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Sutton leaves Montreal

Bxl Boy

By Bxl Boy
in Men's National Teams

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Crazy_Yank Newbie

Crazy_Yank

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Once were at a point where every team controls their own venue we'll see MLS do away with the allocation system. I'm glad to see Sutton get his chance. He was behind Zach Thornton at Chicago and stuggled a bit his rookie year so he never really get his chance. I've been very impressed with his USL play and think he's the guy for Toronto to build a defense around.

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loyola Newbie

loyola

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quote:Originally posted by Daniel

As opposed to... what?

I was saying before that if Sutton would stay in the USL he wouldn't be a candidate for the number 1 position because I felt that guys like Lars and Josh would be better candidate since they are playing at a better level.

Now that he's playing at a better level I think he'll be better prepare for the international games.

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Richard Newbie

Richard

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quote:Originally posted by Desigol

I think that position has been a Poisoned Chalice since Forrest's reitrement.

btw, where's Mike Franks now? Still in Vancover?

Mike Franks has retired from all but the local amateur game and has joined the fire service to the best of my knowledge. He is still in the Vancouver area.
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Winnipeg Fury Rookie

Winnipeg Fury

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GREG SUTTON LEAVES THE IMPACT FOR MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER

November 28, 2006 - Montreal Impact

MONTREAL, PQ – Greg Sutton will not be back with the Montreal Impact next season. The 29-year-old goalkeeper, who was still under contract with Montreal until 2008, was transferred to Major League Soccer (MLS), Tuesday. The club for which he will play has not been announced yet.

“It’s always hard to see a player like Greg go but on the other hand, it’s part of the reality of soccer,” said Montreal Impact president Joey Saputo. “We were able to count on his precious services for the past six seasons and he was ready for a new challenge. Out of respect for what he has accomplished with us over the years, we agreed to negotiate with Major League Soccer.”

“This isn’t the first time that teams have expressed interest in Greg and it’s normal because of everything he has done in our league,” said Montreal Impact head coach Nick De Santis. “In these situations, we have to take into consideration what is best for the club as well as the player’s aspirations. Given the context, I think everyone is pleased with the agreement.”

Last season with the Impact, Sutton started 14 games and boasted a record of six wins, four losses and four ties, keeping a goals against average of 0,500, earning him the league’s Goalkeeper of the Year Award for the fourth straight season. He allowed seven goals in 1,260 minutes of play, and registered nine shutouts.

Sutton missed half the season due to a fractured left index finger, June 11, and was replaced in the lineup by goalkeeper Andrew Weber, who went on to win the Impact’s Unsung Hero Award.

Acquired from the now-defunct Cincinnati Riverhawks in 2001, Sutton was the starting goalkeeper when the Montreal Impact won the 2004 league championship, beating the Seattle Sounders 2-0. That year, he was named league MVP and the club’s Defensive Player of the Year.

Picked on the first All-League team for four straight years (2003 to 2006), he holds the club record for all-time regular-season career shutouts (67), wins (72), games played (132) and minutes played (12,309).

A spokesman for Toronto FC said the club would have no comment on this report today but a press conference is being scheduled, likely on Friday, to announce a player signing.

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Winnipeg Fury Rookie

Winnipeg Fury

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Sutton leaves Impact for MLS

MONTREAL (CP) - Canadian international goalkeeper Greg Sutton is leaving the Montreal Impact for Major League Soccer, with Toronto his likely destination.

Toronto FC expects to announce a new player signing later this week, a club spokesman said Tuesday, adding coach Mo Johnston would not be commenting before then.

Sutton, 29, had two more years left on a three-year contract with the Impact but Montreal let him go after striking a deal with MLS.

Montreal Impact president Joe Saputo said the Los Angeles Galaxy and Columbus Crew showed interest in Sutton this season. But Toronto has the edge with the league looking to stock the expansion franchise with Canadian talent.

Toronto FC has 11 players at present, none of them a goalie. The club kicks off next spring.

"It's part of the soccer business that you sell or transfer players," Saputo said in an interview. "It's part of the game. We walked away with what we felt was the amount that reflected Greg's value within the club . . . it worked out well."

Sutton was goalkeeper of the year for the fourth straight season this year in the United Soccer Leagues First Division, despite missing time with a broken finger. His record was 6-4-4 with a goals-against average of 0.5 and nine shutouts.

Sutton allowed just seven goals in 1,260 minutes.

The Impact have already lost defender Adam Braz to Toronto FC. Andrew Weber will likely enter camp as the favourite to take over from Sutton with the Impact.

"He proved to us last year when Greg got hurt that's he's capable of being a first-class goalie," Saputo said.

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Ryan Keay Newbie

Ryan Keay

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quote:Originally posted by RJB

Mike Franks played last season with Firefighters of the Vancouver Premier League.

How does MLS determine where Sutton will go? Or any player for that matter? It would be a shame if he didn't end up with TFC.

Teams all have 'allocations' which for all intensive purposes are blocks of transfer money. A team will use an allocation for MLS to buy the player, the contract gets negotiated and the player plays for the team who used the allocation. In other words, the team Sutton is on is decided, and agreed upon, it just hasn't been announced.

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Cheeta Grand Master

Cheeta

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No big surprise to anyone is it?

Good move for Sutton. He isn't exactly a spring chicken anymore but 'keepers have really long shelf lives now don't they? I'm sure he'll step up to the increased challenge of playing day in and day out in MLS and be the stronger for it.

Damn that Mo. Maybe he's going to make a fool of me yet. Maybe. Has his back line core all lined up like ducks in a row. Sound way to start things. Nothing approaching glamour or flash, but very sound. (Pretty easy so far though really. Real work begins from here on).

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Grizzly Newbie

Grizzly

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I will be happy if Sutton does sign with TFC and I do think he can be a good MLS keeper. Yet he is also a completely untested MLS keeper and unlike when he was playing with the Impact will probably not have anywhere near the best defence in the league in front of him. TFC needs a much stronger backup in this situation than some of the people being mentioned in this thread. Zagar would be good to have in the system as a third goalie. He is no longer in adequate form to be the backup but could be a good emergency player if one of the first two keepers is injured. The backup really needs to be someone capable of being a MLS starter because depending on how Sutton does there is a very real possibility that he may have to be the TFC starter.

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RS Grand Master

RS

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Grizzly, I think you're severely overrating MLS goalkeeping and severely underrating Sutton as a potential MLS keeper.

Having watched MLS for years, my opinion is that Sutton is at par or better than the average goalkeeper in that league, but not as good as the best ones (Troy Perkins and Joe Cannon come to mind).

Sutton will be fine in MLS, especially given the defenders in front of him and their familiarity with each other. They may not be the best defence in MLS, but they'll be far from the worst.

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Aljarov Newbie

Aljarov

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An all Canadian back line (inc Sutton), especially ones that have played at the International level, could well make the TFC defence the best in MLS. I doubt it.

Perkins only has one season under his belt, and frankly, Matt Reis was hosed for the GK of the Year award. 2006 seemed to be a DC feitish year, despite them going 0/3 on the trophy front. The had half the All-Stars and half the season-end award winners.

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loyola Newbie

loyola

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Since Canada is playing a game every 6 months and Sutton has 8 caps in a 2 years period I'm not sure we can say that the Toronto defense will be that familiar. Sutton and Braz but for the rest I'm not so sure. But those guys are good enough for MLS IMO so they should be OK.

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Winnipeg Fury Rookie

Winnipeg Fury

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Toronto FC eyes 'keeper

By DEAN MCNULTY -- Toronto Sun

Sutton leaves Impact for MLS

The rights to Canadian international goalkeeper Greg Sutton have been purchased by Major League Soccer and his next home could be Toronto FC.

But Toronto coach Mo Johnston refused to comment on reports yesterday the 29-year-old Sutton likely will end up in FC colours when the team begins its inaugural season in 2007.

"I have seen the report out of Montreal that Greg is going to join the MLS," Johnston said.

"But I can not comment any further than that."

Sutton has played the past four seasons in the United Soccer League First Division with the Montreal Impact.

In that time, the Hamilton native was named all four seasons as the league's most valuable 'keeper.

Sutton, at 6-foot-6 and 210 pounds, is a physical player who has notched three international shutouts playing for the Canadian men's team.

Although Sutton was under contract through 2008 with the Impact, the team will not stand in the way of his move to the MLS.

"It's always hard to see a player like Greg go, but on the other hand, it's part of the reality of soccer," Impact president Joey Saputo said in a statement yesterday.

While not talking specifically about Sutton, Johnston said he intends to build Toronto FC with as many Canadians as he can sign.

"Well, first and foremost it's a Canadian team," he said.

"It would be an outcry if we didn't sign any Canadians. The nucleus of our club should be Canadians."

There are a number of huge roadblocks to making Johnston's wishes come true, however, and he knows all about them.

Canadian players such as Tomas Radzinski, Paul Stalteri, Atiba Hutchinson and Ian Hume all play key roles for professional teams in Europe and are unlikely to come back home to a huge pay cut.

"I am trying to secure as many (Canadians) as I can," Johnston said. "Is it possible to sign big names from Europe? Probably not because of how much they cost."

Johnston, however, said he has been astounded at the positive reaction the new side has received in Toronto since it was announced it would be building a 20,000-seat stadium on the groundsof Exhibition Place. The construction is ahead of schedule and everything is in place to start the season at the BMO Stadium.

"We have already sold 5,100 season tickets in just a few short weeks," Johnston said.

"I am very pleased."

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Duane Rollins1555362254 Newbie

Duane Rollins1555362254

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quote:Originally posted by Cheeta

No big surprise to anyone is it?

Damn that Mo. Maybe he's going to make a fool of me yet. Maybe. Has his back line core all lined up like ducks in a row. Sound way to start things. Nothing approaching glamour or flash, but very sound. (Pretty easy so far though really. Real work begins from here on).

Do you think it is fair to say that what is going on at TFC so far is neither as bad --"no one will come home, there will barely be any Canadians on the starting 11"--as the doubters argued it would be, nor as good--"Open up the floodgates all our boys are coming home"--as the overly optimistic suggested?

But not bad...with, as you say, the hard work still to come.

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Duane Rollins1555362254 Newbie

Duane Rollins1555362254

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quote:Originally posted by Cheeta

No big surprise to anyone is it?

Damn that Mo. Maybe he's going to make a fool of me yet. Maybe. Has his back line core all lined up like ducks in a row. Sound way to start things. Nothing approaching glamour or flash, but very sound. (Pretty easy so far though really. Real work begins from here on).

Do you think it is fair to say that what is going on at TFC so far is neither as bad --"no one will come home, there will barely be any Canadians on the starting 11"--as the doubters argued it would be, nor as good--"Open up the floodgates all our boys are coming home"--as the overly optimistic suggested?

But not bad...with, as you say, the hard work still to come.

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