Luka Gavran

[Corazon]

5 minutes ago, Obinna said:

I am not against him getting called up and admittedly I haven't watched him too closely, but I would think he needs to beat out Sean Johnson before earning a call to the national team.

At any rate, like someone else posted, it's better he gets the starting minutes now with Johnson out for USA duty. 

Was just going to say this.  Let's let him earn the starting position first, whether this season or next.  He may be on the best form and have all the tools but his sample size at this level is still too small.  It would be too risky to give him a start in these meaningful games coming up and as much as I'd like to see him on the roster as a backup, it is more valuable that he continues to play for TFC for an extended period of games.  With Johnson potentially away with the USMNT for several weeks this summer, Gavran's got a chance to earn the starting position this season.  Assuming his form doesn't fall off the side of a cliff.

Edited May 23 by Corazon

[BearcatSA]

For me, he needs to be a number 1 starter first.  Maybe it happens sooner than later but it still needs to happen. 

He can build his resumé if Johnson is on international duty and then we can see how he looks during that stretch.

[TOcanadafan]

I'd guess Crepeau is the clear #1 at the moment due to his experience (# of games started / camps) with the CMNT set up.  And St.Clair a clear #2 just due to his experience as well.  Gavran may end up surpassing these guys down the road, but it's still a long road for him to catch up to Crepeau and St.Clair in terms of a resume.  I'd have Sirois well ahead of Gavran atm too.

To be honest, I haven't checked out Crepeau much this year (and this question probably belongs in his thread)... could his slow start to the season have to do with long-term effects of his injury?  Will it prevent him from attaining a higher ceiling? He seemed to end off last season in good form, but this season hasn't gone that well.

[narduch]

I'm actually a little surprised the US called in Johnson.

[InglewoodJack]

25 minutes ago, narduch said:

I'm going to be contrarian and say that I don't think Gavran is even ready for this step.

If I was making a depth chart I would still have Borjan ahead of him.

You’re probably right, he hasn’t played much. He’s an interesting prospect and has size we don’t have anywhere else, so he’s an attractive prospect, but ultimately he’s backing up one of the better MLS keepers on a club that actually wants to win, so I doubt he becomes a starter until at least next season at the earliest. Keepers are also unpredictable this early in their careers. He might stink it up as a starter next year. We’ve seen this with Breza, Pantemis, etc.

[BearcatSA]

6 minutes ago, narduch said:

I'm actually a little surprised the US called in Johnson.

Behind the scenes, maybe he is a good team guy, and as a number 3 he adds to the culture.

[BearcatSA]

2 minutes ago, InglewoodJack said:

We’ve seen this with Breza, Pantemis, etc.

I was going to mention these two as well as throw in Hasal.

[narduch]

2 minutes ago, InglewoodJack said:

You’re probably right, he hasn’t played much. He’s an interesting prospect and has size we don’t have anywhere else, so he’s an attractive prospect, but ultimately he’s backing up one of the better MLS keepers on a club that actually wants to win, so I doubt he becomes a starter until at least next season at the earliest. Keepers are also unpredictable this early in their careers. He might stink it up as a starter next year. We’ve seen this with Breza, Pantemis, etc.

I feel like we have been down this road before already with guys like Hasal and Pantemis. 

I would like to see more before I even consider him in our top 3.

I will say one thing, he does seem to have improved over 2023. I recall there were a bunch of free kicks or shots where he just stood and watched them go in. He doesn't do that as much now.

[BearcatSA]

1 minute ago, narduch said:

I feel like we have been down this road before already with guys like Hasal and Pantemis. 

I would like to see more before I even consider him in our top 3.

I will say one thing, he does seem to have improved over 2023. I recall there were a bunch of free kicks or shots where he just stood and watched them go in. He doesn't do that as much now.

He has tools in the tool kit, for sure.  I just think keepers need a good sample size.

[InglewoodJack]

2 minutes ago, narduch said:

I feel like we have been down this road before already with guys like Hasal and Pantemis. 

I would like to see more before I even consider him in our top 3.

I will say one thing, he does seem to have improved over 2023. I recall there were a bunch of free kicks or shots where he just stood and watched them go in. He doesn't do that as much now.

And Boehmer, Carducci, any of the other CPL keepers who were apparently meant to be something more.

Watching Gavran closer over the last few games, I like how vocal and intense he is. I feel like if he ever buys in to the CANMNT, he can have a similar impact as Borjan. Just a big presence that keeps his guys honest.

[BearcatSA]

12 minutes ago, InglewoodJack said:

Watching Gavran closer over the last few games, I like how vocal and intense he is. I feel like if he ever buys in to the CANMNT, he can have a similar impact as Borjan. Just a big presence that keeps his guys honest.

I have never been a big fan of Schmeichel/Kahn wannabes, frankly.  If you have a persona like that, you'd better be elite, because your teammates can turn on you pretty quickly when you screw up and you don't own your error.

[AnonymousInsider]

I think Gavran had/has some wholes in his overall abilities as a goalie, mainly because he only played locally before going to college, so he never really got quality goalkeeper training until last year. With that being said he’s 24 so he’s got plenty of time to develop as a keeper, but to me he’s still a 2-4 years away from competing for the starting job for CANMNT, and at least a year away from being considered for the 3rd goalkeeper. He has all the tools to become an eventual starter though, but he needs time to build up consistency.

[Kingston]

1 hour ago, Obinna said:

I am not against him getting called up and admittedly I haven't watched him too closely, but I would think he needs to beat out Sean Johnson before earning a call to the national team. 

I'm not saying we need to bring him in immediately or that he's necessarily better than some of our other options, but it's a bit of a high bar to say he needs to beat out an existing (US) national team goalie just to get a call up.

[InglewoodJack]

25 minutes ago, AnonymousInsider said:

I think Gavran had/has some wholes in his overall abilities as a goalie, mainly because he only played locally before going to college, so he never really got quality goalkeeper training until last year. With that being said he’s 24 so he’s got plenty of time to develop as a keeper, but to me he’s still a 2-4 years away from competing for the starting job for CANMNT, and at least a year away from being considered for the 3rd goalkeeper. He has all the tools to become an eventual starter though, but he needs time to build up consistency.

To be fair, we’ve regularly called in Tom McGill who last played a senior match when Gavran was in college, and we’re going to call in Swiderski who made a single bench appearance for a Ligue 2’s reserve side- if we want Gavran to get in before he’s earned it, it certainly would have precedent. I don’t expect him to be a guy we look to to win games until the ‘26 World Cup at the very least. We still don’t know if he even wants to play for Canada though. The steps he has to take to get into our picture are similar to the steps that would put him on the periphery of Croatia’s roster. He spent some time in the Dinamo Zagreb system- wonder if they’d ever try and bring him back as a senior player. 

25 minutes ago, AnonymousInsider said:

I think Gavran had/has some wholes in his overall abilities as a goalie, mainly because he only played locally before going to college, so he never really got quality goalkeeper training until last year. With that being said he’s 24 so he’s got plenty of time to develop as a keeper, but to me he’s still a 2-4 years away from competing for the starting job for CANMNT, and at least a year away from being considered for the 3rd goalkeeper. He has all the tools to become an eventual starter though, but he needs time to build up consistency.

Agreed- I’m giving him the benefit of the doubt because he chirps his guys when he has to face an uncontested shot with the CBs sleeping in front of him, but guys who whine when they let in an easy one don’t make for good teammates.

[Obinna]

26 minutes ago, Kingston said:

I'm not saying we need to bring him in immediately or that he's necessarily better than some of our other options, but it's a bit of a high bar to say he needs to beat out an existing (US) national team goalie just to get a call up.

I guess that's fair. 

In general, I would like to think Canada is calling up MLS starting keepers, not back ups. 

But more specifically, if Johnson is outstanding and Gavran is strong but just can't grab the no. 1 shirt, that doesn't have to be a knock on Gavran necessarily. Talent is talent and we should cap talented Canadians.

[AnonymousInsider]

11 minutes ago, InglewoodJack said:

To be fair, we’ve regularly called in Tom McGill who last played a senior match when Gavran was in college, and we’re going to call in Swiderski who made a single bench appearance for a Ligue 2’s reserve side- if we want Gavran to get in before he’s earned it, it certainly would have precedent. I don’t expect him to be a guy we look to to win games until the ‘26 World Cup at the very least. We still don’t know if he even wants to play for Canada though. The steps he has to take to get into our picture are similar to the steps that would put him on the periphery of Croatia’s roster. He spent some time in the Dinamo Zagreb system- wonder if they’d ever try and bring him back as a senior player. 

Agreed- I’m giving him the benefit of the doubt because he chirps his guys when he has to face an uncontested shot with the CBs sleeping in front of him, but guys who whine when they let in an easy one don’t make for good teammates.

He was on a training stint in Dinamo Zagreb, but I doubt that was for more than a few months. Also Croatia’s goalie depth chart is similar to ours, but with Livakovic being the GK it’d be a lot more difficult for Gavran to crack their squad. The 3rd goalie is from the Croatian league who is Gavrans age, so Gavran will have to be an above average starting keeper in MLS to get a Croatia call I would think, as they’d probably be more inclined to call up a domestic player than a player abroad. His path to making the squads is about the same, but his path to starting is a lot simpler for Canada.

[InglewoodJack]

3 minutes ago, AnonymousInsider said:

He was on a training stint in Dinamo Zagreb, but I doubt that was for more than a few months. Also Croatia’s goalie depth chart is similar to ours, but with Livakovic being the GK it’d be a lot more difficult for Gavran to crack their squad. The 3rd goalie is from the Croatian league who is Gavrans age, so Gavran will have to be an above average starting keeper in MLS to get a Croatia call I would think, as they’d probably be more inclined to call up a domestic player than a player abroad. His path to making the squads is about the same, but his path to starting is a lot simpler for Canada.

It’s a lot more simple for Canada, but if his heart is with Croatia, he might take the same path as Sigur and give them a go. It wouldn’t be crazy for Gavran’s next few years to look like:

- plays well for Toronto this year, starting calibre keeper

- they still go with Sean Johnson next year, Gavran on the bench 

- Zagreb puts in a modest offer for him because he could become their starter, TFC takes it

-Zagreb wins the league, he’s called in as Croatia’s third stringer

 

I don’t think what Croatia is doing should affect Canada’s choice in calling him up, more so a question about how excited we should be about a guy who has never voiced any interest in playing for us, has voiced interest in them, and has a realistic path to get into the Croatian set up. 

[Buchta]

His thoughts on playing for Croatia or Canada (back in 2022 though).

 

[InglewoodJack]

Surprisingly open to playing for Canada per that clip. That was before we famously “got fucked” by Croatia though.

[HochelagaFC]

2 minutes ago, InglewoodJack said:

Surprisingly open to playing for Canada per that clip. That was before we famously “got fucked” by Croatia though.

I’m curious, why are you so surprised that he’s open to play for us? I know he’s not shy about his love for Croatia but he is born and raised in Canada. 

[InglewoodJack]

1 minute ago, HochelagaFC said:

I’m curious, why are you so surprised that he’s open to play for us? I know he’s not shy about his love for Croatia but he is born and raised in Canada. 

We don’t have much luck with guys whose parents come from ex Yugoslavia but grew up here, and based on his quote where he more or less says his heart is with Croatia, he follows them and not us, so on, I was surprised he gave it a 60/40 chance he chooses them over us. I would’ve expected a similar statement to Farsi where he just categorically shuts us down. Though lots has changed since that interview happened. 

[Corazon]

2 hours ago, InglewoodJack said:

It’s a lot more simple for Canada, but if his heart is with Croatia, he might take the same path as Sigur and give them a go. It wouldn’t be crazy for Gavran’s next few years to look like:

- plays well for Toronto this year, starting calibre keeper

- they still go with Sean Johnson next year, Gavran on the bench 

- Zagreb puts in a modest offer for him because he could become their starter, TFC takes it

-Zagreb wins the league, he’s called in as Croatia’s third stringer

 

I really don't think we will see Johnson at TFC next season.  His contract ends after this season and he is currently on $700k USD annual salary.  I know that I've said this more than once before, but I have spoken to staff at TFC II a couple years ago and they informed me that the club highly rated him and expectations were that he would be part of the first team eventually.  To me that said a lot. As @AnonymousInsider mentioned above, he hasn't had the highest level of training so maybe he just needed some time to further develop.  TFC takes a lot of heat for player development here, but I think they have managed his career well to date.  They drafted him and used him as the starting goalie on TFC II his first season, where he was considered a top prospect in NextPro and invited to the partake in the MLS All Star Challenge along with a couple other NextPro goalies.  Last season, he was once again the starting goalie for TFC II and did receive a couple starts with the first team near the end of the year.  He was promoted to backup keeper this season behind one of the MLS greats in Johnson and has made the most of his starts.  Johnson's contract ends this season and will soon be 35 in a week. I'd expect if all goes well with Gavran this season, he will have the first team job for next season.

If Johnson's current form was that of last seasons, Id fully expect Gavran to have been given the starting role by now.  Unfortunately for Gavran, Sean Johnson has also been lights out for most of this season (Johnson had some awful performances last season).  To start last season our backups were Ranjitsingh and Romero, who are both awful.

In 8 games this season (5 in MLS & 3 in CC) he has a Goals Against Average of 1.00 and a Save % of 83%.  Yes, the 3 games against League 1 opponents do inflate these statistics but he has made some outstanding saves and plays during these games.  Despite the heavy victories for TFC in these 3 games, he's faced 20 shots, saving 19 of them.

Edited May 23 by Corazon

[rydermike]

I love his potential, but to date he's played all of 9 games at MLS level. With Sean Johnson getting called up, he could be in line to play the next 5-10 games for TFC depending on the USA's progress at the Copa, which would essentially double his sample size, and then I feel the conversation could legitimately begin to whether he deserves a Canada shot

[Kingston]

I think the amount of playing time Gavran will get this year should give TFC their answer about keeper for next season.  It will help with any potential Canada call up, too, but that will also be dependent on the performance of the other candidates.

I do have to say I'm pleased to see TFC develop him to this level.  Prior to this, their best Canadian product at keeper was Quillan Roberts so it's been a weak spot for the team.

[BearcatSA]

On 5/23/2024 at 9:13 AM, Kingston said:

I'm not saying we need to bring him in immediately or that he's necessarily better than some of our other options, but it's a bit of a high bar to say he needs to beat out an existing (US) national team goalie just to get a call up.

The circumstances here are that the guys ahead of him are regular starters with substanial bodies of work on their CVs, even Sirois.  If one of those three suddenly turned into a back up getting only rotational starts, then maybe that is a different story.  

As mentioned by others, Gavran has a great chance now at club level to solidify his future with the club and enhance his NT cred and I hope that happens.