Toronto FC continued their ongoing roster overhaul on Tuesday, acquiring 23-year-old defender Jeremy Hall from FC Dallas in exchange for a second-round pick in the 2013 MLS SuperDraft.
The well-traveled Hall joins his fourth club in barely more than a year, after making a combined 21 league appearances for the Portland Timbers and FC Dallas last season. The Timbers picked up Hall via trade last November with the New York Red Bulls, the team that drafted him 11th overall in the 2009 MLS SuperDraft.
Hall made 37 total appearances for the Red Bulls in 2009 and 2010 but has struggled to find a permanent fit ever since, and he joins a Toronto FC team very much in flux. The Reds used an MLS-record 39 players in 2011 as head coach and technical director Aron Winter began carving out the new identity of a team that has yet to reach the postseason since its inception in 2007.
Hall should help add some speed to the back line, which saw the likes of Richard Eckersley, Astone Morgan, Torsten Frings, Andy Iro and Ty Harden carry the load.
“We’re happy to add Jeremy Hall to our club," Winter said in a statement. "He is a solid defender with excellent MLS experience. Defense is one of the areas that we want to address this offseason and acquiring Jeremy is a positive step forward for our club.”
