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Toronto FC: 2020 Preview – Silverware beckons again?

By Matt Coles

TORONTO, ON - OCTOBER 06: Toronto FC players huddle up before the MLS regular season match between Toronto FC and Columbus Crew on October 6, 2019, at BMO Field in Toronto, ON, Canada. (Photo by Julian Avram/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - OCTOBER 06: Toronto FC players huddle up before the MLS regular season match between Toronto FC and Columbus Crew on October 6, 2019, at BMO Field in Toronto, ON, Canada. (Photo by Julian Avram/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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SEATTLE, WA – NOVEMBER 09: Josmer Volmy “Jozy” Altidore of Toronto FC attends press during the mix zone at CenturyLink Field on November 9, 2019 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Omar Vega/Getty Images)
SEATTLE, WA – NOVEMBER 09: Josmer Volmy “Jozy” Altidore of Toronto FC attends press during the mix zone at CenturyLink Field on November 9, 2019 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Omar Vega/Getty Images) /

Offseason Summary

Squad Retention

The crux of Toronto FC’s squad remains the same ahead of the 2020 season with the likes of Altidore and Pozuelo looking to continue their partnership at the head of the team. Patrick Mullins, Jonathan Osorio, Erickson Gallardo and Tsubasa Endoh will all be looking to chip in with goals and assists as well.

The club has kept their two best shot-stoppers in Quentin Westberg and Alex Bono, with both having MLS Cup final experience, while the defence has remained relatively unchanged also. The entirety of the club’s best back four from the 2019 campaign will continue to perform for TFC, while the likes of Eriq Zavaleta, Laurent Ciman, Chris Mavinga and Nick de Leon can all provide solid cover.

Transfers & SuperDraft Picks

More from MLS Multiplex

Just three days after the MLS Cup final defeat to Seattle, TFC had already started their offseason dealings, allowing Jay Chapman to move to Inter Miami, receiving $100,000 GAM by doing so. A week later, six more left the club after seeing their options declined or contracts expire. Two of those players, centre-half Drew Moor and defender Ashtone Morgan, have signed for MLS clubs, while Caleb Patterson-Sewell, Aiden Daniels and Jon Bakero have signed for lower-league American sides.

Ryan Telfer, the Trinidad & Tobago forward, signed for Cypriot side Nea Salamis following his departure from TFC, while midfielder Nicolas Benezet was the other man to leave the club for a fee with Colorado Rapids trading $50,000 for the Frenchman.

In response to those eight players leaving the team, only four have been brought into the squad, and only one of those has come from outside the building. Argentinian forward Pablo Piatti makes the move to MLS from La Liga side Espanyol, signing as a Designated Player, while Rocco Romeo, Jayden Nelson and Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty have all graduated from Toronto FC II.

Toronto had six draft picks overall, including four in the first two rounds. They acquired the 19th overall pick from LA Galaxy following a November trade and with the selection chose Syracuse defender Nyal Higgins. Georgetown forward Ifunanyachi Achara was picked 25th overall, before the club took two defenders in the second round in Clemson’s Malick Mbaye and Indiana’s Simon Waever.

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