Tosaint Ricketts facts for kids
Ricketts in 2015
|
|||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Tosaint Antony Ricketts | ||
| Date of birth | 6 August 1987 | ||
| Place of birth | Edmonton, Alberta, Canada | ||
| Height | 1.83 m | ||
| Playing position | Forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Edmonton SW Sting | |||
| Edmonton Juventus | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2009–2010 | MyPa | 40 | (9) |
| 2010–2012 | Politehnica Timișoara | 24 | (6) |
| 2012 | Vålerenga | 3 | (1) |
| 2013 | Sandnes Ulf | 12 | (0) |
| 2013–2014 | Bucaspor | 25 | (7) |
| 2014–2015 | Hapoel Haifa | 30 | (1) |
| 2015–2016 | Boluspor | 15 | (1) |
| 2016–2018 | Toronto FC | 51 | (13) |
| 2019 | Sūduva | 15 | (8) |
| 2019–2022 | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | 61 | (7) |
| Total | 276 | (53) | |
| National team | |||
| 2007 | Canada U20 | 8 | (5) |
| 2008 | Canada U23 | 5 | (2) |
| 2011–2020 | Canada | 61 | (17) |
|
|||
Tosaint Antony Ricketts (born 6 August 1987) is a Canadian former professional soccer player. He played as a forward, which means he was usually trying to score goals.
Contents
Tosaint Ricketts' Club Career
Starting Out in Soccer
Tosaint Ricketts was a very fast runner when he was young. He started his soccer journey playing for the Green Bay Phoenix team. This was at the University of Wisconsin Green Bay.
Playing for MyPa
In 2009, Ricketts joined a club called MyPa in Finland. He played his first game on March 4, 2009. He scored his first goal on June 13 against Kuopion Palloseura. He even scored three goals in the Europa League competition. This made another team, Politehnica Timișoara, interested in him.
Time with Politehnica Timișoara
On November 19, 2010, Ricketts signed with the Romanian club Politehnica Timișoara. He was happy to join and felt it was a big step for his career. He made his first appearance for them on February 26, 2011. He scored his first goal for the team on March 5, 2011. It was the winning goal against CFR Cluj. The club later faced financial problems in 2012, and Ricketts left the team.
Moving to Vålerenga
Ricketts then joined Vålerenga in Norway on August 31, 2012. He joined another Canadian player, Lars Hirschfeld, at the club. Ricketts played his first game in Norway on November 5, 2012.
Playing for Sandnes Ulf
In January 2013, Ricketts signed with Sandnes Ulf, another Norwegian team. He played his first game for them on March 17. He played 12 matches in the league before leaving in September 2013. He also scored two goals for the club in the Norwegian Cup.
Joining Bucaspor
On September 6, 2013, Ricketts moved to Turkey. He signed a one-year contract with Bucaspor. He scored his first two goals for the team on September 22, 2013.
Time with Hapoel Haifa
In July 2014, Ricketts joined Israeli Premier League club Hapoel Haifa. He played his first game on August 16, 2014. He scored a goal in that match. He scored his first league goal on February 9, 2015. He played 30 games for the club. Sometimes, he played as a defender instead of a forward. This was because the team needed players in that position.
Playing for Boluspor
After playing in Israel, Ricketts went back to Turkey. He signed with Boluspor on August 3, 2015. He left Boluspor in early 2016.
Returning to Canada with Toronto FC
On July 20, 2016, Ricketts came back to Canada. He joined Major League Soccer team Toronto FC. He played his first game as a substitute in a win against D.C. United. He scored his first goal in his very next game. In February 2017, Ricketts signed a new contract with Toronto FC. On May 13, 2017, he scored two goals late in the game to help his team win 2–1. He also scored in the next game, a 3–2 win. He helped Toronto FC win the MLS Cup in 2017. He also won the Canadian Championship in 2017 and 2018. At the end of the 2018 season, Toronto FC decided not to keep him for 2019.
Playing for Sūduva
On January 26, 2019, Ricketts signed with Sūduva. They were the champions of the Lithuanian A Lyga. He scored 10 goals for the club in 2019. One memorable goal was on March 16. He dedicated this goal to the victims of the Christchurch mosque shootings. He was also named to the A Lyga Team of the Week five times. He left Sūduva in August 2019 to return to MLS.
Final Club: Vancouver Whitecaps FC
On August 8, 2019, Ricketts joined Vancouver Whitecaps FC. He signed a new deal with them in March 2022. At the end of the 2022 season, the Whitecaps did not extend his contract.
On January 31, 2023, Ricketts announced he was retiring from playing soccer. He then joined the Whitecaps staff. He now works as a liaison for the club and players.
Tosaint Ricketts' International Career
In 2007, Ricketts was chosen to play for the Canadian Under-20 team. This was for the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup held in Canada. He also played for Canada in the 2008 CONCACAF Men's Pre-Olympic Tournament. He scored two goals in that tournament against Guatemala.
In January 2011, Ricketts was called up to the senior Canadian team. He played his first game for Canada on February 9 against Greece. On June 1, 2011, Ricketts scored his first goal for Canada. It was a goal in the last moments of the game against Ecuador. He also played in the CONCACAF Gold Cup on June 14.
Ricketts continued to score goals for Canada. He scored his 10th goal for Canada on June 16, 2015. This happened when he scored two goals against Dominica. This tied him for 9th place on Canada's all-time scoring list. He was also part of the 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup team.
How Tosaint Ricketts Played
Tosaint Ricketts was known for being a very fast striker. His former coach, Greg Vanney, said Ricketts brought "presence, size, speed, a goal-scoring threat" to the team. Vanney also mentioned that Ricketts was a "relentless runner." He could run behind defenders very quickly.
Neil Davidson, a sports writer, called him the "fastest player on the Toronto roster." He also said Ricketts' speed made it hard for defenders. Ricketts was good at finding open space in the penalty box. He could score goals with his feet or his head.
Even though he was usually a forward, he sometimes played in a more defensive role. For example, when he was with Hapoel Haifa FC, he played as a full-back or wing-back. This happened when other players were injured. People also praised his energy, his ability to win headers, and his leadership. He was a good goal scorer, even if he wasn't always the top scorer. Ricketts himself said he liked to watch how defenders played. He looked for their weaknesses. Then, he would come into the game to "provide that spark."
Tosaint Ricketts' International Goals
Here are the goals Tosaint Ricketts scored for the Canadian national team:
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 June 2011 | BMO Field, Toronto, Canada | 3 |  Ecuador |
2–2 | 2–2 | Friendly |
| 2 | 6 September 2011 | Estadio Juan Ramón Loubriel, Bayamón, Puerto Rico | 6 |  Puerto Rico |
3–0 | 3–0 | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 3 | 15 November 2011 | BMO Field, Toronto, Canada | 9 |  Saint Kitts and Nevis |
4–0 | 4–0 | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 4 | 15 August 2012 | Central Broward Regional Park, Lauderhill, United States | 14 |  Trinidad and Tobago |
1–0 | 2–0 | Friendly |
| 5 | 12 October 2012 | BMO Field, Toronto, Canada | 17 |  Cuba |
1–0 | 3–0 | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 6 | 27 May 2014 | Stadion SVU Mauer, Mauer, Austria | 32 |  Moldova |
1–1 | 1–1 | Friendly |
| 7 | 9 September 2014 | BMO Field, Toronto, Canada | 33 |  Jamaica |
3–1 | 3–1 | Friendly |
| 8 | 30 March 2015 | Estadio Juan Ramón Loubriel, Bayamón, Puerto Rico | 37 | Puerto Rico |
1–0 | 3–0 | Friendly |
| 9 | 16 June 2015 | BMO Field, Toronto, Canada | 39 |  Dominica |
3–0 | 4–0 | 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 10 | 4–0 | ||||||
| 11 | 4 September 2015 | BMO Field, Toronto, Canada | 43 |  Belize |
1–0 | 3–0 | 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 12 | 2–0 | ||||||
| 13 | 6 October 2016 | Stade de Marrakech, Marrakesh, Morocco | 53 |  Mauritania |
1–0 | 4–0 | Friendly |
| 14 | 4–0 | ||||||
| 15 | 22 January 2017 | Bermuda National Stadium, Hamilton, Bermuda | 55 |  Bermuda |
2–1 | 4–2 | Friendly |
| 16 | 24 March 2018 | Pinatar Arena, Murcia, Spain | 58 |  New Zealand |
1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly |
| 17 | 7 January 2020 | Championship Soccer Stadium, Irvine, United States | 60 |  Barbados |
1–0 | 4–1 | Friendly |
Awards and Achievements
Tosaint Ricketts won several important awards with his teams:
Toronto FC
- MLS Cup: 2017 (This is like winning the championship for Major League Soccer!)
- Canadian Championship: 2017, 2018 (He helped his team win the Canadian national cup twice.)
- Supporters' Shield: 2017 (This award goes to the team with the best record in the regular MLS season.)
Sūduva
- A Lyga: 2019 (He won the top league in Lithuania.)
- Lithuanian Cup: 2019 (He won the main cup competition in Lithuania.)
- Lithuanian Supercup: 2019 (This is a match between the league and cup winners.)
Vancouver Whitecaps FC
- Canadian Championship: 2022 (He won the Canadian national cup again with a different team.)
Tosaint Ricketts' Life After Playing
In December 2023, the Vancouver Whitecaps signed Ricketts to represent them in eMLS. This is a competition where players compete in the FIFA video game. This made Ricketts the first former MLS player to compete in eMLS.
See also
In Spanish: Tosaint Ricketts para niños
