Toronto FC
Toronto FC – On the Way to Become Canada’s Soccer Team
Toronto FC (also, Toronto, Reds and TFC) is a Toronto, Ontario (Canada) based professional
soccer team that is a part of the Major League Soccer (MLS). It was the thirteenth team to
join MLS, and was MLS’s first Canadian team. The team’s home matches are played at BMO
Field, a soccer specific stadium with the Toronto Lake Shore in Exhibition Place. BMO Field
is, in fact, Canada’s first ever soccer specific stadium. Toronto FC is owned by Maple Leaf
Sports and Entertainment (MLSE).
Toronto FC – Its Base
The groundwork for the establishment of Toronto FC was laid in October 2005, with Toronto
being granted a franchise for a new team by MLS. Finally, on May 11, 2006, Toronto FC
became Toronto’s newest and latest professional sports team.
Toronto FC – Its Popularity
The team had an unsatisfactory start, which lasted for a, disappointingly, long time, and
soon slipped to the bottom of Major League Soccer. Despite this, it became a team with a
large and enthusiastic fan base.
In 2008, the team’s second season, it was placed last in the Eastern Conference. However,
in the matches played at BMO Field (for the 2008 MLS All-Star Game that was hosted by
Toronto FC) by it, the stands were packed with passionate fans whose support continued
undiminished.
In 2008, the winners of the Voyagers Cup (in the inaugural Canadian Championship) would
represent Canada in CONCACAF Champions League. Toronto FC competed for the cup
and was touted as the favourite to win the championship. The best soccer teams of North
America, Central America and the Caribbean Islands compete in the CONCACAF Champions
League tournament. In 2008, Toronto FC lost the chance to represent Canada in this
prestigious tournament to Montreal Impact (a fellow Canadian soccer team).
Toronto FC – Tough Time
2009 was another year of missed opportunities for Toronto FC. Despite of being on the very
verge of making the playoffs, the team missed it by a single point; this was after it endured
a devastating 5-0 defeat against New York Red Bulls in the final game of the regular season
of the MLS campaign. White Smoke Electronic Cigarette ReviewsEven though Toronto FC won the Canadian Championship by beating
Montreal Impact 6-1, and went on to represent Canada in that year’s CONCACAF Champions
League, it dropped out of the tournament in the preliminary round after a defeat against
Puerto Rico Islanders.
These losses spurred the owners, MLSE, appointed Predrag Radosavljević (Preki), a member
of the United States Hall of Fame, as head coach and revamped the roster to give reflect
his style of play. This plan seemed to work for the team; in fact, at one point, it won seven
games in a row. But the momentum broke down after the 2009 FIFA Beach Soccer World
Cup, and a combination of heavy schedules, injuries, suspensions, poor finishing and a lack
of depth caused Toronto FC to go down in the MLS Standings.
In order to try to save the situation, the owners fired Preki and hired Nick Dasovic as the
interim coach. The players of the team performed better under his more open and flexible
style, but the team was still eliminated from the 2010 MLS Playoffs.
Toronto FC again made it to the 2010-2011 CONCACAF Champions League, but did not
qualify for the championship round.
After these continuously disastrous seasons, in an effort to improve the on-field
performance of the team, the owners hired former German international player and Coach
Jurgen Klinsmann and his company, SoccerSolutions, in November 2010 to assess the team
and identify their style of play.
Toronto FC – Regained Its Position
Toronto FC had a strong 2011 season – it won 10 out of the last 12 games that it played –
but it still missed making it to the MLS Playoffs; this was its fifth consecutive year to do so.
However, the team fared much better in the 2011-12 CONCACAF Champions League by
making it to the semi-finals, where it lost to Santos Laguna. Toronto FC thus became the first
Canadian team to qualify for the semi-finals in the CONCACAF Champions League.
The current head coach is Paul Mariner.
The name of the team, Toronto FC, was selected because of its simplicity and is reflective of
the attitude of the team. The FC in the name of the team simply stands for the conventional
initials for “Football Club”. The name was selected after an online consultation in which the
public voted for the name.
The first goal ever in Toronto FC’s history was scored by Danny Dichio.
Being a fledgling team, soccer fans in general and Toronto FC fans in specific eagerly look
forward to its becoming a force to be reckoned with in the world of professional soccer.
Tags: bmo field, Canada’s Soccer Team, canadian championship, canadian team, concacaf champions league, current head coach, danny dichio
Recent Comments