TORONTO — Toronto FC, taking the first steps in what's been billed as a "total rebuild," has declined 2025 contract options on defenders Aimé Mabika and Shane O'Neill, midfielder Brandon Servania and goalkeeper Greg Ranjitsingh.
The four players made a combined $1.24 million last season (all figures in U.S. dollars), led by Servania's $602,708.
The fate of German forward Prince Owusu, the team's leading scorer with nine goals in 31 league outings, is up in the air.
Owusu, who joined Toronto in August 2023 from SV Jahn Regensburg of the German second division, ranked fifth on TFC's salary list at $807,500. The 27-year-old forward, who started 20 games, split duties with 21-year-old Canadian Deandre Kerr, whose three goals in 26 appearances, including 12 starts, came at a cost of $105,319 this season.
A striker is at the top of the club's shopping list.
"We want to improve the attack," GM Jason Hernandez told a media availability Monday. "There is no doubt that some of the decisions we've made through the 2024 season was to prepare for an addition in the attack in 2025. And I think we're right now working on evaluating how we want to attack that problem."
Only Austin (39 goals), Nashville (38) and New England (37) scored fewer goals than Toronto's 40 this season.
Toronto missed the playoffs for the fourth straight season, finishing 11th in the Eastern Conference at 11-19-4. TFC finished poorly, picking up just one point out of a possible 15 in its last five outings (0-4-1).
That prompted MLSE president and CEO Keith Pelley to declare "TFC is a complete rebuild … Everything is on the table."
"We don't have a club identity, a club ethos, currently right now for TFC … I kind of realized that pretty quickly that it's kind of lost its way," added Pelley, who took charge of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment in April.
Toronto has exercised the contract options on goalkeeper Luka Gavran, defenders Kobe Franklin and Kevin Long, wingback Tyrese Spicer, midfielders Alonso Coello and Kosi Thompson, and Kerr.
Eighteen other players, including designated players Lorenzo Insigne and Federico Bernardeschi, were already under contract for the 2025 season.
There is room to add a marquee player. Hernandez says the club now has "more than double" the salary cap space than it did last year.
"Equally what's important is, call it, the quantity of inefficient contracts has reduced considerably, which is important," he added. "From an efficiency perspective, we're going to be miles ahead, which is quite nice."
Canadian fullback/wingback Richie Laryea, Toronto's third designated player, could have his contract restructured to remove the DP status if needed for a newcomer.
Laryea made $1,329,438 this season.
MLS clubs had a salary budget of $5.47 million this season, covering 18 to 20 senior players, although the league has mechanisms like allocation money to buy down salary cap hits.
Toronto could add flexibility it opts to go with the so-called "U-22 Initiative" roster model which allows for up to two designated players and up to four U-22 Initiative roster players. That comes with a bonus of up to an additional $2 million in general allocation money.
In 2024, players occupying a U-22 initiative slot carried the salary cap hit as a young designated player ($150,000 for ages 20 and younger, and $200,000 for ages 21-23) no matter their actual salary.
DPs aged 24 or older carried the maximum salary budget charge of $683,750.
TFC has until the MLS deadline of Nov. 27 to exercise or decline the 2025 contract options for Owusu and defender Luke Singh, currently on loan at the CPL's Atletico Ottawa.
The team says conversations are "ongoing" with some players who had their options declined.
Toronto could try to renegotiate a new deal with Owusu, with Hernandez suggesting contract length would be of importance to the big German. It could also use the time to see if other teams are interested in Owusu.
South African midfielder Cassius Mailula is on loan with Moroccan team Wydad Athletic Club through July 2025, with Wydad having an option to exercise a permanent transfer at the end of the loan.
Servania, returning from knee surgery, was sidelined until August when he made his return with TFC 2. The 25-year-old, whose salary ranked ninth among TFC players, appeared for the first team a month later, seeing a total of just 63 minutes in three games including one start.
Hernandez also noted Servania would have been due "a considerable jump" in salary if the contract option was exercised.
The 31-year-old O'Neill, who earned $413,000, saw action in 20 games, including 14 starts, in an injury-disrupted season. The 26-year-old Mabika, who made $133,125, fell down the depth chart and played in 12 games, including three starts.
Ranjitsingh was Toronto's third-string goalkeeper behind Sean Johnson and Gavran.
Insigne and Bernardeschi, whose combined salaries of $21.695 million produced 12 goals and 15 assists this season, are under contract through June 2026 and the end of 2026, respectively. The club has contract options on Insigne through 2026 and Bernardeschi through 2028.
Hernandez says the club is holding its end-of-year player meetings at the end of the week.
"From there, we're going to have the opportunity to follow up and have conversations with many agents to talk about what it all means for them and their clients moving forward," Hernandez said
The end-of-season roster announcement included word that teenage defender Lazar Stefanovic is now a member of the first-team roster. Hernandez said the 18-year-old Canadian youth international, who joined TFC II in June 2023, originally signed as an "off-roster homegrown" player under former coach Bob Bradley.
Stefanovic broke a bone in his foot while on international duty and spent most of the season recuperating.
Toronto FC Roster
Goalkeepers: Luka Gavran, Sean Johnson.
Defenders: Nathaniel Edwards, Kobe Franklin, Nicksoen Gomis, Henry Wingo, Richie Laryea, Kevin Long, Adam Pearlman, Raoul Petretta, Sigurd Rosted, Lazar Stefanovic.
Midfielders: Alonso Coello, Derrick Etienne Jr., Deybi Flores, Matty Longstaff, Cassius Mailula, Jonathan Osorio, Kosi Thompson.
Forwards: Federico Bernardeschi, Lorenzo Insigne, Deandre Kerr, Hugo Mbongue, Charlie Sharp, Tyrese Spicer.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 28, 2024.
Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press
