Ben Spencer re-signs with Toronto FC

Toronto FC announced today they've re-signed forward Ben Spencer after he made his first appearances with the club in 2017.

The 6’5" New Mexico native played in three games for the Reds last season, starting twice. He never managed to score for the senior club, but he did record two assists and take seven shots in his playing time. Spencer scored once and had three assists in the USL with Toronto FC II.

Spencer, 22, previously spent time in the academies of both Real Salt Lake and Chivas USA. He also signed in Europe for a while, being under contract with Norwegian club Molde from 2013-2016.

When Spencer made the jump back to North America, TFC acquired his homegrown rights from RSL.

This move will come as a surprise to nobody, as Spencer was heavily rumoured to be returning to the club in 2018. This comes despite the handful of players who were released by TFC prior to preseason.

Toronto’s management is definitely much higher on Spencer than the fans are. The re-signing may point to him being ahead of players like Jordan Hamilton and Ayo Akinola in the pecking order, despite his mostly unimpressive MLS performances last season.

It’s clear that the club sees something in Spencer that hasnt yet shown itself in games. TFC’s management has built up more than enough goodwill for them to have earned a little trust on this one. Still, on-field performance speaks for itself, and Hamilton has been statistically much better. Spencer has a lot to prove in 2018.