Defender Moor hits milestone head-on
Veteran not the nostalgic type ahead of 350th appearance to enter elite MLS club
Age is just a number to Toronto FC’s Drew Moor, who has racked up some impressive ones in 12 years of Major League Soccer action.
Asked to define the difference between his first game and what would be his 350th on Sunday afternoon, when New York City FC pays a visit to BMO Field, the 33-year-old defender joked: “I’m older.”
Moor doesn’t see much change in his style or approach after trips to the MLS Cup final, CONCACAF Champions League and the day-to-day grind of MLS play in three cities.
“I think that I’m the same guy,” he said. “I’m the same player, for the most part. I think just experience and time and playing in big moments — playing on good teams, playing on not-so-good teams, getting used to the grind, having kind of seen it all — it just gives you experience. It gives you some calmness. It gives you a bit of an edge.” There are few players like him. Moor’s 350th MLS appearance will make him just the 10th to reach that mark. While he prefers to think of his career in terms of seasons, he admits the milestone will be cool because it’s so rare.
He says he’s proud of every step of the journey — also including stints with FC Dallas and the Colorado Rapids — but is always looking ahead.
“I want to play as long as possible and as much as possible,” Moor said. “Any time I can help the team while I’m on the field, that’s what I want to do. If I have to help the team by being on the bench, then that’s what I have to do.
“Your window of being a professional soccer player is only so long, so I’ve put a lot of time and effort and energy into taking care of myself and making sure I’m ready to go.”
Anyone who knows Moor will tell you he’d rather avoid the bench at all costs. He started all but two matches last year, after joining Toronto FC as a free agent in December of 2015. At the time, Toronto’s defence was porous.
Moor, with his veteran presence, became its backbone and the Reds finished tied for the second-best defensive record in 2016, a vast improvement after tying for the worst just a year before.
That stellar defensive work has continued to the midway point of this season. Youngster Nick Hagglund and Eriq Zavaleta, both of whom consider Moor a mentor, have come into their own as capable anchors — especially when Moor missed seven games with an irregular heartbeat, allowing six goals in that time.
Brimming with defensive depth, coach Greg Vanney has been able to mix and match. It is a luxury, but also a challenge for both players and the coach. Vanney has said that with such a deep squad at just about every position, his biggest challenge is keeping people happy.
“I think we have options,” Vanney said, “and … as guys hopefully stay healthy and continue to progress into the season, it’s going to be: What three are the best three? Which guys are the sharpest?”
Moor says he’s prepared for the challenge.
He has played in 13 of the 14 games he has been available for this season, starting 12 times. And while the seasoned defender will always puts the team first, starting is what he hopes to continue to do.
“If coach comes up and tells me, ‘Hey, we’re sitting you this game,’ I will say, ‘I’m not happy about it,’ but I’m not going to go beating his door down and tell him that it’s a bad decision and that he should be fired because of it,” Moor said. “I’m going to say, ‘I don’t agree with the decision, but it’s your choice. You’re the coach of this team. I’ll be ready if called upon.’ ”