Newly acquired Norwegian forward Ola Brynhildsen joins Toronto FC in camp in Florida

Newly signed Norwegian forward Ola Brynhildsen poses with his FC jersey in Palm Beach, Fla., in this Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025 handout photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO — Toronto FC, Lucas Kschischang

After some whirlwind travel, newly acquired forward Ola Brynhildsen is in camp with Toronto FC in Florida.

"It's been a couple of chaotic days with all the travelling (and) delayed flights," the Norwegian international said Tuesday. "But finally I'm here. I'm really happy."

Toronto has signed the 25-year-old from Denmark's FC Midtjylland on loan through the end of the year with an option to make the move permanent. He had been playing for Norway's Molde FK, which sold him to Midtjylland in September 2023 and then got him back on loan last August.

Toronto used targeted allocation money to land the Norwegian, who arrived in Canada for the first time on Friday before escaping a Toronto snowstorm and joining the team Monday in Palm Beach.

Brynhildsen will wear No. 9 for Toronto, following in the footsteps of Brazil's Gilberto, Jesus Jimenez, Ryan Johnson, Ayo Akinola and Danny Dichio, among others.

Toronto needs to boost an attack that produced just 40 goals in 34 league games last season with only New England (37), Nashville (38) and Austin (39) scoring fewer.

Despite that, Toronto opted not to retain Prince Owusu. The German forward, who led the team with nine league goals last season, is now with CF Montreal.

TFC is also looking to shed high-priced Italian Lorenzo Insigne, one of its three designated players.

Toronto went after AS Roma forward Elder Shomurodov but could not secure the Uzbekistan captain despite prolonged negotiations in Rome involving general manager Jason Hernandez, former star striker and special adviser Sebastian Giovinco and Marco Neppe, the former Bayern Munich technical director now serving as a Toronto adviser.

Brynhildsen said his camp had been in talks with Toronto for several months.

"I've always been intrigued by the team, by MLS, what's happening over here," he said. "So that made me really intrigued to get here. And also Toronto is a big club in MLS. I'm looking forward to it."

Brynhildsen picked the brain of Toronto defender Henry Wingo, whom he played with at Molde.

"He told me about the team, about the city. So that made it, of course, a bit easier to choose Toronto," he said.

He also talked to New York City FC defender Birk Risa, a fellow Norwegian and former Molde player.

"I heard a lot of great stuff about the league, about Toronto," said Brynhildsen.

The five-foot-nine, 154-pounder can score goals with both feet and make goals, playing provider for teammates.

A former Norwegian youth international, Brynhildsen has won four caps with the senior national team, making his debut in a November 2022 friendly against Ireland.

He hopes to continue playing for the national team.

"I'm not coming here to settle down, to retire," he said. "I'm coming here to show what I'm good for. And hopefully I can get back to the national team later on."

How quickly Brynhildsen is ready to go in TFC colours remains to be seen given he last played a competitive game in December. While he subsequently returned to camp with Midtjylland, he could not play in European competition for them because of his games with Molde.

"But feel like I'm in good shape," he said. "I've been training well … I don't think it's going to take a lot of time until I'm fit."

While Brynhildsen said he enjoyed his time with Midtjylland, he said the club's style of play did not really suit him.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 15, 2025.

Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press