Toronto FC sign CB Doneil Henry for the remainder of the 2022 season

Toronto FC have signed Doneil Henry for the remainder of the 2022 season, the club announced Friday afternoon.

“Doneil has good experience in the league and can provide us with some backline depth,” said Toronto FC Head Coach and Sporting Director Bob Bradley in a press release. “He obviously has strong ties to Toronto and to the club and we know he’s excited to rejoin the team.”

Henry, 29, has been training with Toronto for the past two days. A Toronto FC spokesperson initially stated that Henry was simply in Toronto and was looking to train and "there was nothing more than that", however, things took a turn when Bradley left the door open for a potential reunion during Friday's media availability.

“We’ll see," said Bradley. "When I talk about things that are being considered, that’s on the list. So, just getting to know him, sizing up his situation, seeing what else is out there. We were all aware of the way his situation ended at LAFC, and then as we looked into different things, when I mentioned just checking on options and different level options and stuff like that, it’s been good to get him in with us the last two days and we’ll see where some of those discussions go.”

READ MORE: EXCLUSIVE: Canadian international Doneil Henry trains with Toronto FC

Henry returns to Toronto, having joined Toronto FC's Academy in 2008, captaining the team through two seasons in 2009 and 2010. In 2010, he became the first TFC Academy player to sign with the first team, going on to appear in 93 games for the Reds before being sold in 2014–15 to UEFA Europa League and Cypriot First Division participants Apollon Limassol.

The 29-year-old center-back had been a free agent since being waived by Los Angeles FC earlier this month. He made just five league games (two starts) for the Supporters’ Shield leaders after signing with the Black & Gold prior to the start of the 2022 season. Henry was waived as a result of being too far down LAFC's depth chart after the club signed Italian international Giorgio Chiellini.

Since being transferred out of Toronto in 2014, the well-travelled Henry has gone on to play for Premier League side West Ham United, Suwon Samsung Bluewings in South Korea, the Vancouver Whitecaps, and others.

During Canada’s most recent run in the Concacaf Octagonal stage where they topped the region and qualified for the 2022 FIFA World Cup for the first time since 1986, Henry made five appearances for Les Rouges and remains in contention for a spot on John Herdman’s Qatar 2022 roster. In total, he has earned 44 caps for the Canadian men’s national team since debuting in 2012.

Following the departure of DP centre-back Carlos Salcedo, Toronto FC are thin at the back and in need of defensive reinforcements – something Team President Bill Manning touched on while speaking to media on Monday, hinting at the possibility of bringing in a defender in an effort to shore up the back line.

“We do have some room to potentially make another acquisition,” said Manning. “Defense the last two seasons has been really challenging. You let up two goals a game, you’re not going to win a lot of games … we are looking to potentially have another acquisition there that’s going to help our defense.”

Prior to the signing, Toronto had three natural centre-backs on the first team roster: Chris Mavinga (who trained on his own Thursday as he rehabs from a lower-body injury), Shane O’Neill, and Lukas MacNaughton (who has 890 MLS minutes under his belt). Domenico Criscito, meanwhile, is also very much capable of playing as a centre-back though the team’s preference appears to be to utilize the former Italian international as a left-back.

Henry's addition adds some much needed depth and is a low-risk, modest-reward type of move for both parties. The Brampton, Ontario native needs consistent minutes ahead of the World Cup later this year, while for Toronto, adding another experienced defender will help at the back.

_{(Top photo via Canada Soccer / Flickr)}

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