Toronto FC Coach John Carver headed to Fort Lauderdale on Friday for the start of the MLS Combine. It will be a new experience for Carver who didn't arrive in Toronto until after the SuperDraft last year. He will watch potential draft picks along with Director of Soccer Mo Johnston.
"I'm excited about going to the combine and am really looking forward to the SuperDraft," said Carver. "Obviously Mo is the main man in this situation because he's been through it all before so I'll be leaning on him. It will be another part of my education here. I've been learning about the league and the different styles and systems throughout my first year and have picked it up quickly. It will be another great experience at the draft."
It was back to business at BMO Field for Carver this week as he returned after spending the holidays in England. "I had a decent break and it was much needed because I had worked straight through for about 20 months," he explained. "I watched a lot of Premier League games and I made visits to a number of clubs to study training techniques. I had a number of discussions with people to see if players are available because it's important that I keep my finger on the pulse and know what is happening over there."
Carver is now looking forward to the return of the players and the start of preseason training early next month. "I've spoken with all of the staff and everybody is excited and can't wait to get started," he said. "The break has been good but now the start of preseason on February 2nd can't come soon enough. The players have all been working on their offseason programs and some of them will be coming in to start training over the next few weeks. I'm really excited about getting started again."
