Belgium international defender Laurent Ciman decided to return to Major League Soccer after spending the last four months with French Ligue 1 side FC Dijon. Ciman, who previously had stints with Montreal Impact and LAFC, now decided to sign with Toronto FC, who took him with the No. 1 allocation spot.
Toronto managed to get the No.1 allocation spot from FC Cincinnati, by trading their No.2 allocation spot and a second-round draft pick in 2019 MLS Super Draft.
“We are excited to add a player with Laurent’s vast experience,” – said Toronto’s senior vice president, soccer operations and general manager Tim Bezbatchenko. “This is a player who has been a captain of two MLS teams, an All-Star and the Defender of the Year. He is an excellent passer, an organizer in the back and a passionate, fiery competitor. We look forward to him joining our club immediately and becoming an important part of our group.”
Laurent Ciman spent the majority of his career in native Belgium, where he played for Charleroi and Standard Liège among others, before joining Montreal Impact in 2015. With the Impact, he played 85 games and scored three goals, while earning MLS Defender of the Year award. In December of 2018, he was traded to LAFC but ended up only playing 22 games before deciding to go to France.
Ciman didn’t have the best experience with FC Dijon, failing to establish himself as a regular starter, and ended up reaching a mutual termination of the contract with the team last week.
