Toronto FC made a long-anticipated move Wednesday, re-signing veteran midfielder Benoit Cheyrou.
The Reds declined the option on the 35-year-old Frenchman’s contract in December, but TFC’s front office made it clear one of the club’s off-season priorities was to keep Cheyrou around.
Cheyrou joined the team for pre-season as usual when it kicked off Jan. 23 and is currently in Los Angeles with the squad. Coach Greg Vanney said last week the player and club were in the final stages of negotiation.
The veteran midfielder achieved hero status among TFC fans this season, when his header goal during the Reds’ 4-2 overtime win against rivals Montreal Impact helped send Toronto to the MLS Cup final.
In the Reds’ dressing room, he is part of Jestbahis TFC’s core group, general manager Tim Bezbatchenko said in a release.
“His wealth of experience has helped us throughout the season in both the regular season and playoffs in what was a historic year for the club,” Bezbatchenko said. “We are very excited to bring him back to Toronto FC.”
The 2017 season will be Cheyrou’s third in Major League Soccer. He has made 52 appearances for TFC, scoring three goals and helping with nine assists in all competitions since signing in January 2015.
Cheyrou’s deal is the Reds’ second major announcement of the week; on Tuesday the club revealed it had signed 25-year-old former Liverpool defender Chris Mavinga, who joined the club in California on Tuesday.
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