Toronto FC: The impact of losing Victor Vazquez

Midfielder Victor Vazquez is leaving for a club in Qatar, but what does his loss mean for Toronto FC in the coming season?

Victor Vazquez was expected to be a key figure in helping Toronto FC turn things around, after a disappointing season in 2018. This will now no longer be the case.

As reported by Sportsnet‘s John Molinaro, the Reds confirmed on Tuesday that they have agreed a deal to sell Vazquez to a club in Qatar. The unexpected news came just a day after players had reported for team medicals.

The move will be completed, pending a successful medical by the 31-year-old. The club he is being sold to will be revealed later on this week, and while the transfer fee is not expected to be made public, it is believed to be a decent amount.

As per Molinaro, TFC have known for a while about Vazquez’s preference to leave. After being approached with an offer from the mystery club in Qatar, his agent contacted former general manager Tim Bezbathcenko to advise him accordingly.

More from Toronto FC

• Federico Bernardeschi ready for new challenge with Toronto FC
• Toronto FC remodel continues with departure of Alejandro Pozuelo
• Toronto FC looking to move on from Carlos Salcedo
• As Lorenzo Insigne arrives, Toronto FC looks to get back on track
• Toronto FC: 3 takeaways from 2-1 loss to Columbus Crew

Of course, losing the Barcelona, Spain native is a big blow to Toronto FC. When he joined the team in February 2017, he became the final piece of the puzzle for what would be a historic season.

TFC went on to win the treble, with Vazquez being a major reason for the success. He scored eight goals and added 16 assists — second-most in MLS — during the regular season, along with another two goals and an assist during the playoffs.

Everything the member of the 2017 MLS Best XI touched, seemed to turn to gold. His creativity and overall awareness on the pitch gave the Reds a significant advantage over the opposition.

As a result of his success, Vazquez agreed a multi-year extension ahead of the 2018 campaign. It made him the highest earner on the team, after the three designated players.

Unfortunately for the player and the team, he did not have as much success last season, due to being compromised by injuries. In all, he missed 13 regular season games in total and was limited to 19 starts.

This has led to some believing it was the right time to get rid of Vazquez, due to a combination of his age and injury issues. This is a very short-sighted view however, when considering he was still productive when he did play, with eight goals and nine assists in MLS play.

If nothing else, at least TFC have a decent amount of salary cap space to find a replacement for the former Barcelona player, not that this will be easy, or arguably even feasible. As per Molinaro, even Toronto FC manager Greg Vanney admitted as such:

"“I don’t think we’ll find a way to replace Victor exactly, but we’ll find a player or players that will also add to our team in this transition.”"

Do you agree with Toronto FC’s decision to sell Vazquez or would you have made him stay, at least for another season? Regardless, how do you see his loss impacting the Reds during the 2019 season? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.