TORONTO — While Toronto FC hopes South African international Cassius Mailula can make a difference this season, it's clear both parties have an eye to the future.
For TFC, the 22-year-old forward represents an investment in the future and a possible payday down the line. Mailula, meanwhile, believes the move to Major League Soccer will help open more doors.
"It was not really an easy decision to take," Mailula said of leaving South Africa. "But I feel like I need to get out of my comfort zone and also to explore, to be closer to (a move to) Europe. And I think this is the right decision for my career, for my family also."
"I can see here that everything is top (class)," he added. "The facilities are good, the coaches are good, the players are also good. So I think they will help me to improve myself and also to go to the next level."
Mailula arrives from Mamelodi Sundowns FC, whose academy he joined at the age of 13. He turned heads last season, his first with the first team, when he scored 16 goals and added five assists in all competitions to help Mamelodi finish atop the South African top tier.
Karabo Tshabuse, Mailula's agent, told a Johannesburg radio station that she wanted to make the most of his breakthrough season so started shopping the young forward "far and wide."
"We knew we had to make the most of the high tide … We knew that Europe is ultimately the dream for him and we knew that there were certain pathways to get there," she said.
Toronto won the sweepstakes to get Mailula, who grew up supporting England's Chelsea.
TFC general manager Jason Hernandez, who was promoted from assistant GM in late June the day after Bob Bradley was fired as head coach and sporting director, knows young talent can help on and off the field.
He has shown his commitment to giving youth a chance with Canadian forwards Ayo Akinola and Jordan Perruzza sent out on loan to the San Jose Earthquakes and CPL's HFX Wanderers FC, respectively.
"That is 100 per cent going to be a shift in how we manage our pipeline of young players," Hernandez said of loaning out players.
"The reality is not everyone can play first-team football for us," he added.
The hope is the loans provide playing time that might not be on offer with Toronto. The moves also put the players in the shop window.
"LAFC, every year, they sell a player for a million-dollars-plus," said Hernandez. "They just moved Mahala to Montreal for a boatload."
Montreal gave up US$1.75 million in general allocation money (GAM) last month to get Ghanaian forward Kwadwo (Mahala) Opoku from Los Angeles FC, the defending league champion.
Allocation money is money available to MLS clubs in addition to their salary budget.
"There's a reason why LAFC can be sustainable and consistent with their roster build … For the last three years, they started with a million dollars of GAM more than us every year," Hernandez said. "So of course they can do things we can't do."
Toronto took a first step down that road in February when it sold Canadian international winger Jayden Nelson to Norway’s Rosenborg BK. Just 20, Nelson made 50 appearances in all competitions since joining Toronto as a homegrown player in January 2020.
Mailula has been on Toronto's radar for a while.
"Clearly he had a very impressive season in his league. To be the Young Player of the Year in the top tier in South Africa is quite an achievement," said Hernandez. "Certainly also to be involved in the full national team for the first time is quite an achievement."
Mailula has signed through 2026 with an option for 2027 under the league's under-22 initiative which allows clubs to sign up to three players age 22 and younger to contracts at a reduced budget charge. Under the initiative, the player’s salary can't exceed the league's maximum salary budget charge (US$651,250) but only counts a maximum of US$200,000 against the cap.
Loaning Akinola to San Jose helped open the way for the U-22 signing, although there was more work to do to pry Mailula loose.
"The negotiation was not easy but a credit to the Sundowns and a credit to Cassius and his representative. We were able to find an agreement," said Hernandez.
Akinola, a homegrown product, was Toronto's first use of the U-22 initiative. Signing Mailula represents "a little bit of a new frontier" for TFC, according to Hernandez.
"To go out, do the work to find a young talented player that we think fits the profile for what we would like to see out of that position, out of that player profile, is exciting. At the end of the day, Cassius is moving to a new country, to a new league. There's going to be an adjustment period and a lot of work to do. But we're really exited about the opportunity and the possibilities."
Toronto says Mailula is the second South African to join the team, following in the footsteps of defender Danleigh Borman who played 22 league games for TFC in 2011.
Mailula, a five-foot-eight, 145-pounder from Limpopo, has won two caps for South Africa, making his debut off the bench in March against Liberia in an African Cup of Nations qualifying play.
TFC also brought in German forward Prince Owusu during the recent transfer window to help boost a sputtering offence that has failed to score in its last six outings in all competitions.
Toronto (3-11-10) hosts CF Montreal (9-12-2) on Sunday as both teams return from lengthy layoffs following their early exits from the Leagues Cup. Montreal last played July 26 while TFC has been idle since July 30.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 19, 2023
Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press
