Another former Wanderer moves to MLS: Tal Ben Haim joins Toronto

Major League Soccer's reputation is quickly rising on the world stage as they bring in younger and younger talent to increase the quality of play. A few days ago, we took a look at the three former Bolton Wanderers playing in the league and their salaries. Those three players (Andy O'Brien, Nigel Reo-Coker, and Donovan Ricketts) are now going to be joined by a fourth.

Tal Ben Haim has officially moved to Toronto FC on loan, joining former Championship star Robert Earnshaw and fellow Queens Park Rangers loanee Hogan Ephraim. Ben Haim played alongside current Toronto manager Ryan Nelsen at QPR earlier this year. Speaking of the move in the club's release, Nelsen said:

"Tal Ben Haim has been one of the top defenders in the EPL for nearly a decade. He captains his national team and Ryan thinks the world of him. He's exactly the sort of veteran defender we need."

Toronto's defense is, in a word, bad. Much like Bolton for a large part of this season, they cannot hold onto leads late and are dropping points on a consistent basis. They are currently third-bottom in the Eastern Conference table, having picked up only seven points from ten games played. In the last two games, they have lost late to Colorado Rapids and San Jose.

Ben Haim joined Bolton in the summer of 2004, having done well in a trial under Sam Allardyce. Over the next three years, he would make 88 appearances for Bolton Wanderers before his contract ran out in 2007. The following summer, Jose Mourinho signed the defender for Chelsea (somehow) on a free transfer. He would go on to play for Portsmouth, Sunderland, Manchester City, West Ham, and Queens Park Rangers.