The newest member of Toronto FC was formally introduced on Wednesday.
The signing of defender Henry Wingo was announced on July 18 and he has since arrived and been involved in training ahead of TFC’s match on Sunday against CF Pachuca at BMO Field in the Leagues Cup.
“He's going to offer a lot to the team,” said John Herdman midweek. “An energy, a verve to that right-hand side and a technical quality by having a hybrid full-back status. He's got this ability to play as a centre-back because of his profile, so when he attacks on that right, you get a different level of understanding in the attacking third and a different level of quality.”
Just how Herdman plans to deploy Wingo remains to be seen.
“My strongest position would be the one that I've played the most games in, which is as a right back, typically in a back four,” said Wingo. “But in this last season I played as a central defender in a back three and also in a back four; I've played as a wing-back in a back five, so I feel comfortable in any of those positions.”
Wingo was one of the original targets for the club at the start of the year when the scouting department searched for players that fit the profiles assembled by Herdman and his staff.
“They did a good job,” said Herdman. “We put some profiles together around the hybrid wide centre-back/wide full-back roll and they went off on their mission to look at the statistics.”
“He fits a lot of the boxes given his MLS experiences, world experiences – he’s won at different clubs,” he continued. “But more importantly, he's played as a centre-back and a full-back and got the best of both worlds.”
Signed to a homegrown contract by Seattle Sounders FC in 2017, Wingo spent two-and-a-half seasons in MLS before moving to Europe with Molde FK in Norway, winning the title in his first year. Come 2021 he moved on to Hungary with famed club Ferencváros in Budapest, where more success – three leagues and a cup – followed.
“It was a great three-and-a-half years,” said Wingo of his time in central Europe. “I was really fortunate to play for a club that had a really high standard. We competed in Europe every single season, which was my goal when I moved over.”
“We won the league every single year in Hungary and won the cup as well,” he continued. “It was successful and that was my goal when I set out, to win trophies, and I was able to do that, so I'm really happy with my time there.”
Whether with Molde or Ferencváros, Wingo made 34 appearances in UEFA competitions over his four seasons, squaring off against the likes of Arsenal, Monaco, Bayer Leverkusen, and BSC Young Boys of Switzerland to name just a few of his opponents over the years.
“Those games, especially being a club from Hungary, we were often seen as the underdog,” recalled Wingo. “Learning how to compete in those games against players who you might have watched before or who are playing on the biggest stages week in and week out, figuring out how to find results against those kinds of teams, and playing in those kinds of atmospheres. It was a really great experience to learn how to navigate those situations.”
But the time was right to come back to North America for the 28-year-old.
“I wanted to be closer to home,” said Wingo. “Being from Seattle, I wanted to be closer to my family and friends, it's really important to me, and this afforded me that opportunity. That was one of the big factors that contributed to my decision.”
“So much of a professional career is a balance in terms of what you want to achieve on the pitch, but also your values off the pitch,” he added. “I ticked a lot of boxes while I was over there, some guys go over there and don't reach those levels. I was happy to do so and I felt like I achieved a lot of what I set out to do. Of course, there's always more you could have done, but I was ready to move back in this direction.”
Wingo had several options in MLS, but chose Toronto.
“It's an interesting market,” he replied. “Coming from Seattle, Toronto and Seattle had a bit of history. In my times coming here in the past, I was attracted to the city, attracted to the club and the support that the team gets.”
“It's a special place to play and it stood out compared to some of the other options that I had in the league,” Wingo continued. “I was just excited more so than anything about this opportunity.”
He has settled into the group nicely since arriving.
“I didn't know any of the guys personally, but they've been great,” said Wingo. “A really friendly group, a lot of camaraderie within the group, which is great. It's been an easy transition so far.”
“I really appreciate all the people who have helped me settle in,” he thanked. “There's so much staff here to help support me and my transition coming from Europe back to a different league and a different country.”
“The staff have been great,” Wingo added. “They've been pushing me hard, and I feel good, so it's been a good couple of days.”
Observed Herdman: “He's a quiet lad. He’s from North America so he understands the culture, understands MLS. He's been good. He's just getting on with his job, doing it to the best of his ability from what I can see.”
Although his last match was back in May, Wingo is set to make his debut sooner than later.
“He's in a preseason at the moment, so it's going to take him a while to get into match rhythm. Hopefully we'll see him off the bench this weekend, that's what I'm hoping,” Herdman anticipated. “That should lay a foundation.”
