Deemed surplus to requirements by Toronto FC after last season, Brandon Servania will be waiting when TFC opens the Major League Soccer regular season Saturday at D.C. United.
The 25-year-old midfielder, who signed with D.C. on Feb. 11 after spending the pre-season on trial, is excited to take on his former team.
"It's business at the end of the day but it'll be great to be able to see some old teammates again and be able to compete against them … and beat them hopefully," Servania said in an interview. "That's the goal."
Servania caught up with some of his Toronto teammates in Florida, with both teams holding part of their training camp in Palm Beach. Several TFC players also attended Servania's wedding to wife Haleigh in the off-season.
"As far as the game goes, I haven't spoken to them about football," he said.
The decision to cut Servania loose in Toronto appears to be money-motivated. He made US$602,710 last season — ninth among TFC players — and would have been due "a considerable jump" in salary if his 2025 contract option was exercised, according to Toronto GM Jason Hernandez.
Still, Servania did not expect the news.
"A little bit surprised at how the end-of-season meetings went," he said. "But that's football. It's business decisions that the front office over there has to make and I respect those decisions. And I'm glad that I'm here with D.C.
"I think that God has a plan and this is a perfect position for me to be in. And so I'm super-excited to just embrace my role here."
Servania, returning from knee surgery to repair an anterior cruciate ligament injury sustained in September 2023, was sidelined until August when he made his return with TFC 2. He ended up seeing a total of just 63 minutes in three games with the first team, including one start.
"A long process with a lot of ups and downs," he said of his recovery. "A few setbacks, but that's typical with an injury that's that long."
Before the injury, Servania was a steady midfield presence for Toronto in 2023, appearing in 28 games with 21 starts. Toronto acquired the Alabama native in a February 2023 trade that sent Spanish striker Jesus Jimenez and an international slot to FC Dallas.
Servania, still looking for a place to live in the D.C. area, said the knee feels fine ahead of the season.
"I'm just excited to get back this weekend and to be able to get back on the pitch and feel like a lot more like myself before the injury," he said.
He joined D.C. on the second or third day of training camp
"It was a good opportunity for me — just coming in and proving I'm healthy and I'm good to go."
Servania ended up signing a two-year contract through 2026 with an option in 2027.
“He’s a midfielder who can go box to box and has the vision to create goal-scoring opportunities for our team," Ally Mackay, D.C. United's GM and chief soccer officer, said at the time.
Servania is settling in well.
"I'm just embracing the new environment … Just getting to know the guys and working hard, getting fitness back from the off-season. It's been great."
A familiar face on the D.C. roster is Lukas MacNaughton, whom Toronto traded to Nashville in April 2023. D.C. acquired the Canadian international defender via trade in December.
Servania also played with D.C. forward Dominique Badji and defender Lucas Bartlett at FC Dallas prior to his time in Toronto.
Servania joined the Dallas academy in 2015 and signed as a homegrown player in January 2018. A former U.S. youth international, he won a senior cap against Costa Rica in an international friendly in February 2020.
Should Servania play Saturday, it will mark his 99th career regular-season MLS game.
D.C United (10-14-10) finished 10th in the Eastern Conference last season with 40 points, three ahead of 11th-place Toronto (11-19-4).
---
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 20, 2025
Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press
