Toronto FC kept lips sealed over Robinson trade

Toronto FC have admitted they kept news of midfielder Carl Robinson’s trade to New York Red Bulls quiet at New York’s request.

News emerged that Toronto had released the former Wales international but in fact, he has been traded to the Red Bulls for a fourth-round pick in the 2011 MLS draft.

New York were experiencing difficulty working out a visa for Robinson so did not want to make the announcement official until everything was finalised.

Toronto did not send out their usual press release that comes with any player trades as they were respecting the wishes of the New York but Tom Anselmi, executive vice-president of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, the company that owns Toronto, expressed his deepest gratitude to Robinson.

"Carl's moving on. He's a great soldier [who] helped us get the franchise off the ground, so best of luck to him," Anselmi said.

"But you only have so much space for so many midfielders. Julian's (de Guzman) here and we're committed to him long-term and vice-versa, so people move on in sports and we wish (Carl) the best."