Matty Longstaff, a former midfielder for Newcastle, is excited about his new beginning with TFC.
At the age of ten, Longstaff enrolled at Newcastle and progressed through the system to play in the first team alongside his elder brother, Sean. Matty made just 20 first-team appearances for Newcastle, scoring three goals before being sent on loan to League Two teams Mansfield Town and Colchester United in England and Scotland, respectively.
However, every score was unique.At the age of 19 years and 199 days, Longstaff made headlines in October 2019 during a 1-0 victory over Manchester United by being the youngest player to score in his Premier League debut for Newcastle.
It is the first time a player has won Premier League goal of the month with a goal on their debut since August 2016, when he scored a rocket-like right-footed strike from outside the penalty box.
In a 4-1 loss at Old Trafford in December 2019, Longstaff scored again against the Red Devils, this time with a low effort to the corner after receiving a ball from Joelinton of Brazil in the penalty area.
In January 2020, he scored another spectacular goal during a 4-1 victory over Rochdale in an FA Cup third-round replay, which was played in League One in England.
With his back to the goal and sandwiched between two defenders, Longstaff attempted to use his left foot to control Matt Ritchie’s cross into the area. After rebounding off his foot and hitting a defender, the ball went in the direction of the goal. After controlling the ball with his right thigh, Longstaff calmly sent it past Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez, a former Spanish international. It was his third goal for Newcastle in eight starts at the time.
The Longstaff brothers have now joined the select group of brothers who have scored goals in the FA Cup, along with Josh and Jacob Murphy, Michael and Will Keane, Yaya and Kolo Toure, Sammy and Shola Ameobi, and others.
On Boxing Day 2022, Longstaff was playing for Colchester at Gillingham when he tore his anterior cruciate ligament. With a hamstring ailment that kept him out of action for most of the season, Longstaff was hurt eight minutes into the game and was carried off the field on a stretcher during stoppage time.
Although Newcastle released him in June of last year, it permitted him to complete his rehabilitation there.”I’m really grateful that the club took care of me. I spent the entire 13 months recuperating there,” he declared. Longstaff and Herdman have similar ancestries.
Herdman was raised in Consett, a town southwest of Newcastle, and was a lifelong Magpie supporter. Despite being born 200 kilometers south of Newcastle in Rotherham, Longstaff is quick to say, “I moved to Newcastle the next day.”
Before Christmas, Herdman visited Newcastle and had a meeting with the sporting director at the time, Dan Ashworth. “He felt Longworth was in a great place and could maybe kick his career on again.”
Longstaff was given the opportunity to try out for the last preseason match against Los Angeles FC by TFC when he was brought in as a trialist during training camp. Herdman praised the player’s “next-level touch and passing ability” on the field as well as his character off it, calling it “a really good thirty minutes once he got into his rhythm.”
Longstaff, who inked a two-year deal with Toronto that includes a 2026 option, might not be prepared to make his debut on Sunday against New England, though.
“The (artificial) turf this weekend is a challenge for him,” Herdman stated. “He’s only playing in his second possible game, and he’s clearly coming off that ACL. Therefore, the risk isn’t really worth it for us. He might be on the bench or travel with the team. But I’m excited to get him in the best circumstances possible to reduce any risk to him for our home opener versus Charlotte FC on March 9 and beyond.”
Having made two appearances for the England under-20 squad, Longstaff is excited for a fresh start in Major League Soccer. “I’ve been around a little, but I’m still only 23,” remarked the man. “So I’ve got plenty of years ahead of us.”
Longstaff is a seasoned ice hockey player when he lands in Canada. David, his father, played more than a thousand club games, largely in Sweden but also in England, and represented Britain more than 100 times.