It should come as no surprise that when the consensus became that Toronto FC was going to trade one, if not all of its first round draft picks at yesterday's MLS Superdraft, that Director of Soccer Operation Mo Johnston turned around and did the complete opposite.

Mo and Toronto FC selected Sam Cronin (2nd overall), O'Brian White (4th overall) and Stefan Frei (13th overall) and once again, because of the depth of the talent chosen, had people declaring him a master at the draft. Naturally, questions were raised as to why the team had not traded those picks and, unnaturally, Mo quickly put those questions to rest.

The man, who has a reputation as a shrewd trader, one who plays his cards close to his chest and a manager who will not be bullied into taking anything less than he asks for, solidified that reputation on the Fan 590 last night.

He answered Nigel Reed's direct questions pointedly - TFC was, in fact, looking to move their second and fourth picks and did, in fact, have a buyer on the line. But, the mystery buyer (FC Dallas?) was asking too much for an unnamed player (Adrian Serioux?) and they went back to their original plan of selecting the players they wanted in the draft.

Debate over. Or rather, shifted.

He then went on, in very short order, to rail off a wealth of hot button items and leave the collective tongues, across the city, wagging.  

What did he say?

Recent signing Dwayne DeRosario isn't going anywhere. In fact, the delay in announcing the DeRo signing to the media has been because he is trying to lock him up for even longer period of time than his current two year contract. 

Also, he is close to signing a South American striker. He thinks they have dollar figure they can work with and by extension insinuated that it would be a DP.

And, just for good measure, he is going to sign a centreback to give head coach John Carver a very healthy club to work with to start the season - but not before he heads home on a quick trip.

All questions answered. All worries put aside. The club is in good hands. Just wait a couple weeks.

But, still, call me paranoid, I have questions.

Such as: Why did Toronto pass up Omar Gonzalez (widely considered the best defender in the draft) only to choose a Canadian striker (White) that is coming off a torn ACL if they are about to sign a big South American striker? Including the South American and White, that would make six strikers up front for the club - far more than needed. Perhaps Mo is suffering from post-Julius James syndrome and has no trust in young defenders, or perhaps it is something else.  

How about: Why did he choose a midfielder in Cronin when DeRo is about to sign and round out the starting mid? Is Mo planning for the future with Sam or preparing to ship someone else out?  Say, Rohan Ricketts whose contract questions are unanswered and has people wondering if he is worth the $212,000 he made last season.

Or, speaking of trades: Are either Greg Sutton or Brian Edwards on the way out now that goaltender Stefan Frei has been drafted? And how did a guy like Frei, given the nod for the best player at the MLS combine, manage to not get taken prior to the 13th pick overall? At least three teams ahead of Toronto were/are in need of a good goalie.

But, above all that speculation (email me ben.rycroft@metronews.ca will your speculation or post in the comments with what you think) perhaps the most important questions to be asked is why is a man in Mo, who plays his cards so close to his chest, so much of the time, telling the whole world what he is about to do?

Mo didn't say much last year and perhaps there wasn't much to say. But when he did speak on things like grass at BMO field or designated players, it felt a little like he was magician performing sleight of hand - saying 'look over here' while the problems on the pitch persisted.

His supporters would agree - he certainly is a magician (at picking young talent.) I've seen this show before though. It's entertaining. But I'm no longer baffled by the sleight of hand.

Instead, I'm looking closely at how the magician does his tricks. And all that has left me with is more questions.

Cheers

Ben

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Post to my facebook too

Dudes from Toronto are funny looking.

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