TORONTO — In acquiring Brazilian winger Thiago Andrade, Toronto FC picks up pace and potential — at a reasonable price.
"An interesting addition to our current group," Toronto GM Jason Hernandez said Thursday.
The 24-year-old Andrade came from New York City FC via San Diego FC in a trade executed around the Major League Soccer expansion draft Wednesday.
Expansion San Diego picked Andrade from NYCFC with its fourth pick in the draft and then sent the Brazilian to Toronto for a first-round pick (ninth overall) in the MLS SuperDraft and US$250,000 in conditional general allocation money. San Diego will also get a portion of a future Andrade transfer fee if sold out of MLS by TFC.
Hernandez calls Andrade a "very direct and dynamic (player who) uses his speed to really try to unbalance defences."
Andrade arrived in MLS with a bang in 2021, scoring in his first two appearances for NYCFC including a stoppage-time showstopper June 27 against D.C. United.
Taking a throw from goalkeeper Sean Johnson — now Toronto's 'keeper — Andrade ran the length of the field with just five touches, outmanoeuvring several defenders before knocking the ball home for the game-winner.
Andrade scored 12 goals and added six assists in 71 appearances for NYCFC across all competitions. He spent the last two seasons out on loan, first in Brazil with Athletico Paranaense and this season in China with Shenzhen Peng City FC.
The Brazilian earned US$219,600 this season, according to the MLS Players Association, with Hernandez saying his salary cap hit in 2025 wouldn't be much different, pegging it at less than US$230,000.
That coupled with the modest cost of acquiring Andrade — Hernandez said the ninth overall draft pick "wasn't something that was incredibly relevant for us with our understanding of the player pool this year" — and the fact that other teams had shown an interest in having him via the loans, made him "a little bit of a low-risk manoeuvre that we think could be a boost."
Andrade has been primarily used as a left winger but has also spent time in a front two.
"We understand the threat that he poses to backlines the closer he is on the pitch to the final (goal) line," said Hernandez.
But the Toronto GM says he has not finishing looking to boost the attack. "We're going to add another striker," he said.
TFC elected not to pick up the option of German forward Prince Owusu who led the team with nine league goals this season.
Andrade began his career in the Fluminense FC academy before spending six months in Portugal with Portimonense. He joined Bahia and was the leading scorer in Brazil’s U-20 competition before breaking into the Bahia senior squad in 2021.
He joined NYCFC from Bahia in April 2021.
Hernandez said Andrade has been on TFC's radar for some months but the club wanted to see what happened in terms of NYCFC exercising his contract option for 2025 — which it did — and the expansion draft.
He sees the Brazilian as a player who can flourish on BMO Field's larger pitch, compared to the narrower confines of Yankee Stadium.
"He needs space to kind of stretch his legs," Hernandez said.
Hernandez says Andrade's speed would be rivalled only by wingback Tyrese Spicer among the Toronto squad.
"It would be an interesting idea to see those two on the pitch together and the different ways we could try to change our look in different moments of the match," Hernandez said.
NYCFC originally signed the Brazilian using the league's under-22 initiative, which offers teams a break on the player's salary cap hit. Toronto could choose to retain that designation depending on whether it is needed elsewhere and how it wants to build its roster.
League rules allow teams to choose between having up to three designated players and up to three U22 Initiative players (the designated player model) or up to two designated players and up to four U22 Initiative players (the U22 Initiative player model, which comes with up to an additional US$2 million in general allocation money).
Toronto currently has three designated players in Lorenzo Insigne, Federico Bernardeschi and Canadian Richie Laryea. Hernandez has said Laryea's contract could be changed to a non-DP deal.
Hernandez says the club has yet to decide which roster model to use.
On other matters, the GM said the search for a head coach to succeed John Herdman continues.
"That's really taking the majority of our time and energy at this moment … It's a big task because it's a big decision," he said.
The club is still finalizing its training camp plans.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 12, 2024
Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press