On March 4th, 2019, Alejandro Pozuelo arrived at Toronto FC as Designated Player on a reported fee of $11m from Belgian side KRC Genk. The Spanish attacking midfielder had previously played for Rayo Vallecano, Swansea City, and Real Betis. He is one of the top 10 most expensive purchases in MLS history. He was to be the new bearer of the #10 shirt, which Sebastian Giovinco had just left just weeks prior. He debuted for Toronto on March 29th, and what a debut it was. He stepped up to a penalty with confidence, pulling off a perfect paneka to open his account against NYCFC. Then, he added a second through an absolutely absurd scooped chip into the top left corner. He also added an assist. It was quite the way to endear himself to his new fans at Toronto FC.
In an April match versus Minnesota United, he picked the ball up in his own half, dribbling all the way himself and curling it into the back of the net. He doubled it later on with a lovely strike. In a loss to Philadelphia, a newly-blonde version of Pozuelo curled a free kick into the upper 90. He registered his next brace in a June 26th match against Atlanta United. The first goal was a lovely header to equalize the match at two. In the 94th minute, he squeaked a walkoff penalty past Brad Guzan. On Decision Day, Pozuelo finished his career-best season and first MLS season with a perfect free kick to defeat Columbus. TFC entered the playoffs as the fourth seed. In the first round, Toronto beat DC United 5-1 after extra time. They went onto play NYCFC, where Pozuelo scored a brace, finding some loose change in the box, then another late penalty kick. Toronto marched onto MLS Cup, but were halted by a 3-1 Seattle Sounders victory. They also finished runner-up in the Canadian Championship. Pozuelo had career highs with 12 goals and assists a piece. He was named to the MLS Best XI and the 2019 MLS All-Star Team.
In 2020, as we all know by now a very strange shortened season, Pozuelo excelled more than anyone in MLS. He scored a PK in the very first match, before everything shutdown. He was silent in the MLS is Back Tournament. But, when most players had a drop in form, it was go time for Pozuelo headed into the fall of 2020. Between September 19th and October 3rd, he scored in four consecutive matches. On the 27th, Pozuelo scored a low curler past Eloy Room that held up as a match-winner against Columbus. Just to add to the setting, Toronto played host to the Crew, at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, Connecticut, home of UConn Football. Yet again, Pozuelo scored a late penalty kick goal versus Miami as his final goal of the season. Toronto finished in second in the East. They went crashing out in a huge first round upset against Nashville SC, 1-0. Pozuelo was named league MVP with 9 goals and 10 assists. There's probably a case for not naming an MVP at all during the pandemic year, as Pozuelo won MVP for scoring a majority of his goals from the penalty spot, while not even breaking double digits. But regardless, he was likely the best player on one of MLS' best teams in 2020. He was named to the Best XI for the second straight year.
In 2021, the success just did not continue. He was plagued with a thigh strain that kept him sidelined until May. His first goal of the season did not come until August 7th. Ifunanyachi Achara broke through and provided Pozuelo a tap in to open his account. That would be his first and only goal of the season. He suffered a leg injury that caused him to miss the month of September as well. He scored once and assisted 4 goals in 2021. Toronto once again finished runner-up in the Canadian Championship to Montreal. TFC missed the playoffs.
In 2022, Alejandro Pozuelo looked to have a resurgence with Toronto FC. He scored his first goal of the season a bit earlier this time, crashing the back post against DC United in March. In May, he dropped a brace on the Chicago Fire. The first goal was a penalty. The second, though, was an absolute belter that Toronto fans had missed seeing so dearly. Pozuelo took an extra setup touch before smashing his strike off the underside of the bar and in, to win the match. He helped knock off Montreal in the Canadian Championship Semis, but he wasn't with the team anymore once they lost the final to Vancouver.
On July 7th, 2022, Inter Miami CF acquired Alejandro Pozuelo in a trade from Toronto FC, in exchange for $150K in GAM. When he scored his first goal for Miami in August, he made it two. He skipped towards the box, curling one confidently into the bottom corner. His second and final goal for Inter Miami was a horrible NYCFC giveaway and a gifted 84th minute match-winner. Miami qualified for the playoffs as the sixth seed thanks to a surging Gonzalo Higuaín pre-retirement. In the first round, NYCFC got revenge from Pozuelo's lone Miami masterclass, winning 3-0 in the first round. That match would be his last in Major League Soccer. He left for Konyaspor, scoring 4 goals in 12 matches. This summer, he flocked to the Middle-East to play for UAE's Al Jazira, where he currently has one goal in two appearances. Alejandro Pozuelo absolutely lit up MLS in his first two years in the league, showcasing his skill at every juncture. For these contributions, he earns the #73 spot.
YEAR | CLUB | MINUTES | GOALS | ASSISTS |
2022 | TFC/MIA | 2,380 | 6 | 11 |
2021 | TFC | 1,347 | 1 | 4 |
2020 | TFC | 2,015 | 9 | 10 |
2019 | TFC | 2,524 | 12 | 12 |
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