TORONTO — Deybi Flores, a Honduran international midfielder who grew up on the hardscrabble streets of San Pedro Sula, is back in Major League Soccer — this time with Toronto FC.
The former Vancouver Whitecap is expected to help fill the void in midfield left by the retirement of longtime captain Michael Bradley.
"Obviously that's a positional need for us. The (No.) 6 position and having a guy week-in and week-out who can cover a ton of ground, break up plays and kind of initiate our transitions," Toronto GM Jason Hernandez said in an interview. “Certainly a hole we were looking to fill and prioritize n the off-season so we're really happy with the signing."
Flores has won 35 caps for Honduras since making his debut in December 2015 against Cuba.
He joins Spain's Alonso Coello, one of TFC's few bright spots in a dismal 4-20-10 campaign last year, as central midfield options for coach John Herdman.
"Deybi's fighting spirit and competitiveness have always stood out for me, and we are eager to integrate him into the team, forging connections that will fortify our midfield," Herdman said in a statement Tuesday.
The 27-year-old Flores, who played the last two seasons in Hungary with Fehervar FC, joined the Whitecaps in February 2015 as an 18-year-old on loan from CD Motagua in Honduras.
Flores made 15 total appearances, including 11 starts, with the Whitecaps that year.
His transfer to Vancouver, complete with a multi-year contract, was finalized in January 2016 but he never really bedded in. In August, he was loaned back to Motagua with then-Whitecaps coach Carl Robinson explaining while Flores had potential, he needed to play games.
He returned to Vancouver, spending some time with the Whitecaps' second team, but was eventually released in July 2018.
After the Whitecaps, Flores played for Club Olimpia Deportivo in Honduras from 2018 to 2021 before joining Greek side Panetolikos FC.
Flores, who signed a two-year contract with Toronto with a team option for 2026, grew up in San Pedro Sula, once dubbed "the murder capital of the world." He left home at 12 to join Platense Junior, a team about an hour away, before moving to the capital of Tegucigalpa at 15 to join Motagua, one of Honduras' biggest clubs.
“I was put in circumstances that not a lot of people my age have gone through,” Flores told the Whitecaps website in 2016. “I went hungry at times, I had to sleep out on the street at times, but these sacrifices were all for my objective of becoming a professional footballer.”
Flores lost his father in 2014, leaving his mother and his four siblings on their own.
"He's someone we know a ton about … On the field we see that represented really just as a warrior, someone who gives his heart and soul to every match he plays, (who) plays with an edge and competes at a high level," said Hernandez. "For us, considering the group in the moment, we thought that was a massive, massive need and a welcome addition.
"Off the field, he's someone who's very committed, a man of faith. And someone who's mature and ready to help us achieve out goals."
Hernandez says the club currently has salary cap room "to make probably two more key additions in the short-term."
"Call it today's picture. It's not necessarily going to be the same picture three days from now," he added. "We feel pretty confident that we can continue to improve the team with what we have. And as different kind of things fall off the board, the picture will change and we'll be able to continue down that path. We're in a good spot."
Toronto players are expected to gather this weekend for medicals before leaving for training camp in Florida early next week. TFC opens the season Feb. 25 at FC Cincinnati.
The hope is Flores will be in town by Monday at the latest and able to travel with the group to the Sunshine State.
Hernandez says all players under contract, including Italian stars Lorenzo Insigne and Federico Bernardeschi, are expected to be on hand this weekend.
Canadian midfielder Jonathan Osorio remains the team's third designated player. But Hernandez says his contract can be converted to non-DP status if it is needed for someone else.
"The answer is he is still in that designation, for now," said the GM.
MLS teams are allowed up to three designated players. Under league rules, only part of their pay counts against the team's salary budget cap. In 2023, that DP charge was US$651,250.
Insigne's actual salary was US$15.4 million last season while Bernardeschi earned US$6.295 million and Osorio US$1.4 million.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 9, 2024.
Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press
