The Brazilian goalkeeper Julio Cesar signed a loan deal with Toronto FC as he looks to get playing time ahead of this summer’s FIFA World Cup in his home country.
Cesar (34) was playing a backup role with second-tier English club Queens Park Rangers and will join Toronto for the start of the 2014 season.
TFC general manger Tim Bezbatchenko would not confirm details of the loan agreement, but it is expected that Cesar will be back with Toronto following the World Cup.
Toronto FC head coach Ryan Nelsen is a former teammate of Cesar’s at QPR and had a big hand in acquiring the goalkeeper.
Cesar lost his starting role with QPR to England international Rob Green once the Hoops were relegated from the Premiere League last season and has appeared in just one game for the club this season.
Cesar, who has earned 77 caps for Brazil, won the Copa America in 2004 and the Confederations Cup on two occasions. Before his stint at QPR, he also played at Inter Milan, where he won five Italian league titles.
Additionally, he has won three Coppa Italia titles, the 2010 UEFA Champions League and the 2010 Club World Cup.
As for his first impressions of TFC’s training facility in north Toronto, Cesar was amazed.
Cesar joins a TFC club that has had radical changes during the off-season, including the acquisition of England striker Jermain Defoe, American midfielder Michael Bradley, Brazilian Gilberto Oliveira Souza Junior and former MLS MVP Dwayne De Rosario.
Gilberto (24) missed out on an opportunity to play with childhood idol Ronaldo, and is looking forward to playing in front of Cesar.
“I’m going to play with another legend and I’m definitely looking forward to that,” he said through a translator. “(Cesar’s) played with the best strikers in the world … and I have nothing but things to learn from him.”
The signing of Cesar moves fellow goalkeeper Joe Bendik, who had a 6-16-11 record in 2013, to the backup role for the 2014 season.
So now the pressure is on the Whitecaps to sign a striker that can produce – let’s see who they are looking at?
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