Toronto FC ups talent level, but it will lose money
TORONTO — After seven years of throwing in its cards before the MLS season is over, Toronto FC has finally gone all in.
The additions of England striker Jermain Defoe, influential U. S. midfielder Michael Bradley, Brazilian forward Gilberto and return of Canadian star midfielder Dwayne De Rosario have given the MLS club a dose of worldwide credibility and its beleaguered fans some badly needed hope for the future.
It comes at a huge cost, with MLSE boss Tim Leiweke confirming that the team will lose money this season.
“Our owners understand the
math. This was not done without explaining to them the math. They get it and they’re OK with it,” Leiweke said Friday.
“Are we going to make money this year? No. But that was not a concern. To the credit of the owners, they understand it’s going to take us a while to get this to a point where we pay for it. But they wanted to make a statement.”
British reports pegged the Defoe transfer fee with Tottenham at ₤ 6 million to ₤ 8 million ($ 10.8 million to $ 14.4 million).
Toronto has yet to confirm the signing of Bradley, although AS Roma put out a release Thursday saying it had sold the midfielder to MLS for $ 10.9 million.
A source with knowledge of the league said Toronto was the lone suitor.