‘The real work starts now’: Adisa De Rosario ready for his MLS journey with Toronto FC
If you ever find yourself on the pitch at Audi Field in Washington, D.C., go for a walk.
Head towards the player benches; go past them. Slip — like a well-timed through ball — into the broad belly of the stadium. There, you’ll find a mural of Dwayne De Rosario that commemorates his time with D.C. United, his image eternalized onto the walls of a club he once captained.
It’s this mural that Adisa — Dwayne’s goalkeeping son — walked past last month. It was yet another moment among countless others where the 20-year old ‘keeper has come face-to-face with his father’s football legacy, but such is life when De Rosario, a name synonymous with the beautiful game in both Canada and the United States, is printed on the back of your jersey.
But last month, February 22, to be precise, was momentous for another reason; it marked the beginning of Toronto FC’s 2025 campaign, with Adisa officially taking to the pitch for the first time as member of the club’s first team, having signed a deal that could see him in red until 2028. He is the 35th player in club history to sign for the first team following time in Toronto FC’s academy.
Reinforcement between the sticks 🧱
— Toronto FC (@TorontoFC) February 7, 2025
Player Arrival presented by @KLM
Read More 📰: https://t.co/yCD1xczqvV pic.twitter.com/0nkSIEJjjw
Given he started his journey at the academy roughly 10 years ago, Adisa says he allowed himself to enjoy the moment.
“The atmosphere was beautiful,” he tells OneSoccer. “The noise, the fans, watching the stadium fill up, watching the high-level players preparing to battle it out, it was an amazing experience.”
However, like the saying he’s adapted from his father, Adisa is aware that the real work is about to start: the young goalkeeper has big aspirations.
“It’s an extreme blessing to have the last name that I have and to be able to build onto the legacy that he’s created but with this opportunity, I’m very focused on building my name and my brand while continuing the legacy he’s created,” he explains.
“I’m really proud of myself and all the work I’ve put in this far to get to where I’m at today. Like my father always says to me: ‘The real work starts now.’ This is just a small little stepping stone to the big things I have waiting ahead for me.”
It’d be easy to assume that Adisa’s path to the club’s first team was easy but, like any player chasing their dream, it was one founded on afternoon training sessions, time away from friends and family, end of season meetings where the outcome — moving on with the group or being held back — was not guaranteed.
Toronto FC has been criticized in recent years for how few academy players make it to the first team. Although it remains to be seen how he’ll develop, Adisa has always gone about his football with a professional mentality and hopes to carve out his own space. It’s something, he says, he learned from a young age from his parents.
His mentality was on display as he ventured away from Toronto to cut his teeth in the Canadian Premier League (CPL), spending time on the East Coast with the Halifax Wanderers in 2022 as a 17-year-old and with York United FC in 2023.
He says those experiences helped to give him perspective on his path and life away from Toronto.
“I feel like the CPL is a high level, very fast-paced, going back to when I went to Halifax as an academy player,” says Adisa. “Getting away from home and spreading my wings a little bit was a phenomenal opportunity. I felt like I learned so much and I’m very grateful for that.”
Adisa’s stint in Halifax, which included a short-term development contract, was capped off by his professional debut against Forge FC in October 2022. Later, after joining Toronto FC II, Adisa was loaned to York United, where he made four starts. Adisa has gone on to make 25 appearances for Toronto FC II since March 23, 2023.
Now, the homegrown goalkeeper is finding his way in MLS, joining Sean Johnson, 35, and Luka Gavran, 24, to round out the club’s depth chart. Nothing is guaranteed, especially as new head coach Robin Fraser looks to put his own touches on the squad, but Adisa says he’s motivated to prove himself as a reliable option.
“Working alongside top goalkeepers, especially Sean Johnson, who is a U.S. National Team goalkeeper, it’s honestly a privilege seeing the level and the attention to detail the pros put in. I want to continue to be competitive to push my levels and to push my teammates around me,” he says.
SAVE🚨
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) September 4, 2023
Huge stop from Adisa De Rosario on João Morelli, as he keeps @yorkutdfc in the game with a commanding save🔥
🔴https://t.co/7JFAUhgRAE pic.twitter.com/Z5nBs1r8nw
It remains to be seen when Adisa will make his MLS debut. But, be it his guaranteed deal through 2026 or his decade of development with the academy, it’s clear that Toronto FC has committed to developing their young players differently than before. Adisa’s MLS deal is just another milestone for a player who has been tied to the club since he was 10 years old; in many ways, he says, it’s only the beginning.
And there’s no doubt that the De Rosario family will be following him every step of the way.
“Felt very proud as a father to watch my son on the professional stage,” Dwaye De Rosario tells OneSoccer of watching Adisa in warmups with the first team for the first time.
“It was ironic to see him warming up at D.C. (United), a club I captained. I won a U.S. Open Cup, an MLS MVP and a Golden Boot there. It was those memories he experienced where he fell in love with goalkeeping. That weekend was special for Adisa and our entire family.”
