It was a pretty busy Friday for Toronto FC, who made a move for a defender and traded away one of its goalkeepers.
TFC began the day by adding some experience and depth to its roster when it selected D.C. United defender Nick DeLeon in the MLS re-entry draft.
Then shortly after the draft, the Reds announced they had traded goalkeeper Clint Irwin to the Colorado Rapids for a second-round pick (39th overall) in the 2019 MLS SuperDraft.
Irwin’s exit from Toronto hardly comes as a surprise after the club announced in November that it declined to pick up his contract option.
Irwin, a 29-year-old native of Charlotte, rejoins Colorado after spending the past three seasons with Toronto, the last two as a backup Alex Bono. He joined Toronto via a trade with Colorado in January 2016, and served as the Reds’ starting goalkeeper that season, playing a big role in helping the club reach the MLS Cup final. But he lost his role as starter the following season to Bono.
Irwin was a major part of TFC’s roster overhaul prior to the 2016 MLS campaign. Fresh off a 2015 campaign in which they leaked goals, the Reds also signed free agent defender Drew Moor, and traded for fullback Steven Beitashour and defensive midfielder. All four were regular starters as the club made its run to the first of two MLS Cup final appearances. Only Moor remains with TFC today.
A popular player with both teammates and fans, Irwin made 49 appearances in all competitions during his time with TFC, posting a record of 18-16-13 with 16 clean sheets.
DeLeon, a 28-year-old native of Phoenix, was a first-round pick (seventh overall) of D.C in the 2012 MLS SuperDraft after playing collegiate soccer at the University of Louisville – TFC had the fourth pick and took a pass on DeLeon, selecting midfielder Luis Silva.
DeLeon ended up scoring six goals for D.C. in 2012, and was a finalist for the MLS rookie of the year award. He’s struggled with injuries the last two MLS campaigns, but before that he was a regular starter for D.C.
In total, DeLeon has spent seven seasons with D.C. United, scoring 13 goals and tallying 16 assists in 180 regular season appearances.
DeLeon quickly took to Twitter to thank Toronto FC president Bill Manning, general manager Tim Bezbatchenko and coach Greg Vanney after being selected on Friday.
https://twitter.com/NickDeLeon7/status/1073675269590773760
A right-sided player, DeLeon earned US$275,000 last season, so he comes at a price for TFC. But he’s a solid player known for his versatility – he can also play in midfield – which means he’ll bring value to a Toronto side looking to shore up its defence. The Reds conceded a whopping 64 goals in 2018, tied for the fourth-worst defence record in MLS.
The MLS re-entry draft applies to a pool of players who did not have their options picked up by their former clubs but are not eligible for free agency.
By selecting DeLeon in the first-round of the re-entry draft, Toronto FC has committed to picking up DeLeon’s 2019 option from his current contract, believed to be US$300,000.
The second-round of the re-entry draft is next week. If a player is selected, teams can negotiate a new contract with him.
The Montreal Impact and Vancouver Whitecaps did not make a selection during Friday’s re-entry draft.
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