Toronto FC Roster Decisions: Defenders
Over the next little while, I’ll be releasing a series of posts breaking down Toronto FC’s roster as the club heads into one of the most critical offseasons in recent memory. The goalkeepers section has already been released, along with an explanation of what is being done, so make sure to check that out if you haven’t already. Without further ado, let’s take a look at the defenders.
Julian Dunn: Another 21-year-old, Dunn played pretty well in his appearances this season. Dunn’s contract is expiring at the end of the season, and it’s now been confirmed that he’s headed to Europe, so there’s really no point in doing an analysis on him. Even though he’s going to Norway, he’s still inexperienced and could use some more playing time, which he’ll hopefully get in Europe.
He has the makings of a potentially solid Canadian centreback in the future, so keeping his rights would be important. You can’t do anything but keep his rights at this point, so give him an offer that allows you to keep them.
Final decision: He made it for us.
Toronto FC has some hard transfer decisions to make before the 2022 MLS kickoff
Rocco Romeo: Romeo is a former SuperDraft pick who had his option declined by TFC this month. He’s a young guy who’s shown a bit of promise and I wouldn’t rule out a return to TFC. This could very easily be another example of re-negotiating a lower salary but keeping the player, which is exactly what I would do. I’d keep him around, either with TFCII or sign him to another first-team contract before loaning him to a CPL team or place where he’ll get minutes.
Final Decision: Keep/TFCII/Loan.
Luke Singh: Singh is another interesting one. He had some brilliant performances early in the 2021 season, but it was quickly apparent that he was a bit out of his depth. I think another offseason will be beneficial for the 20-year-old and depending on how he performs in training camp would sway my decision one way or the other. Currently, I’d be leaning towards having him be a starter on TFCII with one of Romeo or Dunn, but if he shows that he’s capable of handling MLS minutes next season I’d keep him around.
Final decision: Keep.
Eriq Zavaleta: Zavaleta is a complicated one to figure out. On the one hand, he isn’t very good and has struggled the last few seasons. But on the other, he’s a key player for El Salvador, has been with the club for over five years, and has shown that he can handle minutes when he has to. The way I look at him is as a third or fourth option off the bench, and I think having a guy who you’re familiar with, who’s a leader as shown by his role with El Salvador, and is fairly decent in one on one’s is pretty helpful.
He’ll make the odd bonehead mistake, but when he’s only making just over 115 thousand dollars, it’s worth it in my opinion. It was announced by TFC that his contract option was not picked up and based on his social posts he’s not coming back, so my decision on him really doesn’t matter, but I’d be interested in keeping him. Odds are, though, he’s going to need a new team come January.
Final decision: Keep.
Auro Jr.: Before I even start talking about him, we need to remember that Auro is 25 years old. He’s still growing and you can see that as his game has developed. He was hurt by Chris Armas when he had him, for some reason, playing as a defensive midfielder, but I think he’s a perfectly suitable right-back for Toronto FC. He’s making a starter’s salary at $388 750 last season, but I think he is one and will only get better. They’ll especially need him if the next player ends up moving on.
Final decision: Keep.
Richie Laryea: The diamond in the rough. Who would have thought when TFC signed Laryea as a free agent from Orlando that he would turn into the Canadian National Team’s starting right-back and one of the most crucial players for TFC. The problem with Laryea is that he’s too good at this point. There has already been European teams sniffing around him and I can’t see him lasting much longer in MLS if he continues playing as well as he has, especially at his salary of $226 953 last season.
Frankly, TFC would be insane not to keep him if they have the option, but I’m afraid that it may result in it being out of their hands as Laryea could consider a move abroad as he mentioned in his season-ending press conference. One of two things are going to happen with him this offseason, and if they don’t I’ll be shocked. TFC either needs to re-negotiate his contract and give him a very big raise or he’ll want to move on to somewhere in Europe.
Final decision: please stay Richie, we need you.
Kemar Lawrence: Toronto FC’s most recent defensive signing, Lawrence came in and did a serviceable job after his short stint in Europe. He filled in where he needed to and played pretty well during his time here. As a versatile player who showed he can play as both a centre-back and left-back, he’s going to be a helpful player to have with the likely roster turnover that will take place, especially with Justin Morrow having retired.
Final decision: Keep.
Chris Mavinga: Not much needs to be said about Mavinga. Apart from some injury issues, he’s been TFC’s constant defensive bailout making some incredible tackles when needed. He’s a guy who you can rely on to do his job well and make up for some of the mistakes made defensively. He does have a hefty salary at $887 500 last season and he’s getting older having turned 30 this year, but for what you get out of Mavinga I think it’s still worth it.
Final decision: Keep.
Omar Gonzalez: I don’t have much to say about Gonzalez. He’s a guy where age and his lack of pace very quickly caught up with him. Still incredibly capable in the air, he just doesn’t have the requisite athleticism or skill to justify his mammoth salary.
Thankfully, his contract is up at the end of the year and TFC isn’t picking up his player option, so you don’t have to worry about buying it out, but it’s pretty self-explanatory that it would take a major pay reduction and role reduction for him to stay around.
Final decision: Sell/Release.
That’s the defenders. Apart from a couple of subtractions, most of the backline I’d keep together. There 100000000% need to be additions at centre-back, but the pieces are there to potentially build a solid backline. More depth needs to be added, though, and you can’t rely on the young guys who may not be ready yet. Overall, there need to be some serious changes.
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