With the ninth pick the Reds went off the board to select Japanese youth international Tsubasa Endoh. Boy, does he have a back story.
Endoh was a survivor of the 2011 earthquake that hit his native Japan and that brought the world’s attention to the plight of its survivors. After experiencing that, Endoh bravely went to America to chase his dreams. Not only did he go to university in his second language, but he also excelled on the soccer pitch at a national powerhouse in Maryland.
Always the underdog, Endoh once again defied the odds today by being selected in the first round of the draft. He was expected to go much lower, but a MVP combine performance made all the difference.
It’s going to make one hell of an emotional episode on All for One next year.
And that’s nice. It is. But, it ultimately means nothing on a soccer front. TFC fans are sick of good stories. In fact, they are so sick of good stories that some will likely accuse TFC of selecting Endoh precisely because he has a story they can market – come to BMO (or Vaughn) to see the brave earthquake survivor! Season seat holders can win a chance to hear Endoh talk about his experiences if they renew now!!
That level of cynicism is a bit much, but TFC has made their own bed when it comes to this stuff. You reap what you sow and all that.
The thing is it is hard to understand why TFC picked an undersized international player with the ninth pick when they probably could have got him later in the draft (they didn’t have a pick in the second round, but it wouldn’t have cost much of anything to get one). This has been the TFC way for years – do things differently. Be too clever by half.
It hasn’t worked out well. TFC fans have nearly a decade of evidence to support that. No, it hasn’t always been the same people making the decisions, but the fan doesn’t – shouldn’t even – make that distinction. Not when the club has been as incompetent as TFC has been.
Frustration and anger isn't only appropriate, it's the only rational position to take.
Alright, here comes the point that I defend the decision. The 24th Minute has been trying to make sense of the senseless since, well, the actual 24th minute so why stop now?
So, here it goes: They have the USL team. They can afford to swing for the fences because they don’t need Endoh to immediately contribute. Hell, he was the best player at the combine!
That's all I've got.
Listen: TFC isn’t as bad as it feels. They aren’t. But, it’s absolutely fair to question moves like this, especially since they scream of the same old, same old TFC. Just once it would be nice to see the club do the safe, sane thing.
None of this is Endoh’s fault, of course. He seems like a genuinely good and sincere young man that truly has overcome a lot to get this far. Everyone should be cheering for him and I’m sure all TFC fans are.
Realistically, he will play most of the year at TFC2. Hopefully, he will excel there and force the club to take a look at him at the MLS level. And, if he doesn’t it is just the draft we’re talking about. The chances of getting something at No 9 were pretty slim to start with.
Regardless, welcome to the unofficial start of TFC season 10. Surely this is the year they get it right, right? Don't pretend you can't wait to see how it all plays out...