In the midst of a brutal stretch of schedule that will see Toronto FC play four MLS games plus an international friendly in a span of 15 days, TFC coach Mo Johnston has been shortening practices and keeping training light in order to keep his team's legs fresh.
On Tuesday, however, Johnston found a new pair of legs in Salt Lake City. Toronto acquired forward Jeff Cunningham from Real Salt Lake in exchange for striker Alecko Eskandarian and a first-round pick in the 2008 MLS SuperDraft.
Acquiring Cunningham represents the end of a long journey for Johnston.
"I've been after him forever," Johnston said. "He was our No. 1 target since before the season started. It's a pleasant surprise that it finally happened."
In Cunningham, TFC gains one of the most prolific scorers in MLS history. Cunningham's 93 career goals rank him fourth on the all-time MLS list, and he ranks third on the list of game-winning goals with 28.
"He's a guy who can score goals day in and day out," Johnston said. "He'll probably be the league's all-time top goal scorer before he's done."
The Jamaican-born striker is coming off a superlative season in which he won the Budweiser MLS Golden Boot with his league-leading 16 goals. He was also a finalist for the MLS Honda MVP award and a member of the RadioShack Best XI.
Toronto FC is Cunningham's fourth club in his decade of professional soccer. He was originally drafted ninth overall in the 1998 MLS College Draft by Columbus, where he spent seven seasons and is still tied for the all-time Crew lead in goals. After one season in Colorado in 2005, Cunningham has since played for Real Salt Lake.
In Eskandarian, Toronto FC lose one of their most colorful players. The striker has started six of Toronto's seven games, missing only the May 12 match with Houston due to a calf injury. His nine shots on goal were the most of anyone on the team, and he scored TFC's lone goal in last Saturday's 2-1 loss to D.C. United.
Eskandarian, in an interview with The Washington Post, said the trade was "a huge shock."
"They called me into the coaches' office this morning and told me. I am definitely disappointed. I felt good here and was really settling in."
Along with Eskandarian, RSL will receive the second-highest of TFC's three first-round picks it currently holds for the 2008 SuperDraft.
"I am excited to bring in a player like Alecko who knows what it takes on and off the field to win a championship," said RSL head coach Jason Kreis. "With his father's Cosmos experience and his role in the D.C. United tradition, we have another player ... (who has) an intimate understanding of what it takes to build a squad that competes for championships on an annual basis."
Johnston said he had no problems with Eskandarian's play, and the deal was simply the price of doing business.
"To get a guy like [Cunningham] you have to give up someone good," Johnston said. "I'm disappointed to lose Esky, but excited to get Cunningham."
Mark Polishuk is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
