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Toronto FC is parting ways with Italian designated players Lorenzo Insigne and Federico Bernardeschi, ending an costly and unsuccessful partnership.
The struggling Major League Soccer nine said their contracts had been mutually terminated, with TFC utilizing its 2 permitted buyouts of their guaranteed deals.
"After respective meaningful discussions, we are blessed to person recovered a solution that is agreeable to each parties involved," Toronto GM Jason Hernandez said successful a little connection Tuesday.
The 2 Italian designated players arrived to overmuch fanfare — with paycheques to lucifer — midway done the 2022 season. But they could not instrumentality the nine to its erstwhile glory.
Insigne, 34, was making $15.4 cardinal US this season, 2nd lone to Lionel Messi's $20.5 million. Bernardeschi, 31, was earning $6.295 million this season, sixth-best successful MLS.
Insigne's declaration ran done June 2026 with an enactment for the remainder of the year, portion Bernardeschi's woody covered 2026 with enactment years done 2028.
It was not wealth good spent.
Playoff struggles
Toronto (4-10-5) presently sits 13th successful the 15-team Eastern Conference, 4 places and 11 points beneath the playoff line, and 26th wide successful the 30-team league. It has not made the playoffs since 2020, erstwhile it stumbled astatine the archetypal hurdle.
Their departure means Toronto is without a designated player, with 2 specified spots available.
Under MLS roster rules, a designated subordinate aged astatine slightest 24 lone carries a wage fund complaint of $743,750, nary substance however overmuch they are paid.
"The designated subordinate strategy is simply a captious constituent to Toronto FC's occurrence successful Major League Soccer and the nine volition proceed to prioritize TFC's short-, medium- and semipermanent strategy successful the weeks ahead," said MLSE president and CEO Keith Pelley.
Insigne scored 19 goals and added 18 assists successful 76 games for Toronto crossed each competitions. That includes 1 extremity and 3 assists successful 12 appearances this season.
Bernardeschi scored 26 goals and added 22 assists successful 99 appearances crossed each competitions. An all-star successful 2024, helium has 4 goals and 4 assists done 15 matches this season.
Bernardeschi offered a parting connection via societal media.
"Every azygous time connected the pitch, I gave everything I had. All my passion. All my drive. All of myself. I ne'er held back," helium wrote. "I gave everything for this shirt, for this city, for its fans."
"Now a caller travel begins for me," helium added. "A caller chapter, a caller challenge. But the enslaved with this city, with its people, volition everlastingly unrecorded successful my heart. Toronto FC, MLS: convey you for this bonzer adventure. This is not goodbye. It's spot you soon."
Bernardeschi has been linked to a determination to Italy's Bologna.
Insigne sat retired the past 2 TFC games. He did not marque it disconnected the seat successful a 1-1 gully with the New York Red Bulls and did not formal for Saturday's 3-0 triumph implicit Portland.
At the time, Toronto manager Robin Fraser said the nine wanted to springiness different players a chance.
Toronto sat Insigne for the archetypal 4 games of this play aft failed attempts to determination him to clubs successful Italy, Spain, Turkey and Brazil. Insigne kept grooming with the archetypal squad portion retired of favour.
"It wasn't a blessed clip for me," helium told The Canadian Press successful May. "But I'm not going to support reasoning astir it."
"I've ever been blessed here, and arsenic agelong arsenic my declaration lasts, I'm going to bash the champion I tin to marque america win," helium added.
The nine yet returned him to action, but with 1 extremity and 3 assists successful 12 league outings, helium did not marque overmuch of an impact.
Bernardeschi has not played since May 24 erstwhile helium picked up a 5th yellowish paper that earned him a one-game suspension. He missed the past 3 games with what Fraser described arsenic a "lingering" injury.
At his best, the flamboyant Bernardeschi was a show to behold, marauding down the helping and heading towards goal, looking to unleash his unsafe near boot. But with 26 yellowish and 4 reddish cards successful 88 league appearances, helium was besides volatile and somewhat unreliable.
Insigne showed lone flashes of past brilliance that earned him the nickname "Il Magnifico." Injuries and household wellness issues did not help.
Unlike Bernardeschi, who was capable to converse successful English, Insigne's constricted connection skills meant his broadside of the communicative was seldom heard.
In May, however, helium said helium was going to decorativeness retired his contract.
"With the wealth I earn, I could conscionable beryllium down, I could person said, 'Who cares? I marque a batch of money. I don't person to bash anything,"' Insigne said successful an interrogation with The Canadian Press. "But that's not who I am. I'm going to always, each day, travel and enactment hard. And arsenic agelong arsenic my contract's here, that is my extremity astatine the extremity — I'm present to enactment hard and respect everybody."
Hopes were precocious erstwhile the 2 made their debut successful July 2022, erstwhile Bernardeschi scored 1 extremity and acceptable up different and Insigne collected a stylish assistance successful a 4-0 romp implicit enlargement Charlotte FC.
The Italians' debut drew an announced sellout of 29,067, good supra the mean of 23,676 implicit the erstwhile 11 location matches that season. Compare that to the 14,019 that Toronto drew this play for a 1-0 location nonaccomplishment to FC Cincinnati connected May 14.
The 2 Italians reportedly bumped heads with erstwhile manager Bob Bradley. John Herdman, who succeeded Bradley. converted Bernardeschi to wingback with Fraser returning him to his much accustomed winger position.
Bernardeschi arrived with a Grade-A resume.
"We are thrilled to adhd Federico to our team," said Bill Manning, TFC's president astatine the time. "As a subordinate and a person, we judge he's precisely what we request close now, some connected the tract and successful the locker room. Federico has proven himself to beryllium a champion and a person astatine Juventus and for the Italian nationalist squad and brings a pedigree to Toronto that's 2nd to none."
Manning, fired by Pelley successful July arsenic president of TFC and the Toronto Argonauts, famously said helium settled connected Insigne aft seeing the section involvement successful Italy's tally to the European championship.
"I really went to the Transfermarkt website and I looked up the Italian nationalist squad connected what players were coming retired of contract," Manning told reporters. "And Lorenzo was 1 of the fewer players that was coming retired of contract. I started penning down players that I thought were world-class, that I thought would person commercialized worth successful this market."
Insigne arrived from Napoli, wherever helium captained the side. He made a combined 416 appearances for the Serie A club, scoring 114 goals with 95 assists crossed each competitions.
He scored 10 goals successful 53 appearances for Italy. But helium ne'er seemed to find a acceptable with Toronto.
Bernardeschi arrived from Juventus, wherever helium had spent 5 seasons aft joining from Fiorentina. He scored six goals successful 38 appearances for the Italian nationalist team, including the winning punishment successful the shootout to seal Italy's triumph implicit England successful the 2020 UEFA European Championship last (played successful 2021).
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