Sometimes I think that if Toronto FC did not have bad luck it would not have any luck at all.

Earlier this afternoon at a public training session on the FieldTurf at Chery Beach Adrian Cann injured himself in training. And on Tuesday evening we are hearing that his anterior cruciate ligament in his knee is completely torn and that he will now be gone for the rest of the season.

Here is video courtesy of TFC-TV

Coming at such a time (days after the worse defensive display in club history arguably) and in such a way (at a public training session) only compounds the feelings that many TFC supporters must have upon hearing this, namely that the club has some sort of curse on it in needing of exorcism.

Dicoy Williams, Aron Winter’s preferred partner for Adrian Cann has already left for the Gold Cup and won’t be back until Jamaica is eliminated (could be gone for up to four weeks). Undoubtedly Nana Attakora will now finally get time off the bench/reserve squad back into his centre back position and the struggling Ty Harden will also be playing as well. Donell Henry from the Academy ranks is a possibility as well to cover for Adrian as is possibly TFC’s best defender on form right now, Richard Eckersley.

Now I am not sure what the immediate plans for TFC were surrounding signing new players to reinforce the squad were. I think that if signing a central defender was not the top priority before it certainly is now.

In a brief discussion I had with a senior club official last weekend I asked him about Paul Mariner and why to me at least it seemed that he was keeping a much more low profile than I was expecting from a man with his MLS experience and based on the critical role he has with TFC to build the squad up. He replied that in a lot of ways this is truly Aron Winter’s team and that he is the boss in the European managerial tradition that he comes from. However he did state that Mariner has been extremely busy scouting and talking to potential players who might be interested in coming here.

Don’t let us keep you Mr. Mariner. This club needs quality defensive reinforcement NOW if there is to be anything to salvage from this season. And to you  Mr. Winter? Nana Attakora needs to be let out of your doghouse and he needs to play.