Owusu could be the answer for Reds
Toronto FC has scoured world football in recent seasons, looking for solutions to the troubles in attack and on defence that have plagued the team so mightily.
A typical TFC lineup certainly has a look of the modern global game. There could be as many as eight nationalities on the pitch against New England at BMO Field on Saturday. That includes a German up front who not only has plenty to prove but an opportunity to stake a claim to the team’s centre forward spot.
Prince Owusu arrived quietly last August from SSV Jahn Regensburg of the German second division. It has taken time to acclimatize, but something seems to be clicking in recent games. He has three goals in his last four outings, including two off the bench in last weekend’s 3-2 loss in Charlotte.
“The connection between me and my teammates is getting better and better every day,” Owusu says. “Now we can see it on the pitch. It’s just the first step, but I think it is improving game to game — my timing off the ball, in game and in training.”
TFC’s attack was dealt a huge blow when Lorenzo Insigne tore his hamstring three weeks ago, and he is still weeks away from a return. For all the criticism he received last year, the diminutive Insigne had delivered in his opening five games of this season with two goals and energized performances. It is difficult to judge a team’s forward play without its best player, but it has at times looked disjointed and bereft of ideas without him.
Owusu’s recent goal return, and the promise of more, comes at an ideal time.
A veteran of German football with stops at such storied clubs as Hoffenheim, Armenia Bielefeld and 1860 Munich, Owusu keeps a close eye on the goings-on back home, specifically the historic season that Bayer Leverkusen is enjoying: winning its first Bundesliga title by ending Bayern Munich’s 11-year grip while going undefeated in 44 games.
“Unbelievable,” Owusu says. “How they play with that type of confidence and trust in each other … you can see it on the pitch, everything is connected. If you win games like them and you never lose, you get a huge confidence … you can beat everyone. At the moment, they are just not afraid.”
It is a far cry from his team in Toronto, which finds itself in a three-match losing streak. TFC remains in a rebuild, but, with the MLS transfer window closing Tuesday, there is a chance new faces soon could be on the way.
A genuine and consistent threat in front of goal is high on TFC’s priority list. It remains to be seen if Toronto already has that player in Owusu, or perhaps Deandre Kerr or Ayo Akinola, but the German is motivated to be the man, despite what his on-field demeanour might sometimes suggest.
“I think, as a striker you need a calm mind, because if you think too much about the situation where you didn’t score or where you missed the chance, it’s a higher per cent that you miss the next one,” he said. “I think I have sometimes the problem that when I miss a chance and I don’t react (with) ‘Oh my God’ or something like this, it seems like I don’t care. But for me, in my head, I do.”
It is a far cry from his team in Toronto, which has lost three in a row. TFC remains in a rebuild, but with the MLS transfer window closing Tuesday there is a chance new faces could soon be on the way.
A genuine and consistent threat in front of goal is high on the priority list.
It remains to be seen if Toronto already has that player in Owusu, or perhaps Deandre Kerr or Ayo Akinola, but the German is motivated to be the man, despite what his on-field demeanour might sometimes suggest.
“I think as a striker you need a calm mind, because if you think too much about the situation where you didn’t score or where you missed the chance, it’s a higher per cent that you miss the next one,” he said.
“I think I have sometimes the problem that when I miss a chance and I don’t react (with) ‘Oh my God’ or something like this, it seems like I don’t care. But for me, in my head, I do.”