Being named to the 2025 Goalie Wars cast is just the latest honor for one of the most promising young shot-stoppers in North America.
20-year-old goalkeeper Adisa De Rosario officially became a Toronto FC Homegrown ahead of the 2025 season and comes into the summer spectacle fresh off being voted as the MLS NEXT Pro Goalkeeper of the Month in June.
“I’m feeling really good about the start of the season,” De Rosario told MLSNEXTPro.com. “I feel like this has been a big one for me in establishing myself in the league, performing week in and week out."
Co-leading the MLS NEXT Pro with five clean sheets in his 14 TFC II matches this year, De Rosario is more than making good on his desire to deliver. The young netminder only allowed two goals in regulation last month, fueling his side to an unbeaten June that put them back in the mix for an Eastern Conference playoff spot.
"I’m very happy to have won Goalkeeper of the Month," he added. "That’s something that’s always in the back of your mind and you work toward. Every week we do it for the team and the club, but those personal rewards give you that extra push.”
As for the high standard he mentions, it’s partially the product of being a generational player representing a family that longtime MLS fans know very well.
Family ties
Being the son of Dwayne De Rosario, a bona fide legend in both MLS and Canadian international scenes, made for a household full of inspiration when Adisa contemplated what he wanted to do when he grew up.
"From day one, I wanted to be a soccer player," Adisa explained. "Some kids say they want to be a doctor, I wanted to be a player. I wanted to continue the legacy my dad built."
“Hopefully soon, playing in the same league as him and representing the same team with TFC, that’s very special to me. It’s something I always saw myself doing as a young kid. To be able to continue that legacy in a different way, he was scoring goals and now I'm saving them; it's an amazing dynamic within the family."
And that runs in the family. Brother Osaze De Rosario is also on the rise with his recent promotion from the Tacoma Defiance to the Seattle Sounders first team.
Commonly, kids need a little push to move from the outfield to try goalkeeping. Not Adisa. It required a walk on the wild side, but it’s one of the traits that make him a natural for the Goalie Wars showcase.
“I was actually a striker until I was about eight or nine," he laughed. "But every time I watched the goalkeepers, they just looked like they were having so much fun diving around and making saves. As a kid, you just play to have fun more than anything."
Always under the watchful eye of his father, Adisa engaged in a daring pursuit to pick up the gloves.
"When my dad had away games, almost all of them, I’d go to my coach and ask to play the second half in goal. But when he was there, he made sure I was playing in the outfield," shared Adisa. "Every chance I got, when it was just my mom taking me, I had a little more freedom. I’d tell my coach, 'I’m playing in net today' and beg him, and it's funny because he’d say, 'Your dad told me I can't let you.'"
A young Adisa learned the value of persistence and got his wish in due time.
"Eventually, I started playing in goal in second halves, and I just fell in love with it. When we moved to Toronto, that’s when I really felt this is what I want to do and how I want my career to go, to be a goalkeeper.”
Sibling rivalry
A young striker and goalkeeper growing up together made for daily combat in the De Rosario household.
"I’m very close with all my siblings, but especially with Osaze," said Adisa. "He’s like a best friend to me. Growing up, we were always together, he was always blasting shots at me in the basement or backyard, breaking stuff, driving our parents crazy."
Now, as established professionals in their twenties, things aren't much different when they get together.
"Even now, when we’re both home in the offseason, we’re training together," he continued. "He’s shooting, I’m saving, it’s perfect. And our dad is there giving pointers.
"It’s honestly amazing the way everything’s unfolded. That in-family competition is very real."
The De Rosario brothers have yet to oppose one another in a competitive match. They did get to team up once, though. Adisa went out for a loan stint in 2023 with York United, where Osaze was honing his craft before his move to Tacoma.
Even that story can't be told without a brotherly jab.
"I was playing long balls to him, watching him do his work, while I was handling my side on defense. Which is better than facing off against each other, because if we did, he wouldn’t be scoring," Adisa said with a hearty laugh.
One day soon, they will likely have to square off. Adisa concurs that he’s got the upper hand until that happens. Seeing as he was the first to ink a first-team deal, it makes sense.
"I think I’ve got a little more say," he affirmed. "It's funny because he's new to the league and we'll talk about it and I'll tell him how I've already seen and gone through things before, and how he's late to the program, in a joking way.
"It's a good dynamic, really competitive but very caring, and we push each other to do our best."
From the top rope
Admittedly, as a wrestling fan growing up, the signature championship belt that’s on the line didn’t have to be asked about before Adisa mentioned it when talking about his excitement for Goalie Wars.
“It’s going to be super competitive," he said. "...At the same time, I’m there to win and I want to be the one holding the belt at the end."
He’s got the advantage of having someone who knows the ropes (pun unapologetically intended) in his corner.
Fellow TFC II-to-Toronto first-teamer Luka Gavran participated in the 2022 edition of Goalie Wars and has been able to give Adisa some pointers.
“I’ve spoken to Luca. The goalkeeping part comes naturally, the thing you've really got to focus on is putting the ball in the back of the net, and hopefully, everything will work out for you. Just like in any game, any 11-a-side game, you've always got to score your opportunities. That's one of the tips he told me and something I've been working on."
A well-prepared student of the GK union, the young De Rosario has been locked in sizing up his opponents as he prepares the routine.
“I think you approach it just like any other game. Doesn’t matter who’s on the other side; you’ve got to bring your A-game and shine in the moment", he said of his competitors. "A lot of respect for those guys. All three are great keepers, but like I said, I’m there to compete and I’m there to win."
Like a ladder match, the belt is up for grabs, and De Rosario is ready for what comes with the territory, and beyond.
"I find it really cool, so it's something that I want to take home and put on my shelf," he said. "I want to not just win that, but also continue to prove and showcase myself in the league with playoffs around the corner."
"So yeah, it's a great opportunity and another stepping stone in the places I see myself going and want to be."
