TFC: Forward Agudelo added in re-entry draft

Toronto FC took former New England Revolution forward Juan Agudelo in Stage 2 of the MLS re-entry draft on Tuesday.

But whether the U.S. international ever pulls on a Toronto jersey remains to be seen.

At $605,000 (U.S.) last season, Agudelo was the fourthhighest paid member of the Revs, who declined the option on his contract last month.

In acquiring his rights, Toronto will be able to renegotiate his deal but may not be able to meet Agudelo’s demands.

Toronto has stated a desire to add to its attack, which currently focuses around star striker Jozy Altidore and Spanish playmaker Alejandro Pozuelo.

Most observers thought the extra offence would come in the form of a new designated player with captain Michael Bradley, whose $39-million, six-year contract is expiring, agreeing to a lesser contract using targeted allocation money — freeing up a third DP spot.

Agudelo adds a twist to the mix. While his salary is likely too rich for Toronto, there is no cost to GM Ali Curtis testing the waters.

In other league news Tuesday, MLS proved it had a long memory by fining Toronto striker Jozy Altidore for unflattering post-game comments about the MLS Cup final officiating Nov. 10.

Altidore and other members of Toronto FC were irate that a foul wasn’t called against the Sounders in the buildup to the opening goal of the final, won 3-1 by Seattle.

“There’s a foul on (Jonathan) Osorio before but we know that, we know the standard of MLS refereeing is next to horrible,” Altidore told reporters after the match. “So you can’t count on them bailing you out on anything.’’

The league did not detail the size of the fine.