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Former Toronto FC centre back Chris Mavinga wanted desperately to stay in the Six this season.
But after not getting the deal he was seeking with the Reds, the 31-year-old MLS veteran has decided to sign with the LA Galaxy, reuniting with former Toronto coach Greg Vanney – signing a deal through the 2024 season.
“After proudly representing Toronto FC for 6 seasons it’s not easy to say ‘goodbye’ to you, TFC family,” Mavinga wrote in a farewell message posted on his official Twitter page on Thursday. “Toronto fans, you have been an unwavering support during my ups and downs and I will always be grateful to you.”
“Chris brings experience, quality and more championship pedigree to our back line,” Vanney said in a Galaxy statement. “We are pleased to add him to our group and look forward to him being an important contributor.”
The Congolese international played 124 regular-season games with Toronto after arriving in 2017 from Russian top-flight side Rubin Kazan. He was part of TFC’s treble-winning side that year, when TFC captured MLS Cup, Supporters’ Shield and Canadian Championship titles. Mavinga played alongside several soon-to-be LA teammates – including left back Raheem Edwards and midfielder Mark Delgado – while in Toronto. Now, he projects as a key centre back for the Galaxy alongside Martín Cáceres and Séga Coulibaly. LA are entering their third year under Vanney’s leadership, having made the Western Conference semis in 2022.
TFC players will officially report to the BMO Training Ground on Friday for medicals and then the club will travel to San Diego on Sunday to start pre-season camp through Jan. 27 – part of this year’s pre-season schedule for Toronto which will include participating in the second annual Coachella Valley Invitational.
The team will return to Toronto briefly before heading back to California where camp will continue through Feb. 18. In the second leg of pre-season, TFC will play in three matches as part of the 2023 Coachella Valley Invitational at Empire Polo Club in Indio, Calif. TFC will face Vancouver Whitecaps on Feb. 8, then take on LAFC on Feb. 11 and the Portland Timbers on Feb. 15.
The Reds will close out their preseason matches against the LA Galaxy on Feb. 18 at Dignity Health Sports Park.
TFC made a number of changes in the off-season and will continue to add to the roster. The Reds failed to qualify for the playoffs for the second year in a row (9W 18L 7D) in 2022 and with the signing of Italian stars Lorenzo Insigne and Federico Bernardeschi last year are looking to bounce back in 2023 under head coach Bob Bradley.
One key acquisition by TFC in the off-season was the signing of defender Matt Hedges, 32, to a two-year contract with options through 2026 using Targeted Allocation Money. Hedges spent his entire professional career (2012-2022) with FC Dallas, where he made a combined 349 appearances in all competitions. In his third year with FC Dallas (2014), Hedges captained the team for the first time and became the youngest captain the club’s history. The Carmel, Ind. was instrumental in leading the team into the MLS Cup Playoffs in 2014, 2015 and 2016. In addition, Hedges was part of the team that won both the MLS Supporters’ Shield and U.S. Open Cup in 2016. During his time with Dallas, Hedges was named to the MLS Best XI in two consecutive seasons (2015, 2016), was honoured as the 2016 MLS Defender of the Year, and was named to the MLS All-Star squad for three consecutive seasons (2017, 2018, 2019).
Another important off-season move by TFC was bringing back Spanish midfielder Víctor Vázquez through 2023 with an option for 2024. Vázquez, 35, returns to the Reds after spending the past two seasons with LA Galaxy. During his first stint with TFC (2017-2019), Vázquez notched 18 goals and 28 assists in 65 total appearances (MLS Regular Season, MLS Cup Playoffs, Canadian Championship, Concacaf Champions League and Campeones Cup). He played an important role in 2017, TFC’s most successful season in MLS history, when the Reds captured the Canadian Championship, the MLS Supporters’ Shield and MLS Cup. The same year, Vázquez earned honours as a member of the MLS Best XI after scoring eight goals and adding 16 assists during regular season play. Last month, TFC announced that it had re-signed Canadian international midfielder Jonathan Osorio to a three-year contract with a 2026 option using TAM money. The Brampton, Ont., native was looking to play in Europe after becoming a free agent in 2022, but elected to re-sign with his hometown club.
Osorio, 30, recently completed his 10th season with TFC and is the club’s all-time leader in matches played with 318. He made his 300th appearance for TFC (all competitions) when he started against New York City FC on April 23, 2022, becoming the first player in club history to reach 300 matches. Since his debut with the team on March 9, 2013, Osorio has registered 58 goals in all competitions, ranking third in the club’s all-time top scorers behind Sebastian Giovinco (83) and Jozy Altidore (79).
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