Federico Bernardeschi is officially changing black and white stripes for solid red, as the former Juventus winger has signed with Toronto FC.
TFC announced the move today, with the Italian international signing a Designated Player deal that runs through the 2026 season.
“Having met with Federico a couple of weeks ago, we think he’s a great fit for what we’re trying to build here at TFC and look forward to getting him on the field,” said Toronto FC head coach Bob Bradley in a team press release. “He’s an attacking player who is also known for working hard for the team. Federico’s a left footed player who’s comfortable playing on the right wing but can also slide into a central position when needed.”
“We are thrilled to add Federico to our team,” added team president Bill Manning. “As a player and a person, we believe he’s exactly what we need right now, both on the field and in the locker room. Federico has proven himself to be a champion and a leader at Juventus and for the Italian national team and brings a pedigree to Toronto that’s second to none.”
Bernardeschi is just 28, and in most seasons signing a 28-year-old attacker who was just at a club like Juventus, and who has 38 caps for Italy, would mark arguably the biggest move by an MLS club in the summer. Instead, TFC’s ambitions mean he’s not even the highest-profile player they’ve added from Italy in 2022, as Lorenzo Insigne has just come aboard as well.
The Reds are currently in the bottom half of MLS in terms of goalscoring, but with Bradley very likely about to field a front three featuring Bernardeschi and Insigne to either side of Jesús Jiménez (eight goals), that seems about to change.
Next up: improving one of the worst defenses in the league. They’ve already cut Carlos Salcedo loose and signed aging Serie A veteran Domenico Criscito, while also adding Mark-Anthony Kaye to their midfield.
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