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TSN Soccer Analyst

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Jonathan Osorio can't stop laughing.

Toronto FC are enjoying a light day of training and the players have been paired up to compete in a game of soccer tennis where the ball must stay in the air and teams are allowed three touches before firing it over the net.

Scores are taken and the tournament environment has got the competitive juices flowing.

Osorio is partnered with Benoit Cheyrou and on the opposite side of the net, they are up against a team featuring Damien Perquis. There are four players in the game but the French-speaking duo are targeting each other. Perquis gets more and more angry as the game goes on while Cheyrou lets his feet do the talking.

Cheyrou is smooth in his skill and in his quick-witted delivery when firing back banter. Osorio's smile never leaves his face, almost in awe of the competitiveness shown by Cheyrou, and the two go on to win every game of the tournament.

It has been another offseason where Toronto FC haven't been far away from the headlines. The departure of Jermain Defoe, the signings of Jozy Altidore and Sebastian Giovinco and the captaincy being given to Michael Bradley should be more than enough to occupy vacant press space around one of the league's most discussed clubs.

Between all of that, though, in late January the team announced via press release that they had signed Cheyrou. It came at a time when many casual fans were still getting caught up on the bigger news of the winter but sliding under the radar was perfect for Cheyrou, who has made a living out of doing that throughout his career.

The Ligue One veteran, who played 15 years with Lille, Auxerre and Marseille, has spent a career playing in an understated, yet vitally important, role. He has arrived in Toronto to do the same. He doesn't have a DP label attached to his name, although make no mistake, the team's use of allocation money enabled them to buy him down from what would be considered a DP level. He was that important for GM Tim Bezbatchenko, who knows too well how much impact a skilled deep-lying playmaker can make in MLS.

Some Toronto FC fans will not be familiar with the name Vincent Nogueira. If they attended last season's home game against Philadelphia Union, they should recall the name. It was in that game that the central midfielder dictated the entire flow of the match. In MLS, where many teams play with two up front, a technical midfielder who is comfortable in possession can pose a real threat to the opposition because he is often picking up the ball in pockets of space. TFC had problems against these kind of players throughout 2014. Some fans may also remember how DC's Perry Kitchen also dominated a game at BMO Field last season.

It was a year where combinations didn't click for Toronto FC, including in midfield where they struggled to get the balance in and around Bradley. The club now believes they have the answer.

"He is a perfect compliment to Michael, they can play off each other, Benoit can float into the space if Michael moves forward, " head coach Greg Vanney told me recently.

"He can manipulate the game with his passes, he knows a pass from here to there, might move a defender so when he gets the ball back, he can do something with it, so he is playing ahead of the game and is reading things in advance of the moment and you need that. His composure on the ball helps and on the defending side, he is just in the right spaces and knows when to close and when to stay."

Vanney's eyes widen when he talks about his newest star midfielder and although his words speak glowingly of the Frenchman, they also show just how important he is going to be this season.

The head coach guides his team into the new season playing a hybrid of a 4-2-3-1 but it is a system that is not without questions. Altidore up top will be judged on goals, as will Giovinco in behind, but he may need to be pushed wider to get more space if opponents play a double pivot against him. This could eventually push the team into a 4-3-3 but in either shape, it will become clear that if Cheyrou is allowed to do what he does best, the team will be successful. If he and Bradley do not click and he is suddenly left to cover too much ground in the space between the defensive line and the midfield, then Vanney's side could be in for a difficult campaign.

Cheyrou doesn't see it that way.

"Michael is a very, very good player. We speak about soccer for hours and that's important because we play in the same area on the pitch and we need to compliment each other so we need to know each other on and off the pitch. He is very smart and sometimes we don't even need to speak to see what we need to do."

Like Bradley, Cheyrou is a deep thinker who pauses for the right word and not just because he is thinking what the word is in English. He enjoys it when our conversation reaches a high tactical level often referring to 'the language of soccer' as he recalls moments in games when he had a fantastic mutual understanding with midfielders like Philippe Violeau and Lionel Mathis.

He smiles when he recalls the moment the three of them won the French Cup together with Auxerre back in 2005, Cheyrou's first major honour.

He called it 'one of the most emotional and important' days of his career. Ten years on, he wants to win again and is relishing the role of showing his teammates what it takes to get it done.

"The team has many good professionals, they listen a lot. Everybody has to learn, including me even at 33, I learn every day, but I want to give experience to this team. We are at the beginning of something nice here and to win is very important and that's why I am here," said the Frenchman.

Before committing to MLS, Cheyrou spoke with friends like Thierry Henry, Djimi Traore and Peguy Luyindula but it was Laurent Courtois, current coach at LA Galaxy II, who connected him to Toronto after he informed his friend Vanney that Cheyrou had interest to play in North America.

"I then spoke with Greg Vanney on the phone and I like his way of thinking about soccer. I can understood the way he thinks and how he wants his team to play and that's the way for me. I am happy the coach wants us to play from the back and to have more possession and lead the game, be patient and to have more of the ball. I am 33 now and I want to enjoy it and win something on the pitch and this way of playing is very important for me."

Vanney added: "Once it became close to a reality, we got real excited about what he brings. He plays the game between his ears, not just in reactive mode, and is incredibly technically and brings a nice calmness to the group. There is a nice blend of midfielders here who can see him and learn from what he offers."

The season has yet to start but its safe to say Osorio is at the top of that list.