After speculation he could be headed to Europe, Toronto FC made it official on Wednesday, announcing Homegrown forward Jordan Hamilton has been sent on loan to Portuguese second-division side Clube Desportivo Trofense.
Hamilton, 18, signed with TFC in January, and has spent much of the 2014 season on loan with the club's USL PRO affiliate, the Wilmington Hammerheads, scoring five goals and two assists in 11 appearances. He has also made one MLS regular-season appearance with Toronto, and scored in TFC's recent friendly against Tottenham Hotspur.
But the depth of Toronto's forward corps, which includes Jermain Defoe, Gilberto, Luke Moore and Dominic Oduro, meant that Hamilton was unlikely to see significant competitive minutes over the rest of the season.
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"We felt this was an opportunity for Jordan to continue his development in a professional environment outside North America and to test himself against a new type of competition," said Toronto FC general manager Tim Bezbatchenko in a team statement. "Jordan was impressive during his time at Wilmington and we are confident this loan will continue his ascension as a footballer."
Hamilton is the latest MLS youngster to head out on loan to a European club. Vancouver Whitecaps forward Caleb Clarke recently returned from a season-long loan to Bundesliga club Augsburg, where he played for their reserve team, Augsburg II.
In 2011, Tristan Bowen, then of Chivas USA, went to Belgian second-division team Roeselare, while Philadelphia Union midfielder Zach Pfeffer went to another Bundesliga club, Hoffenheim, in 2013.
