After battling leukemia, Tsubasa Endoh signs one-day contract to retire as TFC player
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After being diagnosed with acute undifferentiated leukemia in December 2021, the 31-year-old winger from Japan had a dream.
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'Every step of the treatment, every setback, the time that I had to spend in the hospital, I always dreamed of coming back to play here, as a TFC player, at BMO Field,' said Endoh, who spent six seasons (2016-21) with Toronto.
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But while his leukemia is in remission, it has taken a toll on his body — and he has not reached the five-year milestone.
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Time for Plan B.
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Toronto announced Friday that it has signed Endoh to a one-day contract to officially retire as a TFC player. Endoh will be honoured before Saturday's game against Atlanta United, delivering the match ball.
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'It is truly a special moment for Toronto FC to have Tsubasa come back and officially retire as a Red,' Toronto GM Jason Hernandez said in a statement. 'The club wanted to give him this recognition for all his contributions over six years and celebrate his career.'
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When Endoh entered Toronto's training centre Thursday, he was greeted by players and staff lined up in the lobby.
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'That really gave me goosebumps. That shows what this club is about,' he said. 'It's all about the people who you work with.'
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After four seasons at the University of Maryland, the Japanese youth international was taken by Toronto in the first round (ninth overall) of the 2016 MLS SuperDraft.
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After his TFC contract expired following the 2021 season. Endoh signed with Melbourne City FC in Australia's A-League in early 2022. Later that year, he joined the Los Angeles Galaxy reserve side, scoring twice on his debut.
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It was while in L.A., that his body started malfunctioning. Blood work showed an alarming white blood cell count. A trip to the ER turned into an eight-day hospital stay during which he was told he may have cancer.
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Endoh returned to Japan to be with family, and it was there that he was diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia.
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The five-foot-six Endoh played at 146 pounds and, while still sporting a smile, looks a little more slight these days.
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Asked about his health these days, Endoh manages to be both upbeat and realistic having already had to deal with a relapse.
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'It's OK,' he said, before listing some of the issues he is dealing with.
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They include chronic GvHDs (graft-versus-host disease), a systemic disorder occurring when immune cells from transplanted tissue recognize the recipient's body as foreign and attack its cells.
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