.bigdsoccer.com
-SB Nation Dallas/Ft. Worth-
-FC Dallas-
by Daniel Robertson on Aug 2, 2011 5:34 PM CDT up reply actions
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