Toronto FC announced Tuesday that the club has signed forward Ben Spencer.
“We are excited to sign Ben to the first team. He has worked extremely hard getting himself back to full match fitness with our medical staff after missing a significant amount of time due to injury,” said Toronto FC General Manager Tim Bezbatchenko. “Ben has a variety of experiences playing internationally and representing the United States in multiple youth tournaments. We have no doubt he will be a welcomed addition to the team.”
Spencer, 22, has appeared in four matches for Toronto FC’s USL affiliate Toronto FC II this season. He made his Toronto FC II debut as a substitute on September 11, 2016 against Orlando City B. Last season, Toronto FC acquired the Right of First Refusal along with homegrown rights for Spencer from Real Salt Lake and later signed with Toronto FC II. He began his youth career at Real Salt Lake’s Development Academy at the Grande Sports Academy in Arizona during the 2010-11 season, where he scored 22 goals. He left Real Salt Lake Grande Sports Academy during the 2011-12 season for the Chivas USA Development Academy. In December 2012, Spencer agreed to join Molde FK, where he made two appearances during the 2012-13 season. He made his professional debut as a substitute in a 4-0 win over Vålerenga on September 1, 2013. In 2014, Spencer was loaned to the Indy Eleven of the NASL (North American Soccer League) and made a combined 11 appearances scoring two goals in all competitions.
Spencer has represented the United States men’s national team at the U-18, U-20 and U-23 levels. With the U-18 team, Spencer made six appearances, scoring three goals. He represented the United States U-20 team at the 2015 CONCACAF U-20 Championship in Jamaica where he appeared in five matches, scoring two goals in the tournament and helped the United States qualify for the 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup in New Zealand. He also featured for the U-20 team during their second place finish at the 2014 Dallas Cup, scoring three goals at the tournament. He scored two goals in the opening match, a 3-2 victory against River Plate, along with a first-half goal during their 3-2 double-overtime victory in the semi-finals against Fluminense. With the U-23 team, Spencer appeared in one match as a substitute during a 3-0 loss to Brazil on October 14, 2014.
TRANSACTION: Toronto FC sign forward Ben Spencer and he will be designated as a Homegrown Player on Toronto’s roster
BEN SPENCER – #19
Position: Forward
Height: 6’5
Weight: 181
Birthdate: March 28, 1995
Birthplace: Albuquerque, New Mexico
Nationality: American
Last Club: Toronto FC II
How Acquired: Signed with Toronto FC
Pronunciation: “SPEN-SIR”
