I'm just back from Oshawa, where I called a couple of youth soccer matches for the local cable station. Pesch was my colour man in the first game, and we had a lot of time to chat.
The Scarborough, Ont. native, who played youth soccer in nearby Pickering, is back in town to promote a special two-week soccer clinic he'll be running this summer. (The website is www.pickeringsoccer.ca, if you want more details.) While he's here, he's going to head down to BMO Field for a kickaround, under the watchful supervision of TFC coach John Carver, with whom he worked in Luton Town, and greatly likes and admires.
Two weeks short of his 37th birthday, Peschisolido is coming off the most painful and frustrating of his 16 seasons in English soccer. He tore up his Achilles tendon, and saw action just twice for a Luton Town team plunged into bankruptcy and doomed to relegation.
He is now healthy, out of contract, and looking for a new club.
TFC fans should know Peschisolido's preference is a return to the Championship, the second flight of English football, where he has played the significant majority of his career. He tells me a couple of teams seem interested, but would not say who, or whether he is interested in them.
Signing for Toronto seems a long shot, as the 53-times-capped-for-Canada striker has put down deep family roots in England. But a motivated, underdog side, coached by John Carver and backed by 20,000 screaming lunatic fans per match, is certainly … tempting.
At this point, it's all just kicking the tires. But if he's healthy and interested – well, it wouldn't be dull.
Let the rumours fly! Onward!
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