Toronto FC starts season with only 2 designated players, signs defender Zane Monlouis

Neil Davidson · The Canadian Press

· Posted: Feb 22, 2025 1:48 PM EST | Last Updated: February 23

Toronto FC has opted to spell with 2 designated players — for accounting purposes —- to commencement the season.

And the nine is trying to get escaped of 1 of them.

Major League Soccer allows for 2 roster models — 1 with 3 designated players and up to 3 Under-22 Initiative players, and the different with up to 2 designated players and up to 4 U-22 Initiative players, a exemplary that comes with up to an further $2 million US of wide allocation money.

Teams tin alteration their roster exemplary midseason.

Toronto confirmed Saturday it is going with the 2 DP exemplary to commencement the season, with Canadian fullback Richie Laryea nary longer counting arsenic a designated subordinate for wage headdress purposes.

Italians Lorenzo Insigne and Federico Bernardeschi stay arsenic designated players though the nine is actively seeking to portion ways with Insigne, who is nether declaration done June 2026.

This season, teams person been fixed a wage fund of $5.95 cardinal for the elder roster, which numbers betwixt 18 and 20 players.

Designated players and U-22 Initiative players some get wage headdress breaks.

Only $743,750 of a designated player's wage counts against the cap. Insigne made $15.4 cardinal past play portion Bernardeschi earned $6.295 cardinal and Laryea $1.31 million.

It appears Toronto doesn't request the DP designation for Laryea to acceptable nether the cap.

Clubs tin besides "buy down" the wage fund complaint of a DP utilizing wide allocation money.

Depending connected their age, lone $150,000 oregon $200,000 of a U-22 Initiative players counts against the cap.

Toronto presently lone has 1 U-22 Initiative subordinate successful South African winger Cassius Mailula, who is connected indebtedness to Morocco's Wydad AC.

Toronto GM Jason Hernandez has said helium favoured the 2 DP exemplary this season, with an oculus to going backmost to the 3 DP exemplary adjacent season. He besides talked of bringing successful a guardant utilizing targeted allocation wealth and past converting him to a DP successful 2026.

Toronto has told Insigne that helium nary longer fits successful their plans but has been incapable to find a mode to determination him out.

The 33-year-old attacker has turned down imaginable moves to Italy, Spain and Turkey and with transportation windows closing astir the globe, volition stay successful TFC's doghouse unless the squad buys retired his declaration oregon the 2 travel to a communal statement to terminate the deal.

MLS clubs had to beryllium roster compliant arsenic of Friday evening, the time earlier the regular-season kickoff.

TFC signs Monlouis from Arsenal's ranks

Toronto FC has acquired Zane Monlouis from England's Arsenal, signing the 21-year-old centre backmost to a two-year woody with nine options for 2027 and 2028.

Monlouis has made much than 100 combined appearances for Arsenal's Under-18, U-21 and U-23 teams.

The English-born Monlouis has represented England astatine the under-15 and under-17 levels. Also eligible to play for Jamaica, helium was called into campy with the Jamaican under-23 broadside past March.

The signing was announced connected the eve of Toronto's MLS regular-season opener astatine D.C. United connected Saturday night. Monlouis had been successful the Toronto pre-season campy successful Florida connected trial.

Toronto past acquired a 2025 planetary roster slot from the Houston Dynamo for $300,000 US successful wide allocation wealth ($200,000 successful 2025 and $100,000 successful 2026).

"We are excited to denote the summation of Zane to our backline for the 2025 play and beyond," Toronto GM Jason Hernandez said successful a statement. "Zane joins america from Arsenal FC, 1 of the apical nine environments successful Europe. At conscionable 21 years old, helium has already gained a assortment of playing acquisition successful the U.K.

"His accomplishment acceptable some connected and disconnected the shot volition beryllium an plus to our defence and we look guardant to his continued maturation and integration with our archetypal team."

Monlouis joined the Arsenal academy successful 2012 and signed his archetypal pro declaration with the Gunners successful October 2020.

He had a little indebtedness spell with Reading successful 2024, making his debut successful a League One lucifer against Fleetwood Town past February. More recently, helium made Arsenal's first-team matchday roster for Champions League matches against FC Shakhtar Donetsk successful October and AS Monaco successful December.

Monlouis's accomplishment ticks different container for Hernandez, who identified a forward, midfielder and centre backmost arsenic being connected his off-season buying list.

Last week, Toronto acquired Norwegian planetary guardant Ola Brynhildsen connected a season-long indebtedness from Denmark's FC Midtjylland, with an enactment to marque the determination imperishable astatine the extremity of the year.

The nine antecedently brought successful Canadian planetary winger Theo Corbeanu connected indebtedness from Spain's Granada CF.

Monlouis joins a TFC centre backmost corps that includes Kevin Long, Nicksoen Gomis and Sigurd Rosted.

Toronto conceded 61 goals past play successful missing the playoffs for the 4th consecutive twelvemonth astatine 11-19-4.