SANDY, Utah – (Monday, December 16, 2019) – Real Salt Lake has re-signed defender Donny Toia ahead of the 2020 season, the club announced today. The RSL Academy product will return for his third season with the club and second in his current stint after spending the 2011 and 2019 seasons with RSL.
“Donny is a player who has been a part of the RSL family since he was a standout youth player in Arizona. He’s proven himself a steady, reliable performer and someone who we can count on to bring professionalism and hard work, day in and day out,” RSL General Manager Elliot Fall said. “We are very happy to know that we can extend his time with the club for several more years to come.”
Toia, 27, started 24 regular season matches and both playoff matches for RSL in 2019. The Tucson, Arizona native totaled 2,323 minutes across the regular season and playoffs scoring one goal while adding one assist. RSL’s defense ranked third in MLS in 2019, allowing 41 goals in 34 matches, and posted the stingiest defense over the final 19 matches of the season.
Originally signed by RSL as the club’s first ever Homegrown signing in 2011, Toia played with FC Tucson of the PDL in 2012 and USL Pro’s Phoenix FC in 2013 before returning to MLS with Chivas USA in 2014. There, he started 24 matches out of his 27 appearances. After one season with Chivas, he moved to the Montreal Impact in the 2014 MLS Dispersal Draft. He held the starting left back position for two seasons with the Impact, starting 44 of his 48 appearances and scoring his lone goal. In 2015, he started in all six Knockout Round matches during Montreal’s run to the CONCACAF Champions League Final. Prior to the 2017 season, he moved to Orlando City SC in the Expansion Draft and started 32 of his 34 appearances.
“Donny was very consistent for us and helped solidify the back line to help make us one of the best defenses in the league,” RSL Head Coach Freddy Juarez said. “He earned his spot by putting his head down and working and every day he was consistent.”
With Toia’s return to Real Salt Lake, the club now has 8 RSL Academy products on the roster. Toia joins Luis Arriaga, Corey Baird, Justen Glad, Aaron Herrera, Erik Holt, David Ochoa, Tate Schmitt and Julian Vazquez.
Real Salt Lake finished the 2019 season third in the Western Conference at 16-13-5 (53 points) and advanced to the Western Conference Semifinals for the second consecutive season. RSL will open the 2020 season on the road against Orlando City SC on February 29 before returning to Rio Tinto Stadium for the home opener against the New York Red Bulls on Saturday, March 7, at 12 p.m. MT.
TRANSACTION: Re-Signed defender Donny Toia.
Real Salt Lake's current roster headed into 2020, listed alphabetically by position, is below:
Goalkeepers (2): David Ochoa, Andrew Putna
Defenders (6): Justen Glad, Aaron Herrera, Erik Holt, Alvin Jones, Nedum Onuoha, Donny Toia
Midfielders (7): Luis Arriaga, Nick Besler, Damir Kreilach, Everton Luiz, Justin Portillo, Pablo Ruiz, Albert Rusnák
Forwards (6): Corey Baird, Sam Johnson, Douglas Martinez, Jefferson Savarino, Tate Schmitt, Julian Vazquez
