In just under three weeks Toronto FC II will be kicking off its second season in club history on the road against New York Red Bulls II.
There have been several roster moves since the end of its inaugural season.
Moving on are the likes of Mark-Anthony Kaye, Edwin Rivas, and Massimo Mirabelli, whose options were declined, and Mo Babouli, who recently signed a contract with the first team.
Several new signings are ready to step-in and fill those roles, including midfielder Martin Davis.
The path for Davis has been a bit different than most of the Academy athletes that have come through the ranks. Most of the athletes in the system are from the nearby Greater Toronto Area. Davis, on the other hand, joined the Kia TFC Academy in January of 2015 from his home country of Jamaica.
For Davis, the change of scenery and the style of play at Toronto FC and in North America was something that took some time for him to adapt to.
“Playing in Canada is a big contrast compared to Jamaica,” he said.
“Here the structure of the game is more organized so it was very different for me. It was something I had to adjust to, as I was coming from a more free style of play.”
Davis spent majority of the 2015 season playing with the Senior Kia Toronto FC Academy team in League1 Ontario and in the PDL. He also got a taste of USL competition in appearances against FC Montreal and Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2 while on loan with TFC II last season.
That bit of action was sufficient enough for him and the coaching staff to recognize what he needed to work on in order to take the next step.
“I had been working really hard with [Head Coach] Stuart [Neely] since I joined the Academy, working on all aspects of my game, especially tactically and physically.”
“Playing with the Academy in League1 [Ontario] and the PDL has helped me a lot. It has given me a lot of confidence. I had to prove I was ready for the USL level.”
TFC II Head Coach Jason Bent also believed that time with the Senior Kia TFC Academy team was necessary for Davis in order for him to be successful at the USL level.
“With Martin we felt that the speed and physicality of the USL was a bit too much for him at that point [last season], but he started to get acclimated to that level with his time with the Senior Academy,” said Bent.
Just a year later Davis’ development had progressed to the point that Bent and the coaching staff felt that he was ready.
“He played the most minutes out of all players with the Senior Academy last season which speaks volumes to his development, so we felt like we needed to get him tied down to a contract and give him the opportunity to have TFC II be his first professional team,” said Bent.
His offensive output with the Senior Kia TFC Academy team has Davis full of confidence going into his first complete USL season.
“My goal and assist rate with the Senior Kia TFC Academy team was very good so I’m coming into the USL with a lot of confidence,” the 19-year-old said.
“Every time I step on the field I want to make an impact and help the team in anyway but I know I need to be more consistent as a player, because us young players tend to be inconsistent,” he added.