Danny Koevermans planning to return to playing in the Netherlands

Danny Koevermans has an impressive record in the Eredivisie and it looks like he is planning to add to that come 2014 when his contract with Toronto FC comes to an end.  The big Dutch forward spent over a decade playing for Sparta Rotterdam, AZ, and PSV before making his move to MLS scoring nearly 150 goals between the Eredivisie and Eerste Divisie.  His performances were enough to earn him a handful of caps from the Dutch National Team but when his contract with PSV ended he accepted a DP offer from Toronto and left the Netherlands for the first time in his playing career.

Now Koevermans seems set to make his return to playing in the Netherlands.  Having missed most of the last year with a serious knee injury and more recently a calf injury it was quite unlikely that the 34-year-old would be brought back at his current contract rate.  The problem is that if TFC wanted to bring him back below the DP it would mean the player having to take more than a million dollar pay cut on his salary.  That would be unlikely because even a club in the Eerste Divisie would be able to pay him more than the 200k that Toronto likely would have had to offer him for it to make sense.

So it should not really come as a surprise that Koevermans was quoted on Sport-Promotion saying, "My contract expires and then I will return with my family to the Netherlands."  He also seems to be confident that there will be a number of clubs in the Netherlands interested in bringing him in despite his aging legs.  Those clubs have the luxury of being able to pay him in hopes that he can recover the kind of scoring form that he had for over a decade before his first major injury sidetracked him.  That doesn't really work in a league like MLS where they have a salary cap to worry about and a player like Koevermans becomes a much larger gamble.

Koevermans may have a role to play yet in 2013 with his latest injury seemingly behind him now as he has returned to training.  He has only managed to make 4 appearances in 2013 because of the injuries which is not what a club wants from a Designated Player.

His 17 goals in 30 MLS appearances is what Koevermans will be remembered for though.  It was an impressive strike rate and quickly endeared fans to the Dutch forward.  His 0.76 goals per 90 minutes are among the best that the league has seen but sadly it was sidetracked by injury and Koevermans only really got to play two half seasons with the club.

It is unlikely that Koevermans will return to the level of a club like AZ or PSV but there are plenty of teams in the bottom half of the Eridivisie or near the top of the Eerste Divisie that could use a proven goal scorer and would be willing to give him a look.

In the article Koevermans is clear that he has enjoyed his time in Toronto and has no complaints about the club or the city.  It seems that the injury is the only negative that he has about his time with the club as he and his family have enjoyed a good life in Canada since making the move back in 2011.

If Koevermans does leave Toronto this winter it would open the door for the club to bring in two additional Designated Players in the coming months.  It would leave only Matias Laba on the books as a DP for the 2014 season and would allow Kevin Payne and Ryan Nelsen added flexibility to continue their remake of the roster.