Whenever criticism of Kevin Payne has surfaced a loud and determined portion of the fan base has shouted it down, saying that he needs to be given more time.
When other first round draft picks were performing at a higher level than either of TFC's first round picks, those fans would say that we needed to wait until we saw what Payne did with the allocation money received in the draft day trades.
When TFC sent Chivas the No 1 selection in the returning player allocation order those fans again preached patience.
When Luis Silva was shipped out the call to wait and see was once again made.
Well, we've seen. Whatever allocation was going to be used this year has been used. Once the transfer window slams shut no more significant signings can be made. As I type this, it shuts in 13 minutes.
So, this is it. You can make your assessments on how Payne handled the draft and the other transactions.
I'm not going to bore you by repeating my position. I'm simply going to urge you to start judging current TFC management on what they are doing, not what those before have done.
The first major judgement could come soon. Namely, what the club does regarding Maxi Urruti.
[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
That Urruti is a transfer target of the Reds is not news. This is a public courtship that has been going on for several months. However, the stakes changed significantly in recent days.
When Urruti left Newell's Old Boys and NOB then claimed that he was in breach of contract this no longer was a simple transfer story. That was further illustrated when NOB issued a formal warning to TFC and the CSA to stop negotiating with Urruti and instead talk to them.
TFC seems to be suggesting that Urruti is right and that he's a free agent. Thus, the Reds say they can sign him outside the window.
If they're right then I jumped the gun at the top of the article. Payne does still have some time to bag his man and it's still too soon to judge the draft and moves.
But, if they are wrong...well, they'd really best not be wrong here.
The last time a MLS team found itself in the position TFC is was this past spring when Seattle was in hot pursuit of Obafemi Martins.
The problem was that Levante wasn't happy about the Sounders efforts. A similar warning that was issued by NOB was given to the Sounders.
This is where the story differs. Seattle, at the urging if MLS, backed off. It ceased direct negotiations with Martins and instead worked with Levante to find a solution.
They did--a $4-million buyout clause. Martins was a Sounder.
The reason Seattle compromised was because the consequence of being found guilty of the charge was too grave. In addition to paying Levante, Martins would have been banned for 4-months and the club would have been banned from registering players for two transfer periods.
It's FIFA statute 17.4 in the transfer regulations if you care to look it up.
If TFC continues on the path it seems to be taking with Urruti, and is found to be in the wrong, then this is the risk they will be taking.
It's possible TFC is right and NOB's claim is frivolous. Truthfully, we don't know. But, TFC had better damn well know for sure.
The better alternative seems to be to negotiate with NOB, only that would likely mean delaying his arrival until the next transfer window.
Or, maybe there's a loophole and they can find a way to bring him in now. Regardless, it's going to take either some savvy or long-term thinking to get it done.
Hopefully, Payne can demonstrate that he has both in the immediate days ahead.
If he can, that's something we all could get used to.