Toronto FC traded forward Chad Barrett, left, to the Los Angeles Galaxy on Thursday. (Chris Young/Canadian Press)

Chad Barrett was on his way to visiting his parents when his life changed.

En route to Oregon on Wednesday, Barrett was told by Toronto FC that he could be traded — and so it came to pass on Thursday when the Reds dealt the American forward to the Los Angeles Galaxy for future considerations.

"I caught wind of it when I was travelling yesterday back to my folks' place in Portland that it might happen. I woke up early and found out it was finalized this morning," Barrett told CBCSports.ca shortly after the trade was officially announced.

Barrett, 25, was stunned when the club first tipped him off that a trade was in the works.

"There was a lot of initial shock just because TFC had gone to such great lengths to keep me there through [last November's] expansion draft and they picked up my contract option, so it was a little bit of a shock," Barrett admitted.

Salary dump

The dealing of Barrett, who earned $212,500 US last season, appears to be a salary dump by TFC, which looks to rebuild its floundering roster ahead of the 2011 Major League Soccer regular season.

"We made this [trade] to give us more flexibility in building our squad for the new season," Aron Winter, TFC's new head coach and technical director, said in a news release.

"This creates more [salary] cap space, which will help us create a team capable of playing the style of soccer we are looking for."

Barrett stated he understood the club's reasoning and that he was saddened, but not bitter about being traded.

"I'm a little heart-broken, because when you put everything you have into a club and have that club give you so much back in return … it's hard not to fall in love with a place like that," Barrett said.

He added: "Toronto was a great place to play and live, and the people and the fans made it real easy for me to fall in love with the place. I'm going to miss the city."

Originally picked third overall by the Chicago Fire in the 2005 MLS SuperDraft, Barrett established himself as a regular starter in 2007.

The stocky, sparkplug forward joined Toronto FC following a trade with Chicago in July 2008, and now departs town after the team failed to make the playoffs last year for the fourth consecutive season.

That Barrett couldn't help the Reds qualify for the post-season during his time in Toronto bothers him to no end.

"I'm really regretful that I couldn't be part of a winning club at TFC, and I truly hope the team finds success in the future," he said.

Love-hate relationship with fans

Despite a rash of injury problems, Barrett earned the respect of teammates and coaches for displaying solid commitment and possessing a strong work ethic, both in training sessions and in games.

He had a love-hate relationship with TFC supporters, often earning the abuse of fans who bemoaned his lack of finishing in front of net — he scored 16 goals in 65 MLS games, a paltry sum by any forward's standards.

When he did score, Barrett was lavished with love from Toronto's loyal fans who packed BMO Field for home games.

"They didn't like me at first but the fans came around. I really appreciated everything they did for me. The fact that they made me earn their love, it made it even sweeter when they did come around," Barrett said.

Although sad about leaving Toronto, he's excited about the prospect of playing alongside David Beckham and Landon Donovan in L.A.

"Who wouldn't be excited to play with those guys? Becks is a great player, arguably the best set-piece player around, and then Donovan is one of the best in U.S. soccer history," Barrett said.

"I love the passion he brings to the game.… I'm really eager to get down there and play under Bruce Arena, who I think is the best coach in MLS."

Barrett is hopeful that a change of scenery can give him a bit of a career boost.

"I'm entering my prime years, where it's time to really show what I can do, and I feel that's going to be a place where [Beckham and Donovan] can really help me excel, to reach my potential and be my best," Barrett explained.

But Barrett said TFC would always be in his heart, even when he eventually returns to BMO Field as a member of the Galaxy.

"TFC did a great deal for me and I'm very appreciative of that, and when I return up there with the Galaxy, I won't celebrate if I score against my old team," Barrett quipped.

Also on Thursday, Toronto FC traded backup goalkeeper Jon Conway to the Chicago Fire for a third-round pick in the MLS draft. TFC used the pick to select midfielder Joao Plata of Ecuador.