IRISH INTERNATIONAL DARREN O’Dea has signed for MLS side Toronto FC, the club announced today.

The 25-year-old moves to Canada after being released by Celtic in June.

As a highly-rated teenager, O’Dea moved to the Glasgow outfit from Home Farm in 2005.

However, despite making progress early on in his career, the defender spent the last number of years on loan at Reading, Ipswich Town and, last season, Leeds United, before finding himself without a club this summer.

The defender, who won the FAI Intenational Young Player of the Year award earlier this year, has earned 14 senior caps for Ireland and was part of the Euro 2012 – although he didn’t feature in any of the three Group C defeats.

“Darren addresses our need for an experienced, no nonsense central defender,” Toronto FC Head Coach and Director of Soccer Operations Paul Mariner told their official website.

Darren has great leadership abilities and his experience, both for club and country, will be a welcomed addition to our club and for our young players. We are so pleased to bring him to Toronto.”

He is the second Irish player to make a move across the Atlantic this week as Andy O’Brien has also joined the Vancouver Whitecaps.

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