Toronto FC loans Singh to FC Edmonton

Toronto FC has loaned defender Luke Singh to FC Edmonton of the Canadian Premier League through December.

Also Tuesday, the MLS club announced that Gianni Cimini has been named head coach of its reserve side, Toronto FC II, ahead of the inaugural MLS NEXT Pro season.

Singh becomes the 18th player from Toronto's 2021 first-team roster to play elsewhere this season, with Jamaican international defender Kemar Lawrence set to become No. 19 pending a move.

Singh made eight appearances and scored one goal for Toronto in all competitions last year. The 21-year-old from Brampton, Ont., was thrown in the deep end last April, signing two short-term deals with injury-plagued TFC to play in Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League round-of-16 matches last April against Mexico's Club Leon.

He made his pro debut with Toronto when he came off the bench in the 87th minute in the first game against Leon on April 7 and then made his first start for in the April 14 rematch.

Two days later, he signed as a homegrown player through 2025, becoming the 26th player in club history to join the first team from the TFC academy.

“We are excited to embrace Luke with our team this season,” FC Edmonton coach Alan Koch said in a statement. “He is a talented young player with some excellent professional football experiences already. I am excited to work with him, push him to help develop his game further, and hopefully have him aid in team success.”

FC Edmonton, which is currently being operated by the CPL while the search for new ownership continues, opens the CPL's season April 10 against visiting Valour FC.

Singh spent two seasons with the Toronto academy, arriving in January 2017. In March 2019, he joined Toronto FC II before being loaned to Denmark's