Toronto FC II signs American forward Ben Spencer

Toronto FC II has signed United States youth international forward Ben Spencer to an undisclosed USL contract.

Spencer spent last season on loan with TFC II from Norwegian club Molde but did not play a game due to a serious knee injury that, according to Molde manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, left him facing a choice between major surgery and the end of his playing career.

Happily, Spencer seems to have come through that and will now make his return in the USL. “Ben spent the 2015-16 season working hard to rehab and get back to full match fitness with our medical staff,” TFC general manager Tim Bezbatchenko said.

“At an early age, he has gained a variety of experiences playing internationally and representing the United States in multiple youth tournaments. We have no doubt Ben will be a welcomed addition to the team.”

Spencer, a striker of considerable size at 6’5”, originally committed to play for UC Santa Barbara after coming through the Real Salt Lake and Chivas USA academy setups but instead opted to take his chances in Europe with Molde. He made a couple of appearances there and also had a spell on loan with Indy Eleven in the NASL.

Now 21, he has played for his country at Under-18, Under-20 and Under-23 level. TFC acquired the first right of refusal to Spencer from Real Salt Lake in exchange for targeted allocation money in March.