Toronto FC completes Gregory van der Wiel signing

Toronto FC's chances of becoming the fourth side to repeat as MLS champions received a massive boost Thursday.

The record-breaking MLS Cup holder released a statement announcing that former Dutch international Gregory van der Wiel has joined the club from Serie A side Cagliari for an undisclosed fee. The 29-year-old was acquired using Target Allocation Money (TAM), and will be officially added to the roster upon receipt of a Canadian work permit and International Transfer Certificate.

"We are excited to bring Gregory van der Wiel to Toronto FC. He is an experienced player that has played with some big clubs in Europe and has represented his country at multiple international tournaments," general manager Tim Bezbatchenko said.

For Toronto, Van der Wiel replaces LAFC-bound Steven Beitashour at right-back, a position at which the former Paris Saint-Germain defender enjoyed success with hometown club Ajax and in the French capital. During his time in Europe, Van der Wiel won the Eredivisie twice with the Amsterdam giant before moving to PSG, where the fleet-footed full-back paired four league titles with a quintet of domestic cups.

Capped 46 times by the Oranje before retiring from international duty in 2015, Van der Wiel played an important role for Bert van Marwijk's lot during the 2010 World Cup, including a 120-minute shift during the extra-time final defeat to Spain.

Before kicking off its title defence on March 3 against the Columbus Crew, Toronto FC faces a CONCACAF Champions League last-16 clash with the Colorado Rapids on Feb. 20, where Van der Wiel could make his club debut.