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Toronto FC announced Thursday that the club has signed midfielder Dwayne De Rosario following his selection in Stage Two of the MLS Re-Entry draft process last month. As per team and league policies, terms of the deal were not disclosed.
“Dwayne’s resume speaks for itself. The addition of an MLS veteran with regular season and MLS Cup MVP honours brings a significant piece to the team we are building here at Toronto FC. Dwayne’s impact will add considerable skill and depth to our squad and we look forward to having him serve as a mentor to our younger players,” said Toronto FC General Manager Tim Bezbatchenko. “Dwayne has had a tremendous MLS and National Team career. He has very strong ties to the team and the city and it is only fitting that this is how his story should unfold.”
De Rosario, 35, completed this past season with D.C. United, where he appeared in 24 matches, scoring three goals and adding two assists. While with D.C., the Scarborough native netted 23 goals to go along with 21 assists in 68 MLS contests and was named the 2011 MLS MVP and MLS Golden Boot recipient on the strength of his 13-goal, 12-assist season.
Prior to joining D.C. United, De Rosario spent parts of 11 seasons with Toronto FC, the New York Red Bulls, the Houston Dynamo and the San Jose Earthquakes. He has been a member of four MLS Cup winning sides - twice with the San Jose Earthquakes (2001 and 2003) and twice with the Houston Dynamo (2006 and 2007) - earning MLS Cup MVP honours in 2001 and 2007. De Rosario has made 324 appearances in 13 MLS seasons with 103 goals and 77 assists and has been named to the MLS Best XI six times (2005-07, 2009-11).
De Rosario originally joined Toronto FC via a trade with the Houston Dynamo on December 12, 2008. He appeared in 57 games over two-plus seasons with the Club, leading the team in scoring in 2009 with 11 goals and in 2010 with a franchise single-season best 15 goals. On April 8, 2010 he was named the second captain in team history and later that season he helped lead the Reds to their first CONCACAF Champions League berth. He is presently Toronto FC’s all-time career leader in goals (27), multi-goal games (five), game-winning goals (seven), shots (158) and tied for first in assists (10).
A four-time Canadian Player of the Year (2005, 2006, 2007 and 2011), De Rosario earned his first cap with the Canadian National Team on May 18, 1998 at the age of 20 against FYR Macedonia. He has a total of 77 caps for Canada and is the team’s all-time leading goal scorer with 20. He made his professional debut with the Toronto Lynx of the A-League at age 18. Appeared in seven matches and scored three goals.
Dwayne De Rosario #14
Position: Midfielder
Height: 5’11
Weight: 164 lbs.
Birthdate: May 15, 1978
Birth Place: Scarborough, Ontario
Hometown: Scarborough, Ontario
Nationality: Canadian
Last Club: DC United
How Acquired: Signed with Toronto FC, January 9, 2014 after being selected in the Second Stage of the MLS Re-Entry process, Wednesday, December 18, 2013