Drew Moor could not hide his sadness over leaving the Colorado Rapids. He also could not contain his excitement about joining Toronto FC.

Moor became the second player in MLS history to take advantage of free agency, as he signed with Toronto FC on Wednesday. The move ended his six-and-a-half-year stay with the Rapids, but also signaled the beginning of the latest chapter in a solid MLS career that has seen Moor win an MLS Cup in 2010 and earn MLS All-Star honors last season.

For the 31-year-old centerback, the move is bittersweet. He is saying goodbye to the blue-collared club and city he has called home for so long while simultaneously preparing to tackle his next challenge with a big-money team that has grandiose dreams and increasing expectations.

“It wasn’t an easy decision to have to leave,” said Moor on a conference call on Wednesday. “My wife and I were both very sad to have to leave Denver and to leave the Rapids’ organization, but we felt that the Toronto FC opportunity was just too good to pass up.”

Several factors came into play for Moor, who departs the Rapids after making 180 regular-season appearances and serving as captain for several years. Moor and his wife are expecting their first child next summer, and thinking about the future of his family was admittedly part of the decision-making to leave Colorado.

The veteran defender had offers on the table from other MLS clubs – Moor would not reveal who else was interested in him – but wound up choosing Toronto FC because of what it had to offer. He liked the facilities, he liked the city and community, he liked the the way TFC made him and his family feel comfortable.

“He met with our ownership and saw how committed we are to being winners and how we align with his vision of being a winner,” said TFC general manager Tim Bezbatchenko. “He really chose Toronto as a destination, and I think that’s what’s exciting about his free agency process.

“As we talk about all the time, the vision of Toronto FC is to build a world-class organization that is capable of contending for championships, for our city and for our fans, and we saw that Drew could be a key piece in the puzzle.”

Ultimately, Moor took stock of all of that and found that picking TFC made sense. He is joining a club that not only has championship ambitions, but also plenty of star power with the likes of Sebastian Giovinco, Michael Bradley and Jozy Altidore on the roster.

Still, Moor has quite a challenge ahead of him. Toronto FC officials have repeatedly stated their goal of retooling the defense this offseason after seeing the club concede a league-high 58 goals during the 2015 campaign.

Drastically improving the back line will not solely be Moor’s responsibility. Other defenders will be added to the roster in the coming weeks, and have to step up as well. That said, Moor will carry some of the burden in 2016 as one of Toronto FC’s key offseason additions.

“I think certainly the coaching staff, the players, really the club as a whole was probably not happy with the goals that were allowed last season, and that’s something that in a way will rest on my shoulders,” said Moor. “Hopefully I can bring some experience and some veteran leadership to that back line, and not just the back line, (but) to the team as a whole, to all 11 players that are on the field.

“What I bring is some leadership and some communication and some positioning and basically a calmness that can be passed on to other players on the team and to the other defenders within the squad. By no means, do I feel like I need to go in and save this team or save the defense. That’s not my attitude at all. My attitude is to go in and be myself and do what I’ve done for the past 11 seasons.”

The versatile Moor said he is open to playing anywhere that TFC head coach Gregg Vanney needs him, but said that he believes the club wants to use him primarily as a centerback. Moor knows, however, that he could see time at right back and left back, and he is not opposed to it.

After all, he just wants to help his new club improve and move closer to fulfilling their lofty dreams.

“It just seems like a team and an organization that is moving in the right direction and I certainly want to be a part of it,” said Moor. “I can’t wait to get there and get started in January.”