A DP-erfect plan

I've flogged this one to death lately, but it is worth noting that the MLSE board of directors have approved money for TFC to use on a Designated Player in 2009.

Again, the question is whether it's a good idea to use it. For a team that does not struggle to sell tickets, it would appear that the answer is that it isn't.

To put this in a hockey context (and I know how much soccer fans love it when the sport gets compared) signing a DP for TFC would be the equivalent of the Leafs signing a 34-year-old future hall of famer in 2002. It will get the base all fired up, but it won't bring the team any closer to a championship (and might actually put them further from glory long-term).

Unless the league changes the rules to make the cap hit less restrictive for teams that employ a DP. Which it might. And, it should.

We need to know what the rules are going to be before we can assess for certain whether a DP makes sense. That won't happen until next month at the earliest.