Both Sam Cronin and Stefan Frei have looked impressive early on this season. In fact, both of them are making pretty good cases early on to be candidates for this year's Rookie of the Year award. Let's not forget the third member of our first round draft class from this past January - Jamaican born Toronto native O'Brian White.
He tore his ACL last summer and is still recovering from that injury. An ACL tear is a pretty serious injury - I write with first-hand experience. Mo and co. did their homework, though - they said this numerous times in the days before and after the Super Draft. If O'Brian White had no chance of making a full recovery from this injury, Mo wouldn't have drafted him. I'm sure even the Mo-haters can admit that.
As pre-season went on, we read numerous reports about White's recovery. Some said he would be back for the season kickoff (which obviously didn't happen) and some said he'd be good to go by July. I have no idea when he's currently expected to be back, but what can we expect from this guy when he's match-fit again?
In January of 2008, he wont the M.A.C. Hermann Trophy as the NCAA MVP, beating out Joseph Lapira (who spurned us for Europe) and Patrick Nyarko, one of the Chicago Fire's brightest prospects. He scored 23 goals that season for the University of Connecticut, before his team was eliminated in the NCAA Quarter-Finals. This guy is no pushover.
We used our no. 4 pick to get him, and Mo Johnston said after the draft that he would have been gone if we had waited to use our no. 12 pick on him. Looking past the injury, MLS clubs saw the player. I heard from a source at the draft who rated White as the best available attacker available, despite the injury. And yes, this source was including Seattle's no. 1 pick, Steve Zakuani, in his rating. This year's draft was considered to be the deepest since the Super Draft began in 2000, and if not for his injury, O'Brian White would have likely been the number 1 pick. That, in itself, says something about the quality of White as a player.
One advantage he has as a member of Toronto FC is that he gets to work day in and day out with Paul Winsper, who needs no introduction anywhere in the world of football. Winsper will get him ready, and he'll ensure that White is fully recovered before he's declared fit to play.
Right now, we have Chad Barrett, Pablo Vitti, Fuad Ibrahim, and Danny Dichio in our forward line. Beyond that, Johann Smith can play forward as well. Where does O'Brian White fit in then? I realize we need to see him play before we can really rate him alongside our other strikers, but I would put him right after Vitti and Barrett in the depth chart. If Barrett keeps teaching "Sitter Missing 101" though, his stock could drop before White is fit.
O'Brian White certainly has a future in this league, and once he is fully recovered from his ACL injury, I'm sure we'll be able to see first-hand what he can bring to our team. You have to think that pundits would have been giving him rave reviews ahead of this season if he was fit, but the injury has set him up as a bit of a forgotten first round draftee.
Who knows when he'll be ready to play - it could be in July, it could be in 2010 - but does anyone else think that once he's fit he'll come on in full force and establish himself in Major League Soccer as a striker who can be as effective as a professional as he was as a college player? Here's hoping.
He tore his ACL last summer and is still recovering from that injury. An ACL tear is a pretty serious injury - I write with first-hand experience. Mo and co. did their homework, though - they said this numerous times in the days before and after the Super Draft. If O'Brian White had no chance of making a full recovery from this injury, Mo wouldn't have drafted him. I'm sure even the Mo-haters can admit that.
As pre-season went on, we read numerous reports about White's recovery. Some said he would be back for the season kickoff (which obviously didn't happen) and some said he'd be good to go by July. I have no idea when he's currently expected to be back, but what can we expect from this guy when he's match-fit again?
In January of 2008, he wont the M.A.C. Hermann Trophy as the NCAA MVP, beating out Joseph Lapira (who spurned us for Europe) and Patrick Nyarko, one of the Chicago Fire's brightest prospects. He scored 23 goals that season for the University of Connecticut, before his team was eliminated in the NCAA Quarter-Finals. This guy is no pushover.
We used our no. 4 pick to get him, and Mo Johnston said after the draft that he would have been gone if we had waited to use our no. 12 pick on him. Looking past the injury, MLS clubs saw the player. I heard from a source at the draft who rated White as the best available attacker available, despite the injury. And yes, this source was including Seattle's no. 1 pick, Steve Zakuani, in his rating. This year's draft was considered to be the deepest since the Super Draft began in 2000, and if not for his injury, O'Brian White would have likely been the number 1 pick. That, in itself, says something about the quality of White as a player.
One advantage he has as a member of Toronto FC is that he gets to work day in and day out with Paul Winsper, who needs no introduction anywhere in the world of football. Winsper will get him ready, and he'll ensure that White is fully recovered before he's declared fit to play.
Right now, we have Chad Barrett, Pablo Vitti, Fuad Ibrahim, and Danny Dichio in our forward line. Beyond that, Johann Smith can play forward as well. Where does O'Brian White fit in then? I realize we need to see him play before we can really rate him alongside our other strikers, but I would put him right after Vitti and Barrett in the depth chart. If Barrett keeps teaching "Sitter Missing 101" though, his stock could drop before White is fit.
O'Brian White certainly has a future in this league, and once he is fully recovered from his ACL injury, I'm sure we'll be able to see first-hand what he can bring to our team. You have to think that pundits would have been giving him rave reviews ahead of this season if he was fit, but the injury has set him up as a bit of a forgotten first round draftee.
Who knows when he'll be ready to play - it could be in July, it could be in 2010 - but does anyone else think that once he's fit he'll come on in full force and establish himself in Major League Soccer as a striker who can be as effective as a professional as he was as a college player? Here's hoping.
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2 comments:
theres no doubt he'll play like he used to, its just the case of how long it'll take him and when is the best time to play him. If he is fit in july, carver probably won't play him, so i think he'll be playing next year, unless there are injuries in our attacking force or the forwards still haven't scored :)
He may play almostlike he used to but he'll always have issues with the joint because of the rebuilt ligament. Damaged goods already and he hasn't even put on the shirt. And as for being better than Zakuani I'll believe it when I see it and not until. Zakuani is an amazingly good rookie.
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