Toronto FC and Ayo Akinola Agree on Mutual Contract Termination

May 7, 2024 – Major League Soccer (MLS)
Toronto FC News Release

Toronto FC announced today that the club and forward Ayo Akinola have mutually agreed to terminate Akinola’s Major League Soccer contract, effective May 7, 2024.

“We want to thank Ayo for his contributions to our club dating back to his days in our Academy,” said Toronto FC General Manager Jason Hernandez. “We all wish him the best in the next chapter of his career.”

Akinola, 24, made a combined 96 appearances across all competitions, scoring 18 goals since joining Toronto FC as a Homegrown Player on December 18, 2017. During the 2020 MLS season, Akinola registered a team-high nine goals in 15 appearances for the Reds, helping the team finish with the second-best record in the MLS regular season. The Brampton, Ontario native made his MLS debut against Minnesota United on July 5, 2018, and recorded his first MLS goal against the New England Revolution on March 17, 2019. The Academy product also spent two seasons with Toronto FC II, where he made 35 appearances with eight goals. In 2016, he made his professional debut with TFC II on June 15 against FC Montréal and earned his first start on June 21 against Louisville City FC.

In 2023, the forward also spent time on loan with San Jose Earthquakes, where he made eight appearances for the Quakes during the MLS regular season.

Internationally, Akinola represented the United States Men’s National Team (USMNT) at the youth level from 2015 to 2019, including five appearances at the 2017 FIFA Under 17 World Cup. He made his debut and scored his first goal with the USMNT senior team on December 9, 2020, in a friendly match against El Salvador. On June 30, 2021, Canada Soccer announced that Akinola joined Canada’s Men’s National Team (CMNT) after receiving the approval to change associations. He has earned four caps since making his debut with CMNT against Haiti during the 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup.

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