Clint Irwin agrees to new TFC contract

Netminder Clint Irwin agreed to extend his stay with Toronto FC, putting pen to paper on a new contract Friday, the team announced.

For a brief period, it looked as though Irwin would depart the Eastern Conference champion when he was selected by Atlanta United during December's expansion draft, before Toronto managed to reacquire the 27-year-old on the same day.

"Clint was a big part of our success last season. His calming influence helped solidify our defensive group that we built during last year’s offseason,” TFC general manager Tim Bezbatchenko said. "Clint"s reliability is very important to our group and we’re happy to get this deal done."

Irwin made 25 regular-season appearances and kept nine clean sheets during TFC's most successful season to date.

He featured between the sticks during Toronto's run to the MLS Cup, but finished on the losing end when the Canadian side fell to the Seattle Sounders during the championship match at BMO Field in December.