Two weeks after he arrived in town, Olivier Tebily finally has a contract with Toronto FC.

TFC general manager Mo Johnston says Tebily, 32, wanted to sign earlier but the deal was delayed while the team and his agent navigated a maze of Major League Soccer's regulations.

Dropping Andrew Boyens two weeks ago freed a roster spot, but Johnston says Tebily couldn't step in officially until he had the right type of roster designation, which took some time to clear with the league.

Tebily, a defender who has been practising with TFC since before their April 14 game in Los Angeles, signed Thursday afternoon and if he receives his work permit Friday will be eligible to play against Kansas City.

A former Ivory Coast international who spent parts of seven seasons at Birmingham City, Tebily can play all four defensive positions. His signing brings stability to a back line that looked disorganized early in the season, and Johnston thinks he'll help the team by mentoring young defenders like Julius James and Pat Phelan.

"He comes in with a good pedigree and that's important to have on a team," Johnston says. "He's a very good professional, the way he handles his business."

Tebily appeared in only five games at Birmingham last season, and didn't appear in any this season before the team released him. Johnston says Tebily had considered trying out with another MLS team but chose to train with Toronto after visiting the city. He said TFC quickly filed a discovery claim for Tebily, which gave them the first right to sign him.

mcampbell@thestar.ca

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