Charlie Davies has a simple message for Minnesota United brass — play Mason Toye or trade him.
After the Loons bowed out of the MLS is Back Tournament following a 3-1 defeat to Orlando City SC, Davies gave his rationale as to why Toye deserves more playing time in Adrian Heath’s squad.
“He comes on, makes great runs, gets an opportunity and finishes,” Davies said on the MLS Today Postgame Show presented by Audi. “That’s what they’ve been needing — pace, somebody who can make runs in behind and be dangerous and he can’t get playing time?”
The 21-year-old Toye, who was selected by Minnesota with the seventh overall selection in the 2018 SuperDraft, has produced in limited minutes with six goals in 35 all-time regular season appearances.
Toye started the Loons’ first match in Orlando, but came off injured after 59 minutes in a 2-1 win over Sporting Kansas City. He was an unused sub in the next two group stage matches and a pair of knockout round wins before scoring off the bench in a productive 32-minute shift in Thursday’s semifinal defeat.
Minnesota signed Luis Amarilla on a 12-month loan with an option to buy from Velez Sarsfield in late January to be their top forward. The 24-year-old former Paraguayan youth international promised to score 25 goals this season when signed and has struck twice in four regular season appearances to date.
Should the Loons opt not to play Toye, Davies proposed a pair of interesting trade partners — Atlanta United and the New York Red Bulls.
Atlanta have yet to replace the goal production of Josef Martinez, who had ACL surgery in March with Adam Jahn tasked with being the Five Stripes’ forward and have just signed former Mexican international Erick "Cubo" Torres last week.
A move to the Red Bulls would be a homecoming for Toye, a South Orange, N.J. native who was a standout at Seton Hall Prep HS. Brian White and Tom Barlow have been the primary forwards for Chris Armas.
