TRANSFER TRACKER STATUS: Signing
Toronto FC have signed midfielder Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty to a Homegrown contract, the club announced Wednesday. The 15-year-old becomes the youngest player in club history.
Marshall-Rutty signed with Toronto FC II last season when he was 14-years-old and made his professional debut on June 28, the first of three appearances for the club last year. He was a standout at GA Cup in the spring of last year.
“Jahkeele is the top player in his age group across Canada and the U.S, and he is among the top young players in all of North America. He is an incredibly talented young man. While he’s only 15 years old, he plays the game in very mature way,” TFC GM Ali Curtis said in a statement. “He had interest from many top clubs in Europe. It’s important that we are both patient and aggressive with Jahkeele’s development, but he has the potential to be an incredible player moving forward. We’re also very proud of Jahkeele as he’s done a lot to get to this moment. Happy for Jahkeele, happy for his family, and we are excited about working with Jahkeele moving forward.”
The winger is the club's second Homegrown signing in as many days, following fellow Canadian youth international Rocco Romeo. It's been a busy week for TFC as they reported for preseason this week. Captain Michael Bradley will be out for around four months with an ankle injury and the club continue to chase reinforcements for 2020, with just the pair of Homegrowns the club's only additions thus far.
