TFC's Richie Laryea on injury woes: 'I was in a bad place'

It wasn't supposed to be this way for Richie Laryea. In an ideal world, he'd be fondly reminiscing about a successful first season back with his hometown club, rather than a campaign that never got off the ground for him.

When Toronto FC brought back Laryea from Nottingham Forest in February, the hope was that the Canadian international would help the Reds rebound from a disastrous 2023 MLS season. But it didn't work out that way.

Laryea had to have a surgery after suffering a hamstring injury in the opening match of the regular season on Feb. 25 away to FC Cincinnati. He was sidelined until June and didn't return to the starting 11 for TFC until July after playing for Canada at the Copa América. When Laryea returned, he was unable to get into a steady rhythm to help the Reds qualify for the playoffs. Laryea ended up playing in 17 games in all competitions for Toronto in 2024, with one goal and three assists

How did the veteran wingback view his return to the MLS club? In part 2 of TFC Republic's one-on-one interview with Laryea, he discusses his injury battle, Jonathan Osorio restructuring his contract so the Reds could sign him as a DP, and more.

To read part 1, CLICK HERE.