Veteran winger Derrick Etienne Jr. signs new contract with Toronto FC

Toronto FC midfielder Derrick Etienne (right) moves the ball forward while chased by Columbus Crew defender Andres Herrera (2), during first half MLS soccer action, in Toronto on Wednesday, September 18, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Katsarov

TORONTO — Toronto FC has signed veteran winger Derrick Etienne Jr. to a new contract through 2026 with club options for 2027 and 2027-28 (when Major League Soccer switches to a summer-to-spring schedule).

The 29-year-old Haiti international, who made US$745,566 last season, was one of eight players whose 2026 contract options were declined by TFC in late October.

Etienne appeared in 25 league games last season with 10 starts, including four of TFC’s last five outings. He is a versatile attacker, able to play on the wing and further up front.

Entering his 11th MLS season, Etienne joined Toronto in an April 2024 trade that netted Atlanta United up to US$375,000 in general allocation money. He has five goals and six assists in 55 appearances across all competitions with Toronto.

A native of Richmond, Va., Etienne comes from a family with deep ties to Haiti football.

His father, Derrick Sr., also played for the Haiti national team, as did uncle Darrell (Derrick Sr.’s twin brother), while his sister Danielle, a midfielder, represented Haiti at the 2023 Women’s World Cup.

Derrick Jr. has won 45 caps for 84th-ranked Haiti, which qualified for the 2026 World Cup with a 2-0 victory over No. 132 Nicaragua in November. Haiti topped Group C, which also included No. 49 Costa Rica and No. 65 Honduras, in the third round of CONCACAF qualifying.

Haiti’s only other appearance at the men’s soccer showcase was in 1974 when it lost to Italy, Poland and Argentina.

Etienne signed with the New York Red Bulls as a homegrown player in December 2015 and went on to make 79 appearances across all competitions, with six goals and four assists, across four seasons (2016-2019). He made five appearances while on loan to FC Cincinnati in 2019.

He joined the Columbus Crew in February 2020, with 12 goals and 14 assistants in 90 appearances across all competitions from through 2022. He scored a goal in the Crew’s 3-1 win over the Seattle Sounders in the 2020 MLS Cup final and helped Columbus down Mexico’s Cruz Azul to hoist the 2021 Campeones Cup.

Etienne came to Atlanta in November 2022 as a free agent and went on to make 27 appearances across all competitions with two assists.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 7, 2026.

Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press