TORONTO — It can be argued Toronto FC has bigger things to worry about. But time is ticking on the MLS team’s explanation of its current roster.
Toronto, beset by injuries on its backline, went one over the 28-man roster limit on March 27 when it signed Clement Simonin to an MLS contract. The rookie French defender had been with Toronto FC 2, the club’s USL farm team.
A Major League Soccer spokeswoman explained March 30 that clubs can designate one player on an MLS contract as a yearlong USL loanee, with that player off the MLS books.
That would bring Toronto back down to 28.
More than two weeks later, Toronto (1-3-0) has yet to announce which player has been designated as the yearlong loanee.
Last week coach Greg Vanney said he needed to speak to the player first before making it public. On Wednesday, he said the team was still not ready to say who it was.
Toronto currently has four players on its roster who are on loan to TFC 2: goalkeepers Alex Bono and Quillan Roberts and midfielders Manny Aparicio and Chris Mannella.
Toronto FC 2’s other players are signed to USL deals.
Bono was signed to a Generation Adidas contract before the 2015 MLS SuperDraft, meaning his contract does not count against Toronto’s salary cap.
Prior to the most recent collecting bargaining agreement, MLS teams were allowed 30-man rosters. That has been reduced to 28 under the current labour deal.
