Days after being spotted at RSL camp, Plata’s move is finally official

Now that midfielder Joao Plata is gone, at least Toronto FC’s front office won’t have to worry about being one step behind the Ecuadorean. On Wednesday, TFC announced that it had dealt the Ecuadorean forward to Real Salt Lake for a second-round draft pick. But that announcement came two days after a picture of Plata on the Real Salt Lake team bus — sitting next to Sebastian Velasquez — made its rounds on all the soccer message boards that fans turn to before getting the confirmations from the official sources. (In case you don’t search “TFC” every hour or two, CLICK HERE for that shot from Keepin’ it Real.) Last year, before Toronto FC announced Plata’s loan move to his old club, LDU Quito, there were pictures of him from Ecuador, wearing an LDU shirt and training with his team. For a team that’s desperately trying to regain its credibility with a cynical fan base, Plata’s one-step ahead approach was a constant thorn in the side. After plummeting down the SuperDraft charts in 2011, TFC looked to have found a great 49th-pick bargain with Plata, who scored just three MLS goals that season but distinguished himself in other competitons. He was named MVP of the then-named Nutrilite Canadian Championship and had his best game as a TFC player in the CONCACAF Champions League. In TFC’s final game of the group stage at FC Dallas, a game the Reds needed to win in order to advance to the knockout phases, Plata scored twice in a 3-0 rout. But the shine wore off Plata in 2012, and he was pushed to the periphery of the lineup. He and his agent told the media he was leaving before TFC’s media-relations department could catch up. RSL coach Jason Kreis tweeted about his excitement over the deal. “Big welcome to our newest wee-man, Joao Plata! Very excited about this add —extremely crafty, quick, and dangerous player. Here we come!”