The Julio Cesar Experiment

Apr 19, 2014; Dallas, TX, USA; Toronto FC goalkeeper Julio Cesar (30) faces the FC Dallas attack during the second half at Toyota Stadium. FC Dallas defeated Toronto FC 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Toronto F.C. announced last week that English Premier League club Queens Park Rangers have recalled Brazilian goalkeeper Julio Cesar, ending his loan stint with the club and Major League Soccer. Cesar was one of the many big offseason moves made by Toronto, the others being Gilberto, Jermaine Defoe, and Michael Bradley. This group of quality players was assembled to shoot the club to the top of the MLS standings after a dismal 2013 campaign. They’ve come together fairly well, sitting third in the Eastern Conference as of this writing.

But what kind of impact did Cesar leave in his short stay in MLS? He is one of the most decorated players to ever enter the league, and possibly the most talented keeper to ever play on MLS grass. Having achieved personal and team success in the top leagues in Brazil and Italy, there were high expectations on him to perform in a league that has rarely seen such high-caliber talent.

To gauge Cesar’s performance at Toronto F.C., we need to take a look at his full statistics:

Julio Cesar’s Toronto FC Stats (Credit: mlssoccer.com http://www.mlssoccer.com/players/julio-cesar-0)

His goals against was 7, but since two of those were penalties, let’s give him the benefit of the doubt and knock those off, making his new total 5. On a Toronto F.C squad that’s had issues at the centerback position over the past few seasons, 5 goals allowed isn’t too bad at all. It should also be noted that 3 goals were allowed in one game against Real Salt Lake.

His goals against average of 1.29 is respectable, ranking 6th in keepers who have played at least 600 minutes, putting him in a conversation with upper-tier MLS keepers such Nick Rimando and Bill Hamid. However, his 67% save percentage is average, withdrawing him from the previous comparisons.

What can we make of these stats? It’s difficult to truly understand Cesar’s impact with such a small sample size. But with the numbers we have to work from, we can conclude that Cesar was, at the very least, a decent keeper in MLS. He was able to nab wins early on in the season when Toronto’s offense was rolling, but when the offense stopped producing, the team couldn’t even draw matches. Still, on a team with defensive problems, he was able to make it work, and at least earned a “MLS Save of the Week” during week 7.

So how does “The Julio Cesar Experiment” affect MLS in the future? In all honesty, it really doesn’t. While it was nice to see a world-class keeper playing in the league, at the end of the day, his short time with Toronto F.C. is going to be nothing more than a footnote in the history of MLS. But while his stay wasn’t something that changed the league forever, it continues to prove that the pipeline of veteran players from big European clubs remains open. This influx of proven talent will continue allowing MLS to grow in popularity, and big names like Julio Cesar contribute to that growth, if they stay around long enough.