Young goalkeeper Adisa De Rosario climbing the ranks with Toronto FC

Goalkeeper Adisa De Rosario is shown in action for Toronto FC II against Huntsville City FC in MLS Next Pro play May 23, 2025 at York Lions Stadium. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout — Toronto FC — Lucas Kschischang (Mandatory Credit)

TORONTO — Just 20, Adisa De Rosario has spent half his life in Toronto FC colours.

The young goalkeeper joined the TFC academy in 2015. Even then, he was no stranger to the club’s training centre, having been part of its pre-academy.

“Safe to say, it’s home,” De Rosario said.

The son of Canada Soccer Hall of Famer Dwayne De Rosario, Adisa rose through the TFC ranks and signed a homegrown contract in February, becoming the 35th player in club history to join the first team from the academy.

Third on the goalie depth chart behind veteran Sean Johnson and backup Luka Gavran, Adisa has dressed for the first team this season but is seeing action with TFC 2 in the MLS Next Pro league, where the six-foot-one ‘keeper is tied for the lead in clean sheets with five this season.

He has conceded just 22 goals in 17 MLS Next Pro outings this season.

“Good kid,” said Johnson, who ranks third on Major League Soccer’s all-time list for regular-season minutes played at 38,136. “He’s definitely headed in the right direction. Definitely happy to have him as a part of the goalkeeping group. A good reflection on us all, to be honest. He’s put the work in since Day 1.”

Adisa had an elite sounding board in his father, who, like Toronto coach Robin Fraser, was named one of MLS’s best 25 players all-time in 2020.

Dwayne De Rosario, now a club ambassador with TFC, scored 104 goals and was a six-time member of the MLS Best XI. He was named the league’s MVP and won the Golden Boot in 2011. A four-time MLS Cup winner, he was twice voted the championship game’s MVP (2001, 2007).

Father and son were both at the recent MLS all-star game in Austin, where Adisa participated in Goalie Wars, part of the MLS All-Star Skills Challenge.

A social media video shows Dwayne taking shots on Adisa prior to the competition.

“That was edited,” Adisa said cheekily. “You guys missed the first 50 (shots) that he missed.”

While Adisa looks to stop goals, older brother Osaze is following in his father’s footsteps by scoring them. The 24-year-old Seattle Sounders forward opened his MLS scoring account July 26 against Atlanta and scored again last Thursday in a Leagues Cup win over Mexico, marking the moment with his father’s trademark “shake and bake” celebration.

“He’s doing great,” said Adisa.

“We keep in contact all the time,” he added. “Before games, after games, we speak. He’s my best friend. We talk all the time.”

A third brother, 13-year-old Tinashe, is also a goalkeeper.

Tinashe, then just three years old with a mop of curls, stole the show at his father’s retirement news conference at BMO Field in June 2015 when he started exploring the microphone and tape recorders in front of him, as well as checking his dad’s ear for lint before eventually asking for a snack.

Daughter Asha is the oldest of DeRo’s four kids.

Adisa was a forward until he switched to goalkeeper at the age of eight or nine, to his father’s initial dismay.

“At first, he wasn’t a fan of it at all. He thought I was joking and told my coach ‘Don’t let him play (in goal). Keep him in the outfield,’” Adisa said. “But it was something I really wanted to do … Once he saw I was having fun and enjoying myself, I guess he was OK with it.

“I’m sure that was a hard pill to swallow for him, with his goal-scoring self — me being on the opposite end of that.”

Adisa wears No. 77, a nod to his dad, who wore both No. 14 and No. 7 during his MLS career.

Born in San Jose while his father played for the San Jose Earthquakes, Adisa has had two loan stints in the Canadian Premier League, in 2022 with the Halifax Wanderers and in 2023 with York United. He also attended two Canadian under-20 camps under Mauro Biello in 2022.

Signed through 2026 with club options for 2027 and 2028, Adisa is making US$97,235 this season.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 5, 2025

Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press