TFC adds fourth goalkeeper to the roster as Konopka acquired in deadline-day deal

With the MLS roster freeze set for Friday, Toronto FC, at the moment, has four goalkeepers on its roster.

Starter Joe Bendik, back-up Stefan Frei and teenager Quillan Roberts are now joined on the roster by Chris Konopka. On Friday morning, the Reds announced that they had acquired the keeper from the Philadelphia Union in exchange for a third-round draft pick in 2014.

The Whitecaps already own Toronto FC’s first-round draft pick in 2014 — which looks to be a top-three selection. TFC had already sent its natural third-round pick to Sporting Kansas City as part of the Bobby Convey trade. The Reds still had one more third-round pick to burn, though, as it had Chicago’s pick as part of the trade that sent Quincy Amarikwa to the Windy City.

Now it’s gone.

So, for the first three rounds of the draft, barring any more trades, TFC is down to one second-round pick and a fourth-round selection. And that’s interesting, as Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment president Tim Leiweke has identified the draft as one of the “four pillars” to building a franchise.

Last year, Konopka was a pool keeper for MLS, on contract and simply filling in for clubs that had keeper crises due to injuries or international callups. The Union signed him this year, and he made exactly one start — a 1-0 loss to, you guessed it, Toronto FC back on May 26. He was credited with six saves on the day.

Konopka, who hails from New Jersey, had his best career moments playing in Ireland. In 2007, he won the league-cup double with Bohemians FC.