Tosaint Antony Ricketts (born 6 August 1987) is a Canadian former professional

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

player who played as a

forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People *Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Smal ...

Club career

Early career

Ricketts was one of the top short-distance runners in

Alberta Alberta is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Canada. It is a part of Western Canada and is one of the three Canadian Prairies, prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to its west, Saskatchewan to its east, t ...

, and he began his youth career playing Division I soccer for the

Green Bay Phoenix The Green Bay Phoenix, previously known as the UW–Green Bay Phoenix and UWGB Phoenix, are the athletic teams of the University of Wisconsin–Green Bay. A total of 14 Phoenix athletic teams compete in the Horizon League of NCAA Division I. The s ...

at University of Wisconsin Green Bay.

MyPa

Ricketts joined

Veikkausliiga Veikkausliiga () is a professional association football league in Finland and the highest level of the Finnish football league system. The league comprises the top 12 clubs of the country. Its main sponsor is the Finnish national betting agenc ...

club MyPa in 2009. He made his debut on 4 March 2009 and scored his first goal against

Kuopion Palloseura Kuopion Palloseura, commonly referred to as KuPS, is a Finnish professional football club based in Kuopio. KuPS competes in Veikkausliiga, the top flight of Finnish football. The team plays its home matches at Kuopio Football Stadium. KuPS ha ...

on 13 June. He scored three goals in the

Europa League The UEFA Europa League (UEL), usually known simply as the Europa League, is an annual association football, football club competition organised since 1971 by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European footb ...

against Politehnica Timișoara who became interested in signing him.

Politehnica Timișoara

On 19 November 2010 Ricketts signed with Romanian club Politehnica Timișoara for three years. At his presentation at the press conference, he said: "I'm glad I signed with Poli, to me is a step forward in my career. I can't wait to play at my new team and I can't wait to reunite "Poli" fans, which impressed me when I played here in

with MyPa-47". He chose the number 87. On 26 February 2011, Ricketts made his debut for Politehnica Timișoara at Dan Păltinişanu in a 3–1 win against

Gaz Metan Mediaş Gaz may refer to: Geography *Gaz, Kyrgyzstan Iran * Gaz, Darmian, village in South Khorasan province * Gaz, Golestan, a village in Bandar-e Gaz County * Gaz, Hormozgan, a village in Minab County * Gaz, Kerman, a village * Gaz, North Khorasan, a ...

. He played twenty minutes in the match after replacing injured

Marián Čišovský Marián Čišovský (2 November 1979 – 28 June 2020) was a Slovak former professional footballer who played as a centre-back. Club career Čišovský played for his home team Chemlon Humenné until 1999, when he transferred to Inter Bratislav ...

. Ricketts scored his first goal for Politehnica Timișoara on 5 March 2011 against

CFR Cluj Fotbal Club CFR 1907 Cluj, commonly known as CFR Cluj ( or ) or simply CFR, is a Romanian professional association football, football club based in the city of Cluj-Napoca, Cluj County, that competes in the Liga I. Founded as ''Kolozsvári Vasut ...

. He scored the winning goal in the 78th minute. Politehnica Timișoara was bankrupted in the summer of 2012, and Ricketts was released from his contract.

Vålerenga

On 31 August 2012, it was announced that Ricketts had signed for

Vålerenga Vålerenga () is a neighbourhood in the city of Oslo, Norway, belonging to the borough of Gamle Oslo. Vålerenga is located between the neighbourhoods of Gamlebyen, Jordal, Ensjø, Etterstad and Lodalen. Vålerenga is in particular known for i ...

in the Norwegian

Tippeligaen Eliteserien () is a professional association football league in Norway and the highest level of the Norwegian football league system. Contested by 16 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the Norwegian First Division ...

on a free transfer, he would be joining fellow Canadian international Lars Hirschfeld at the club. Ricketts made his debut in Norway as a second half sub for

Torgeir Børven Torgeir Børven (born 3 December 1991) is a Norwegian professional Association football, footballer who plays as a striker (association football), striker for Eliteserien club Odds BK, Odd. He has previously played for FC Twente, SK Brann, Brann ...

in a 1–0 defeat to

Sogndal Sogndal is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Vestland Counties of Norway, county, Norway. It is located on the northern shore of the Sognefjorden in the Districts of Norway, traditional district of Sogn. The village of Hermansv ...

on 5 November 2012.

Sandnes Ulf

In early January 2013 it was announced that Ricketts had signed with

Sandnes Ulf Sandnes Ulf is a Norwegian association football club from Sandnes, Rogaland, currently playing in the 2. divisjon, the third highest division in the Norwegian football league system. The club play their home matches at Øster Hus Arena. The cl ...

allowing him to remain in the Tippeligaen. He made his debut for the club on 17 March in a 2–0 defeat to

Strømsgodset Strømsgodset is a former municipality in Vestfold county (from 1964 Buskerud county) in Norway which is today a part of the city of Drammen. History Strømsgodset was originally a small rural annex to the city parish of Bragernes (Drammen). ...

. Ricketts played a total of 12 matches in Tippeligaen until he left Sandnes Ulf in September 2013, he also scored two goals for the club in the

Norwegian Cup The Norwegian Football Cup () is the main knockout cup competition in Norwegian football. It is run by the Football Association of Norway and has been contested since 1902, making it the oldest football tournament in the country. The tournament ...

Bucaspor

On 6 September 2013, Ricketts signed for Turkish First League club

Bucaspor Bucaspor was a professional Turkish Association football, football club based in Buca, İzmir. Formed in 1928, Bucaspor were nicknamed Fırtına (Storm). The club colours were yellow and navy. It was dissolved in 2020. History Bucaspor was the ...

, a one-year contract with a one-year option. He scored his first two goals for the team in a 5–4 loss to

Adana Demirspor Adana Demirspor Kulübü is a multi-sports club based in Adana, Turkey. The football department is the most popular department which relegated to TFF 1. Lig on 16 March 2025 after 4 seasons at the Super Lig. Founded by railway workers of Turk ...

on 22 September 2013.

Hapoel Haifa

On 16 July 2014, Ricketts announced on Twitter he had signed for

Israeli Premier League The Israeli Premier League (, Ligat HaAl, ) is a professional association football league in Israel and the highest level of the Israeli football league system. The league is contested by 14 clubs, and operates on a system of promotion and rele ...

club

Hapoel Haifa Hapoel Haifa Football Club (, ''Moadon HaKaduregel Hapoel Haifa'') is an Israeli professional football club located in the city of Haifa. The club won one championship (1998–99) and 4 Israeli cups (1962–63, 1965–66 and 1973–74, 2 ...

. He debuted with the side on 16 August 2014 in a

Toto Cup The Israel Toto Cup (, ''Gvia Ha'Toto'') is an association football tournament that features clubs in the two highest divisions in Israel: the Israeli Premier League Ligat ha'Al, Ligat Ha'Al; and the Israeli 2nd division Liga Leumit. Both of the ...

match against

Bnei Sakhnin Bnei Sakhnin F.C. (, , ) is an Israeli professional football club based at the Doha Stadium in Sakhnin. They are the most successful club among the Arab-Israeli clubs in the country, having won the State Cup in 2004. History Early years Bn ...

, and scored a goal in an eventual 2–2 draw. He scored his first league goal against

Beitar Jerusalem Beitar Jerusalem Football Club (), commonly known as Beitar Jerusalem () or simply Beitar (), is an Israeli professional football club based in the city of Jerusalem, that plays in the Israeli Premier League, the top tier in Israeli football ...

in a loss on 9 February 2015. In total, Ricketts made 30 appearances for the club, scoring a single goal. His lack of offensive production at the club can be attributed to being used as a defender for the entire season because of personnel issues on the roster.

Boluspor

After one season in Israel, Ricketts returned to Turkey and signed with

Boluspor Boluspor, known as Geosis Boluspor due to sponsorship reasons, is a Turkish professional football club located in the city of Bolu. The clubs plays in red and white kits, and have done so since their formation in 1965.Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional Association football, soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanc ...

side

Toronto FC Toronto Football Club is a Canadian professional Association football, soccer club based in Toronto. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern Conference. The team plays its home matc ...

. He made his debut from the bench in a 4–1 win against

D.C. United D.C. United is an American professional soccer club based in Washington, D.C. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. Domestically, the club has won four MLS Cups (league championships), four Supp ...

, and scored his first goal in his next appearance: a 1–0 victory against Real Salt Lake City. He missed three games in the final weeks of the season due to a groin injury and indirect suspension. In February 2017, Ricketts signed a two-year extension. On 13 May 2017, Ricketts scored a late brace in a 2–1 win at the

Columbus Crew The Columbus Crew are an American professional soccer club based in Columbus, Ohio. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern Conference. The team began play in 1996 as one of the 10 cha ...

. The following game marked his first full 90 minutes for Toronto after 28 appearances, and he scored the final goal in a 3–2 victory at

Minnesota United Minnesota United Football Club, often shortened to MNUFC, is an American professional soccer club based in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. Th ...

. In June, an injury sustained in the

Canadian Championship The Canadian Championship () is an annual soccer tournament contested by Canadian professional teams. The winner is awarded the Voyageurs Cup and a berth in the CONCACAF Champions Cup. It is contested by Major League Soccer sides Toronto FC, Va ...

semi-final second leg win against the Ottawa Fury kept him out for four matches. At the conclusion of the 2018 season, Toronto declined the 2019 contract option on Ricketts.

Sūduva

On 26 January 2019, Ricketts signed with defending Lithuanian

A Lyga The A Lyga is the top division of professional football in Lithuania. It is organized by Lithuanian Football Federation (LFF) (). History The first football league was established in Lithuania in 1924, and in various forms existed until 1939. ...

champions Sūduva. He scored a total of 10 goals for the club in the 2019 season, including a memorable goal in the 1–0 victory against Kauno Žalgiris on 16 March, which he dedicated to victims of terrorism following the

Christchurch mosque shootings Two consecutive mass shootings took place in Christchurch, New Zealand, on 15 March 2019. They were committed by a single perpetrator during Friday prayer, first at the Al Noor Mosque in Riccarton, at 1:40p.m. and almost immediately afterwards ...

. Ricketts also earned five inclusions in the A Lyga Team of the Week. His final appearance for the club was during the UEFA Europa League second qualifying round, a 5–0 home victory against Tre Penne. Ricketts left Sūduva the following week after club's away victory in the Europa League third qualifying round game for a return to MLS.

Vancouver Whitecaps FC

On 8 August 2019, Ricketts returned to MLS and Canada, joining

Vancouver Whitecaps FC Vancouver Whitecaps Football Club is a Canadian professional Association football, soccer club based in Vancouver. The Whitecaps compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The MLS ite ...

. He was re-signed to a new deal through 2022, with an option for 2023 in March 2022. At the end of the 2022 season, Vancouver announced they would not exercise the option on Ricketts' contract for 2023, ending his playing time with the club. Ricketts would continue in the front office as Manager of Community Impact On January 31, 2023, Ricketts announced his retirement from soccer, joining the Whitecaps staff as liaison of club and player engagement.

International career

In 2007 Ricketts was called up to the Canadian U-20 team for the

2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup The 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup was the 16th edition of the FIFA U-20 World Cup (formerly called the FIFA World Youth Championship), hosted by Canada from 30 June to 22 July 2007. Argentina defeated the Czech Republic in the title game by the scor ...

held on home soil. He also made appearances for Canada in the

2008 CONCACAF Men's Pre-Olympic Tournament The 2008 CONCACAF Men's Olympic Qualifying was the twelfth edition of the CONCACAF Men's Olympic Qualifying, the quadrennial, international, age-restricted football tournament organized by CONCACAF to determine which men's under-23 national teams ...

in which he scored twice against

Guatemala Guatemala, officially the Republic of Guatemala, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico, to the northeast by Belize, to the east by Honduras, and to the southeast by El Salvador. It is hydrologically b ...

. In late January 2011, Ricketts was called up by

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

for the first time ahead of its international friendly against

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

on 9 February. Ricketts made his senior team debut for Canada as a late second half sub in this game which ended as a 1–0 loss. Ricketts was one of three Canadian players to make their international senior debut against Greece;

Milan Borjan Milan Borjan ( sr-Cyrl, Милан Борјан; born 23 October 1987) is a professional Association football, soccer player who plays as a Goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper for Saudi Pro League club Al-Riyadh SC, Al-Riyadh. Born in ...

and David Edgar were the other two. On 1 June 2011, Ricketts scored his first international goal, a stoppage time equalizer, in a 2–2 friendly match against

Ecuador Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. It also includes the Galápagos Province which contain ...

BMO Field BMO Field is an outdoor stadium located at Exhibition Place in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Constructed on the former Exhibition Stadium site and first opened in 2007, it is the home field of Toronto FC of Major League Soccer (MLS) and Toronto Ar ...

. Ricketts made his

CONCACAF Gold Cup The CONCACAF Gold Cup () is an association football competition organized by CONCACAF as its top continental tournament for men's senior national teams from North America, Central America and the Caribbean. The tournament is held every two ...

debut on 14 June in a 1–1 draw against

Panama Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...

as a second half sub for Josh Simpson. Ricketts continued his goal scoring form in World Cup Qualifying during his first ever start for the national team on 15 November 2011 during a 4–0 home victory over

Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Kitts and Nevis, officially the Federation of Saint Christopher (St Kitts) and Nevis, is an island country consisting of the two islands of Saint Kitts and Nevis, both located in the West Indies, in the Leeward Islands chain of the Less ...

. Ricketts reached 10 goals for Canada on 16 June 2015 after scoring a brace against

Dominica Dominica, officially the Commonwealth of Dominica, is an island country in the Caribbean. It is part of the Windward Islands chain in the Lesser Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean Sea. The capital, Roseau, is located on the western side of t ...

in 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying. This tied him with

Paul Peschisolido Paolo Pasquale Peschisolido (born 25 May 1971) is a Canadian former soccer player and coach. Peschisolido was coach of English League Two club Burton Albion from May 2009 until March 2012. A forward, Peschisolido began his career in the Ca ...

and

Tomasz Radzinski Tomasz Radzinski (born 14 December 1973) is a former professional soccer player who played as a striker and winger. He featured for clubs including North York Rockets in Canada, Germinal Ekeren, Anderlecht (where he won the national champion ...

for 9th all time on Canada's scoring charts. Ricketts was named to the

2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup The 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup was the 14th edition of the CONCACAF Gold Cup, the biennial international men's soccer championship of the North, Central American and Caribbean region organized by CONCACAF, and 24th CONCACAF regional championship ove ...

squad on 27 June 2017.

Style of play

A fast striker, Ricketts is mainly known for his pace. His former Toronto FC manager

Greg Vanney Greg Vanney (born June 11, 1974) is an American former professional soccer player and head coach of the LA Galaxy in Major League Soccer. A defender and one of MLS's original players, Vanney spent 10 seasons in the league and another three-and ...

said of him in 2017: "He gives us presence, size, speed, a goal-scoring threat." Regarding his speed, movement, and work-rate, Vanney also added: " ickettsis a relentless runner. A guy who will get behind defences. He's incredibly fast. He doesn't really need to run the line. He can give himself three, four lines of cushion and still make the runs in behind and still beat you to the spot." That same year, Neil Davidson of ''

The National Post The ''National Post'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet newspaper and the flagship publication of the American-owned Postmedia Network. It is published Mondays through Saturdays, with Monday released as a digital e-edition only.

'' described him as the "fastest player on the Toronto roster," and also noted that "Ricketts’ speed unsettles defenders and he has an ability to find space in the penalty box. Get the ball to his feet or head and he can finish." Although normally a forward, he has also been deployed out of position in a more defensive role on occasion, often playing as a right–sided full-back or wing-back during his time with Israeli club Hapoel Haifa FC, due to injuries to other members of the squad in that position. He has also drawn praise in the media for his energy, presence in the air, and leadership, as well as his goalscoring rate, despite not being a particularly prolific player. Regarding his role on the pitch, Ricketts has commented: "I watch the tendencies of defenders, what spaces and weaknesses I can exploit and come second half I'm just waiting for any amount of time possible — if it's two, five, 15 minutes — to come on and provide that spark. It's just the mentality that comes along with the role I have."

Career statistics

Club

International

:''Scores and results list Canada's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Ricketts goal''.

Honours

Toronto FC *

MLS Cup MLS Cup is the annual championship game of Major League Soccer (MLS) and the culmination of the MLS Playoffs. The game is held in November or December and pits the winner of the Eastern Conference Final against the winner of the Western Confere ...

2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

Supporters' Shield The Supporters' Shield is an annual award given to the Major League Soccer team with the best regular season record, as determined by the MLS points system. The Supporters' Shield has been annually awarded at the MLS Supporters' Summit since 199 ...

Sūduva *

2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...

Lithuanian Cup The Lithuanian Football Federation Cup (), also known as Hegelmann LFF Cup for sponsorship reasons, is a Lithuanian football cup competition contested in a knockout tournament format. The winner of the cup gains entitlement to participate in the ...

Lithuanian Supercup The Lithuanian Supercup () or LFF Supercup is an annual football match contested between the champions of the previous A Lyga season and the holders of the Lithuanian Football Cup. It is organised by and named after Lithuanian Football Federation a ...

: 2019 Vancouver Whitecaps FC *

2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...

Personal life

In December 2023, the

Vancouver Whitecaps Vancouver Whitecaps Football Club is a Canadian professional soccer club based in Vancouver. The Whitecaps compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. The MLS iteration of the club was established on March 18, ...

signed Ricketts to represent the team in the eMLS at League Series 1, League Series 2 and eMLS Cup for the 2024 season. The move makes Ricketts the first former MLS player to complete in eMLS.

References

External links

* *
Tosaint Ricketts
at Green Bay Athletics * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ricketts, Tosaint 1987 births 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup players 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup players 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup players 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup players A Lyga players Men's association football forwards Black Canadian men's soccer players Boluspor footballers Bucaspor footballers Canada men's international soccer players Canada men's under-23 international soccer players Canada men's youth international soccer players Canadian expatriate men's soccer players Canadian expatriate sportspeople in Finland Canadian expatriate sportspeople in Israel Canadian expatriate sportspeople in Lithuania Canadian expatriate sportspeople in Norway Canadian expatriate sportspeople in Romania Canadian expatriate sportspeople in the United States Canadian expatriate sportspeople in Turkey Canadian sportspeople of Jamaican descent Canadian men's soccer players Eliteserien players Expatriate men's footballers in Finland Expatriate men's footballers in Israel Expatriate men's footballers in Lithuania Expatriate men's footballers in Norway Expatriate men's footballers in Romania Expatriate men's footballers in Turkey Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States FC Politehnica Timișoara players FK Sūduva players Green Bay Phoenix men's soccer players Hapoel Haifa F.C. players Israeli Premier League players Liga I players Liga II players Living people Major League Soccer players Myllykosken Pallo −47 players Sandnes Ulf players Soccer players from Edmonton TFF 1. Lig players Toronto FC players Vancouver Whitecaps FC players Veikkausliiga players Vålerenga Fotball players FIFA (video game series) players Canadian esports players 21st-century Canadian sportsmen