Toronto FC acquired Marc-Anthony Kaye on Friday, paid Colorado Rapids A hefty price tag for a Canadian international midfielder.
To acquire Kaye, Toronto dropped teenage Canadian midfielder Ralph Prisso, up to US$1.05 million in general allocation amounts, a 2023 international roster spot and a first round mls Superdraft Pickup.
Colorado will receive $350,000 in allocation money in 2022 and $425,000 in 2023, as well as $250,000 in 2023 or 2024, depending on Kay’s roster status. As part of the deal, both clubs will retain a percentage of the selling prices of Kaye’s and Priso.
“We are very excited to have Mark on our team,” Toronto coach and sports director Bob Bradley said in a statement. “Over the past five seasons, Mark has established himself as one of the best two-way midfielders in the league. He is an intelligent player who loves to be around the ball, a good passer, ball-winner, competitor and teammate.
“We wish Ralph the best of luck in Colorado. He’s a great young man with a bright future ahead of him.”
The deal brings 27-year-old Kaye back to his native Toronto, where he started with TFC Academy in 2013. This reunites him with Bradley, who kept him at Los Angeles FC for three and a half seasons before selling him. Colorado last year.
Kaye made 92 appearances with LAFC, joining the club for the inaugural 2018 season and helping the club to the Supporters Shield in 2019, when he was named to the league All-Star Game. In signing Kaye to an LAFC contract extension in December 2018, Bradley called him a “really important player.”
Nevertheless, he struck a blockbuster deal in July 2021 and sent the 2022 first-round draft pick to Colorado, which netted LAFC US$1 million in normal allocation funds and the 2022 international roster slot. The LAFC was to receive additional allocation funds if Kaye reached certain performance incentives.
The move to Colorado reunited him with Rapids head coach Robin Fraser, a former Toronto assistant under Greg Venney.
Kaye signed a contract extension with Colorado in January that runs through 2025 with a club option for 2026.
According to data released by the MLS Players Association in April, Kaye is earning $700,000 this year.
In 109 MLS regular-season games over five seasons, he has 13 goals and 21 assists.
A new foundation is shaping up in Toronto with the midfield trio of Captain Michael Bradley, Jonathan Osorio and Kaye in Bob Bradley’s favorite 4-3-3 formation.
Kaye, who won 35 caps for Canada, will provide fixture with Bob’s son Michael Bradley. He will also help Toronto move the ball faster while accelerating the attack.
Italian star Lorenzo Insigne, who is currently sidelined with a calf injury, is expected to capture the tip of the spear with Spanish forward Jesus Jiménez or Canadian Ayo Acinola on the left side of Bradley’s three-man attack. Italian international Federico Bernardeschi, out of contract with Juventus, is targeted by TFC and will occupy the right flank of the attack.
The star is to do more work in defense with center back Carlos Salcedo, possibly returning to Mexico for family reasons. But fellow Italian Domenico Cristo adds experience and knowledge, being able to play left back and centre back.
Toronto sold Spanish playwright Alejandro Pozuelo to Inter Miami CF on Thursday, opening a designated player spot for Bernardeschi.
Kaye, who spent two years at York University in Toronto before joining the TFC Academy, left the Toronto system in 2015 to play for Louisville City in the USL.
He has scored three goals and one assist in 17 matches this season. ,
Priso is a Canadian youth international who played in the 2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Brazil.
The 19-year-old from Toronto became the 25th player in TFC history to be signed with the first academy team when he signed as a domestic player in October 2020.
“Ralph is one of the most talented, young midfielders in MLS,” Colorado’s executive vice president and general manager Padraig Smith said in a statement. “We are delighted to welcome him to the club and believe he can continue to grow into a core part of our team’s midfield with his skill set.
“Mark played a key role in our team’s rise to the top of the West last season and was a model representative of our club off the pitch. We are grateful for his contribution and wish him all the best in this next chapter of his career.” give.
Priso, an excellent passer, has appeared in 10 league games this season – and has 33 appearances and two goals in all competitions over three seasons.
Toronto, who finished second in the league last year with a 6-18-10 record, have seen 21 members of last year’s first team depart.
Toronto (5-10-3) hosts the San Jose Earthquakes (4-7-6) on Saturday.
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