The free-agent chips are starting to fall, as Toronto FC announced on Wednesday that the team has signed veteran defender Drew Moor.
The deal represents the second free-agent signing in MLS history, after Justin Mapp was signed by Sporting Kansas City on Monday. Per club and league policy, the terms of the deal were not disclosed.
“Improving our defence is our top priority this off-season and we are very happy to bring Drew to Toronto FC,” said Toronto FC general manager Tim Bezbatchenko in a statement provided by TFC. “Drew brings valuable MLS regular-season and playoff experience to our backline. He is a proven winner and a leader with success in our league. Drew had a number of interested suitors and we are very pleased that he chose Toronto FC as his club and that he wanted to be part of what we are building here.”
Moor, 31, joins Toronto after spending the past seven seasons with the Colorado Rapids, where he captained the club the last three. Prior to his arrival in Colorado in an August 2009 trade, Moor had spent his entire career with FC Dallas after being selected with the sixth overall pick of the 2005 MLS SuperDraft.
“This free-agency period was a great opportunity to look at a wide range of options and choose a club and a city that was going to be the best fit for my family and me,” said Moor in a statement provided by the team.
“We instantly felt that Toronto gave us the best of both worlds and I’m excited to help make a difference on the pitch here but also to make this community home. I am very grateful to Colorado and the Rapids fans for their support over the past seven years and look forward to an exciting new chapter in my career in Toronto.”
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The Texas native has earned a number of accolades throughout his career, during which he has appeared in a total of 316 combined appearances (regular season and playoffs) while totaling over 27,000 minutes and scoring 22 goals and seven assists. He was an integral part of the Rapids' run to an MLS Cup victory in 2010 and the following year, on Aug. 27, 2011, he played in his 69th consecutive game, setting a new MLS record for consecutive matches played by an outfield player.
More recently, Moor suffered a torn ACL during the 2014 season, but rebounded to start 22 games for the Rapids in 2015 and was named to the 2015 AT&T MLS All-Star Game roster.
Moor has also earned five caps for the United States men's national team during his career. His first cap came on July 2, 2007, against Paraguay in the 2007 Copa América tournament. His most recent USMNT appearance was on June 22, 2008, in a World Cup qualifier against Barbados.
