Expensive Convey brought into the TFC fold

Toronto FC acquired veteran midfielder Bobby Convey on Thursday.

In exchange, Sporting Kansas City gets a first-round pick in the 2014 Supplemental Draft. For SKC, it’s the chance to offload Convey’s salary-cap hit. According to the MLS Players’ Union, Convey’s base salary is US$200,000, with guaranteed compensation totaling US$215,000 in 2013.

That was a lot of money for SKC to pay a guy who turns 30 next week — and has played just 122 minutes of soccer so far this season.

Convey has a history of MLS brilliance. He was an All-Star with D.C. United in 2001; when he returned to MLS in 2010 after a five-year spell at Reading, he was the comeback player of the year. He was an All-Star in 2010 and again in 2011 as a member of the San Jose Earthquakes.

But, Convey’s play slipped in the second half of 2011, and he moved on to SKC in 2012. He started 14 games, then injuries wrecked his season. He was reduced to the role of depth player in 2013.

Now, reunited with Toronto general manager Kevin Payne, maybe Convey can rediscover his youth. And that’s the issue — while some will say Convey is “only” 30, because he started so young, he’s already put a lot of mileage on his body. Think about how the likes of Michael Owen burned out. Playing against men at a young age can move up a player’s best-before date.

“This is a good mi-season deal for Toronto FC. We are in need of quality MLS players on our team and Bobby fits the bill perfectly,” said Payne, who had Convey under his wing in the D.C. United years. “I’ve known Bobby since he was a 16-year-old rookie in MLS; and literally living in the basement of my home. He can be a very influential player in MLS and we look forward to him helping us move forward in the league.”

Without fistfuls of allocation money, this is a deal that would have been unwise. But we know that Payne has stockpiled dough in his short tenure as TFC’s head domo. And that reduces the pain of Convey’s salary.