It's been a bit of a revolving door at center back for Toronto FC in recent years but on Friday they acquired a player who they'll hope can keep it static.
Toronto announced the signing of 30-year-old Moroccan international and Ligue 1 veteran Ahmed Kantari. Kantari joins Toronto FC after most recently playing for Lens of France’s Ligue 1. He spent the past two seasons at the club where he made 63 combined appearances and scored two goals, featuring in Ligue 1, Ligue 2, Coupe de France and Couple de la Ligue matches.
“We are pleased to add both an experienced and natural leader to our defensive group with the signing of Ahmed Kantari,” said Toronto FC General Manager Tim Bezbatchenko in a release. “He is someone that possesses many attributes we like as a center back but also as a person. We feel he will be a great addition here at Toronto FC.”
TFC have had some issues at center back this season as Damien Perquis has been a stalwart at one spot but the other spot has been filled on a game-to-game basis. Former captain Steven Caldwell appeared in just two games before going down with an injury and Eriq Zavaleta and Nick Hagglund have rotated duties ever since. Caldwell ended up retiring recently.
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Kantari began his professional career with Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in 2005, after playing in the youth system for the club where he captained the U-19 and reserve sides. After signing professionally he spent one season with the club but did not feature for them. He moved to Racing Strasbourg of Ligue 2 for the 2006-07 season and made eight appearances for the club.
Following his time at Strasbourg, Kantari signed for Stade Brestois 29 (Brest) of Ligue 2 ahead of the 2008-09 season. He remained with Brest for five seasons, making a combined 160 appearances and scoring four goals while featuring in Ligue 1, Ligue 2 and Coupe De France matches. At the conclusion of his time at Brest, Kantari signed for Lens, who was playing in Ligue 2 ahead of the 2013-14 season. His play helped Lens gain promotion to Ligue 1 for the 2014-15 season.
Kantari has earned 16 caps for the Moroccan national team. He made his debut with Morocco on November 15, 2005 during a 0-0 draw in a friendly match against Cameroon. Kantari has featured in both the African Cup of Nations and FIFA World Cup qualification matches for Morocco. His most recent cap came on June 15, 2013 during a 2-0 victory over Gambia, where he captained the team during a 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification match. He is eligible to play for Morocco through his parents, who were both born in Morocco.
