Toronto FC locks up another player, signs ‘keeper Clint Irwin to a new contract

TORONTO – As it did with forward Tosaint Ricketts, Toronto FC has rewarded goalkeeper Clint Irwin with a new contract.

The 27-year-old Irwin has agreed to a two-year deal with an option that replaces the deal that paid him US$107,625 last season. Ricketts got his new contract Thursday.

When healthy last season, Irwin was a big part of a Toronto defence that reduced its goals against to 39 from 58 the year before.

“Clint was a big part of our success last season,” Toronto GM Tim Bezbatchenko said in a statement Friday. “His calming influence helped solidify our defensive group that we built during last year’s off-season.

“Clint’s reliability is very important to our group and we’re happy to get this deal done.”

While a quad injury interrupted Irwin’s season, restricting him to 19 regular-season matches, he appeared in 25 games including the playoffs with a record of 10-7-7 and nine shutouts.

Toronto also prizes its low-maintenance ‘keeper off the field.

Irwin was briefly a member of Atlanta United after being taken in the December expansion draft. But Toronto made a trade to get him back later that day.

Toronto originally acquired Irwin in a January 2016 trade with the Colorado Rapids.

It’s been a busy week for Bezbatchenko. Toronto added French-born Congolese defender Chris Mavinga on Tuesday and re-signed veteran French midfielder Benoit Cheyrou on Wednesday.