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Who Are the Best Toronto FC Soccer Players of All Time?

Toronto FC was founded in 2006 and had its inaugural season in 2007. From 2007-2015, the club frequently finished lower on the table, but in 2017 Toronto FC won the MLS Cup. While the club has had some highs and lows over its short tenure, there have been plenty of great players to wear the Toronto FC uniform. Here are a few of those notable players.

Top 10 Best Toronto FC Players of All Time

Sebastian Giovinco
Michael Bradley
Jozy Altidore
Dwayne De Rosario
Jonathan Osorio
Alejandro Pozuelo
Danny Koevermans
Jermain Defoe
Alex Bono
Victor Vazquez

1. Sebastian Giovinco

2015 MLS MVP
2016 ESPY for Best MLS Player
Toronto FC’s leading goal scorer four times

Sebastian Giovinco came to Toronto FC in 2015 and already carried a championship pedigree. The forward’s career began with Juventus in Serie B, Italy’s second league, in 2006. Giovinco did not play much, but Juventus advanced to Serie A, Italy’s primary league. Giovinco would spend the next eight years in Serie A with Juventus and Parma. The forward won three Serie A titles with Juventus from the 2012-2013 season to 2014-2015.

Giovinco showed off some of his scoring ability in Italy, but when he made a move to Toronto FC before the 2015 MLS season, that’s when he truly took off. Giovinco scored a career-high 22 goals in his first year with the club. That was good enough to earn the 2015 MLS MVP award. From there, the forward continued to shine, and he scored 16 goals in Toronto FC’s MLS Cup run in 2017. In Giovinco’s four years with the club, he managed to lead the team in goals in each of those seasons.

2. Michael Bradley

Named captain after the 2015 season
Three-time Canadian Cup winner
2017 MLS Cup champion

Michael Bradley spent some time in the Netherlands, Germany, England, and Italy before joining Toronto FC in 2014 at age 26. Bradley was a central midfielder, poised in possession while using his passing ability to set his teammates up. Not only that, Bradley was well-known for his leadership abilities, and he became the captain of Toronto FC after the 2015 season. The midfielder’s abilities on the pitch would rarely show up on the stat sheet. Bradley’s five goals in 2015 were the most he would have in a season when wearing the Toronto FC uniform.

Additionally, Bradley’s five assists in 2015 were the most he would have in a season for the club. The American’s leadership, though, was noticed by the players, coaching staff, and fans, and he helped lead the club to the MLS Cup in 2017. Bradley played in 30 matches that season, started each one, and was never subbed off.

3. Jozy Altidore

Scored double-digit goals in four of seven seasons with Toronto FC
Two-time USSF Male Athlete of the Year
Tied for team-lead in goals in 2021

Jozy Altidore was a pure goal-scoring striker that spent seven seasons with Toronto FC. Before joining the club, Altidore spent time with the New York Red Bulls and then went overseas to play in England’s Premier League and Spain’s La Liga, among other professional leagues. The American returned to MLS when he joined Toronto FC in 2015. In Altidore’s first season with the club, he managed to score 13 goals.

After that season, Altidore poured in 10 goals, which helped Toronto FC claim a top-five finish for the first time in franchise history. The 2017 season was when Altidore truly helped the club climb the mountaintop. With the striker’s prolific scoring ability, Altidore netted 15 goals to help the club claim the MLS Cup for the first time in franchise history. Altidore would leave Toronto FC after the 2021 season to join the New England Revolution.

4. Dwayne De Rosario

Led Toronto FC in goals in 2009 and 2010
2011 MLS MVP
Two-time Canada Championship MVP

Dwayne De Rosario was a right-footed forward and attacking midfielder that spent his entire soccer career playing in MLS. De Rosario began his career in 2001 with San Jose and won an MLS Cup in that first year. De Rosario won another MLS Cup in 2003 and then departed to the Dynamo and won back-to-back MLS Cups there in 2006 and 2007. De Rosario carried a championship pedigree before going to Toronto FC in 2009. Once the forward came to the club, he began to score at an incredibly high rate.

In 2009, De Rosario led the club in goals with 11. The next season, 2010, the forward poured in a career-high 15 goals and led the team for a second consecutive year in that department. De Rosario then started 2011 with Toronto FC but left the club after two matches. While De Rosario scored just one goal in those two contests, he went on to win MLS MVP in that season. De Rosario’s Toronto FC tenure was short-lived, but he was a goal-scoring machine when he put the club’s uniform on.

5. Jonathan Osorio

Two-time Toronto FC leader in goals scored
2018 Canada Championship MVP
2017 MLS Cup champion

Jonathan Osorio is a right-footed midfielder and winger that has thus far spent his entire career with Toronto FC. It took a little while for Osorio to truly gain his footing in the goal-scoring department. In 2017, he was a member of Toronto FC’s MLS Cup run, the midfielder played in 27 matches, started only nine, and poured in just two goals. The next season, 2018, was where he truly stepped onto the stage.

Osorio netted a career-high 10 tallies and contributed six assists. While neither of those numbers led the club, Osorio carved out a clear role for himself on Toronto FC’s attack. Osorio would go on to lead the club in goals in 2021 and 2022; however, in 2021, he tied with Jozy Altidore for the lead with just four scores. In 2022, Osorio had nine goals, and that was tied with Jesús Jiménez for the team lead.

6. Alejandro Pozuelo

Two-time Toronto FC leader in goals scored
2020 MLS assists leader
2020 MLS penalty kicks made the leader

Alejandro Pozuelo played in some of the top leagues in the world before coming to play in the United States. Pozuelo, a forward and attacking midfielder, played in Spain’s La Liga and England’s Premier League before spending four seasons in Belgium. In 2019, the then-27-year-old came to Toronto FC and immediately dominated offensively. Pozuelo poured in 12 goals, which led the club, and seven assists which led the club to finish the regular season second on the table.

The next season, Pozuelo tied with teammate Ayo Akinola for the team lead in goals with nine. Pozuelo also contributed seven assists that led the entire league. Five of Pozuelo’s nine goals in 2020 came from penalty kicks, and that led MLS. Pozuelo’s scoring production dipped in the 2021 and 2022 seasons, and he was eventually shipped off to Inter Miami in MLS. However, Pozuelo’s contributions in 2019 and 2020 should be recognized, and he was one of the greatest goal scorers to dawn Toronto FC’s kit.

7. Danny Koevermans

Led Toronto FC in goals in 2011 and 2012
Scored eight goals in just 10 matches in 2011
21 career goals for Toronto FC in 30 matches

Danny Koevermans was a Dutch forward that spent the majority of his career playing in the Netherlands’ Eredivisie. Koevermans was a member of PSV Eindhoven from 2007 to 2011. In the 2007-2008 season, the forward poured in 13 goals to help the club finish first on the table. In 2011, Koevermans made the move to MLS and joined Toronto FC. In just 10 total matches in 2011, Koevermans poured in eight goals to lead the team in scoring. In the next season, Koevermans led the team in scoring again, with nine goals in 16 matches. The third season at Toronto FC was short-lived.

After four matches, Koevermans went back to the Netherlands to conclude his soccer career. Koevermans was a dynamic scorer throughout his playing career. The forward did not help Toronto FC achieve much as a team, but the sheer fact that he scored 21 goals in 30 matches with the club is a striking number and should be celebrated by Toronto FC’s fans.

8. Jermain Defoe

2014 Toronto FC goals leader
2014 Led Toronto FC combined goals and assists leader
2014 Toronto FC penalty kicks made the leader

Jermain Defoe was a right-footed forward that spent over a decade in England’s Premier League before coming to Major League Soccer and Toronto FC. Defoe spent time in West Ham and Tottenham, and his best season came with the Spurs in 2009-2010, when he put up 18 goals. After 14 matches for Tottenham in the 2013-2014 season, three of which Defoe started, the forward made the move to MLS and joined Toronto FC.

Defoe spent just one year with the club, but his contributions wearing the uniform alone put him on this list. In 19 matches, 17 of which Defoe started, the forward led Toronto FC with 11 goals and contributed two assists. Three of those 11 tallies came from penalty kicks, and Defoe was the primary penalty kick taker for the club that season. Toronto FC did not have major team achievements in Defoe’s single season, but the sheer production is astonishing from the forward. Defoe would move on from MLS after 2014 and go back to the Premier League.

9. Alex Bono

2017 MLS Cup champion
Second-best plus/minus in MLS in 2017
Two top 10 finishes in clean sheet percentage in MLS

Alex Bono was a goalkeeper for Toronto FC that went through the academy ranks to join the varsity club. Bono made his MLS debut in 2016 and continued to show promise to the club. In 16 matches and 15 starts in 2016, Bono won eight games, had five draws, and suffered two losses. In those eight victories, Bono had four clean sheets. That set the American goalie up for what 2017 had to offer.

In a run where the club won its only MLS Cup, Bono had a record of 19 wins, six draws, and just four losses. Plus, Bono had 11 clean sheets in that run. Bono was a staple for the Toronto FC defense in that run for the MLS Cup, and without him, Toronto FC might not be able to call itself champions. Bono continued to remain steady for Toronto FC the next season, but as each season continued to occur, Bono played less for the club. The American goalie is on this list for his contributions in 2017 as a key component for the MLS Cup.

10. Victor Vazquez

2017 MLS Cup champion
2017 Toronto FC assists leader
Third on Toronto FC in combined goals and assists in 2017

Victor Vazquez was a forward and attacking midfielder that was well-known for his playmaking ability while with Toronto FC. Before coming to Major League Soccer, Vazquez spent the majority of his career in Belgium and Mexico, where he poured in high assist numbers. In 2017, Vazquez’s first season with Toronto FC, the forward set his teammates up with 10 assists. That number led the team and helped Toronto FC claim its first MLS Cup. The next season, Vazquez had eight goals and just four assists but was heavily involved in the club’s offensive strategy while on the pitch.

The forward then left the club after 2018 and went back to Belgium before coming back to MLS and joining the Galaxy. Vazquez returned to Toronto FC in 2023. The forward’s passing ability helped Toronto FC claim the MLS Cup, and he was setting up pure goal scorers left and right. With the likes of Sebastian Giovinco and Jozy Altidore, a playmaker was needed. Victor Vazquez took on that role and shined.