Traded twice in less than two years is a bit of a half-full situation for Alan Gordon. On one hand itās nice to to be wanted, he told MLSsoccer.com via phone earlier this week from California. However, it can still throw you for a loop.
āItās a bit of a whirlwind,ā he said. āThere are a lot of things that need to get done ā setting up phone service, arranging day care, stuff the fan doesnāt think of. That make it hard.ā
Regardless, Gordon recognizes that itās part of the job. Heās a professional, he says, and heās not going to complain too much.
āWhat makes this easier is that I know Iām going to a first-class organization,ā he said. āAnd, itās an amazing city. My wife has never been. Iām excited to get up there and show her.ā
Gordon will have to wait to see Torontoās sights. He will travel straight to Vancouver from Los Angeles to join the Reds for the season-opener Saturday. Heās hoping that once he gets a chance to settle in Toronto that it will be his last move for a while.
āAnytime you are moved you hope that you can settle down and stay one place for a few years,ā he said.
When Gordon spoke to MLSsoccer.com, he had only briefly spoken to Paul Mariner. He had yet to receive word from head coach Aron Winter about how the club planned on using him. True to his reputation as a hardworking and modest player, Gordon was taking nothing for granted.
āYou never want to assume that you are starting,ā he said. āI think that with my size up top I can contribute ā hold the ball up and put a few balls into the net.ā
Gordon says he has high expectations for himself in 2011. Heās set a statistical goal, but heās reluctant to disclose it to prying reporters.
āI know what I want to get but Iām not telling,ā he laughed. āIām confident.ā
There is one thing that Gordon says will take some getting used to about playing in Toronto. When told that the dayās temperature was a āmildā high in the upper 30s, the man who has played his entire career in Southern California could only laugh.
āI guess Iām going to need to buy some warm clothes,ā he said.