<
>

Toronto FC picks defender Laurent Ciman with top allocation selection

Defender Laurent Ciman is returning to Major League Soccer after Toronto FC picked the former LAFC player with the No. 1 allocation spot on Thursday.

Ciman is no stranger to playing for one of MLS' Canadian clubs, having spent three years with Montreal Impact from 2015-17 before being traded to LAFC where he spent the majority of the 2018 season.

The 33-year-old returns to MLS after spending the end of the 2018 playing for Dijon after he was sold by LAFC to the Ligue 1 club on Aug. 28.

"We are excited to add a player with Laurent's vast experience," said TFC senior vice president, soccer operations and general manager Tim Bezbatchenko. "This is a player who has been a captain of two MLS teams, an All-Star and the Defender of the Year. He is an excellent passer, an organizer in the back and a passionate, fiery competitor. We look forward to him joining our club immediately and becoming an important part of our group."

Toronto acquired the top allocation spot by trading its No. 2 spot to FC Cincinnati in addition to the team's second-round pick in the 2019 SuperDraft.

Ciman first came to MLS from Standard Liege in Belgium's top flight, where he made 152 appearances and scored six goals.

The Belgium international has also made 20 appearances for his country, although he was left out of manager Roberto Martinez's squad for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.