In case you missed it on Thursday, Toronto FC GM Ali Curtis joined the club's weekly Footy Talks Live webstream program on Thursday and revealed some news that is likely to make Reds fans very happy, that the club have agreed to an extension with 24-year-old midfielder Marky Delgado. All that is waiting, Curtis said, is final approval from the league office.
"We’re at a point right now where we’ve reached agreement on a new deal, which is good," Curtis said. "I’ll leave it to Marky to discuss the terms, but it’s a good long-term deal."
While pricier stars like Jozy Altidore, Alejandro Pozuelo, Michael Bradley and now former Reds Sebastian Giovinco and Victor Vazquez have been seen as the keys propelling TFC's success in recent years, the development of a players like Delgado has been equally important, Curtis says.
Coming to the True North after beginning his pro career at Chivas USA, Delgado was still a bit-part player in Toronto's first run at MLS Cup in 2016. By the following season, he was more or less a regular starter as coach Gregg Vanney's side won the domestic treble, including appearing in all five MLS Cup Playoff games (four starts.)
Delgado entered 2020 in the final year of his contract, and apparently open to offers from elsewhere. That's now been resolved.
"Marky has been a really big part of the success of TFC, and age his on his side as well," Curtis said. "He’s young, he stays healthy, he takes care of his body. And so Marky was a player that we identified early on that this is a player that we really (thought) it’s important that we try to extend him and get a long-term deal."
Following Curtis, Toronto midfielder Justin Morrow hopped on the program. Unsurprisingly, he was excited to learn his away trip roommate would be in the fold beyond this season.
"He’s just a great guy and he does so much for our team, and he’s really underappreciated," Morrow said. "He’s been there in all the biggest moments, as you guys have mentioned, with Michael and with (Jonathan Osorio), and the relationship that they have with each other (in midfield) shouldn’t be undervalued at all. I think he’s right to get a new contract, because the things that he does in there fit our team perfectly."
Curtis also addressed Vazquez's recent comments about potentially returning to Toronto, and didn't rule out such a move.
"I think it’s a really cool thing," Curtis said of those comments. "But there’s still a ways to try to actually, you know, get someone back on a plane and over the water and into the environment. But who knows? With motivation and all these other things, if that’s something that he’s really interested in, when you’re a part of the TFC family, whether that’s a game or a season or more than that, you’re always part of it. So we’ll see how things go."
