Toronto FC: Clint Irwin in it for the Long Haul
By Paul Taylor
Toronto FC prove their faith in Clint Irwin by signing the goalkeeper to a new contract, that will keep him in Southern Ontario for at least two more seasons.
It’s been an interesting 12 months for Clint Irwin, since he was traded to Toronto FC last January. He contended with a lengthy injury absence, played in his first ever MLS Cup final and was briefly a member of Atlanta United, due to the expansion draft.
Now, whatever else may happen moving forward, at least Irwin has the security of knowing he will be in Toronto for the foreseeable future. As reported by the Canadian Press via Sportsnet, he has signed a new two-year deal with an option.
When TFC first acquired the 2015 MLS All-Star from the Colorado Rapids, he didn’t come cheap. The return package included targeted allocation money, their highest 2016 third round MLS SuperDraft pick and a conditional 2017 first round MLS SuperDraft pick.
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However, there is little denying the impact Irwin had on the fortunes of the Reds, who were coming off a 2015 campaign where they conceded a league-high 58 goals. In 25 matches between the posts during the regular season and playoffs combined, he went 10-7-7 and kept nine clean sheets.
Toronto FC are understandably delighted with the new agreement, as general manager Tim Bezbatchenko confirmed in a statement: “Clint was a big part of our success last season.
“His calming influence helped solidify our defensive group that we built during last year’s off-season. Clint’s reliability is very important to our group and we’re happy to get this deal done.”
Irwin enters the fifth season of his professional career with an all-time record of 39-45-30 and 34 cleans sheets. Now, he gets the chance to improve on these figures for at least the next two seasons in Toronto.
Interestingly, the Tulsa, Oklahoma native will have to contend with the pressure of competition from Alex Bono, who successfully covered for him during his injury absence last year. Regardless, Toronto FC figure to benefit with arguably their best goalkeeping depth in franchise history.
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While assuming most people are on board with the decision to re-sign Irwin, what’s your take. Further, what are you expecting from him this coming season? Share your thoughts in the comments section.