Toronto FC announced today that the club has acquired forward Jon Bakero and $50,000 in General Allocation Money (GAM) from the Chicago Fire in exchange for midfielder Nicolas Hasler. Bakero will be added to the roster upon receipt of his International Transfer Certificate (ITC) and his Canadian work permit.
“We want to thank Nico for his contributions to TFC over the past year. He was an important contributor to our championship season last year and our run in the Champions League this year. On and off the field, Nico is a class act,” said Toronto FC Sr. Vice-President, Soccer Operations & General Manager Tim Bezbatchenko. “With this trade we acquire a forward in Jon Bakero who can provide us with some depth at that position while also clearing some cap space. Jon was the MAC Hermann Trophy winner last year, an intelligent soccer player and is a solid prospect that we are happy to add to our club.”
Bakero, 21, who played collegiate soccer at Wake Forest, most recently split time between the Fire and Tulsa Roughnecks FC of the United Soccer League (USL). With the Fire, he appeared in four matches, starting in one while logging 75 minutes. He made his pro debut as a substitute on April 14 against the LA Galaxy. With Tulsa, Bakero appeared in three matches registering two goals and one assist.
Bakero was drafted by the Chicago Fire No. 5 overall in the 2018 MLS SuperDraft. During his four-year collegiate career with Wake Forest, he appeared in 88 matches, registering 37 goals and 26 assists. Bakero became the third-ever Deacon to win the MAC Hermann Trophy. He was also named the 2017 Senior CLASS Award Winner, ACC Offensive Player of the Year, First Team All-ACC and ACC All-Tournament Team.
TRANSACTION: Toronto FC acquire forward Jon Bakero and $50,000 in GAM from the Chicago Fire in exchange for midfielder Nicolas Hasler
JON BAKERO
Position: Forward
Height: 6’2
Weight: 163 lbs.
Birthdate: November 5, 1996 – 21
Birth Place: Barcelona, Spain
Hometown: Sitges, Spain
Nationality: Spanish
Last Club: Chicago Fire
Pronunciation: “BUH-CARE-OH”
