I was in Vancouver for a couple of days, and lucky for me, my visit coincided with the CONCACAF Champions Cup Round of 16 1st leg match between the hometown Vancouver Whitecaps and Mexican side CF Monterrey at BC Place. I did not have anything planned that night, so I bought myself a ticket. Outside of Toronto FC, I have never been to a match at another MLS team's home ground, so I was excited that I got to see what the Whitecaps match experience would be like, especially compared to when I would go watch Toronto FC matches at BMO Field.
I did not want to write another post about Toronto FC this year, and especially so soon after my last post a couple of months ago. However, the overall atmosphere surrounding the club has become so toxic that I had no choice but to say something. I do not know how many times I can say the same thing in different ways. I have also heard seemingly every single opinion about this club from every type of Toronto FC supporter and casual. I am just going to give my thoughts on the recent events at TFC and (once again) talk about how badly mismanaged the club is. I am tired of talking about Toronto FC mismanagement, but deep down, I secretly revel in it.
“I thought it would be a nice little job for him to learn some stuff by,”
This was a quote made by former MLSE President and CEO Richard Peddie towards former MLSE COO Tom Anselmi, who was set to become the top executive overseeing the newly-formed Toronto FC prior to their inaugural 2007 MLS season. I find this quote to be extremely prominent in my mind, and I always come back to it whenever I think about Toronto FC, and especially when there is some sort of drama at the club (which is frequently). If you asked me the question of "what do you think is the one single thing that sums up Toronto FC as a football club and a sporting entity?" My answer would be the quote I mentioned above.
I lived in three places - at work, at home, and at the stadium - but my real life was at the stadium.
Forgive my bastardized quote adapted from the short story The Hockey Sweater but I wanted to write an ode to my home away from home. I am from Toronto and a massive footy fan, so of course I am talking about BMO Field, and even more specifically, section 114.
I have a few random football thoughts that I do not want to fit in a series of tweets, so I will lay all of it out in a blog post before I either forget everything, or it is too late in the MLS season.
I know this happened a couple of months ago, but the Montreal Impact's rebranding to Club De Foot Montreal had been weighing on my mind periodically between the time of the announcement and now. MLS rebrands are interesting to me. I am not for or against them, and my opinion of each MLS rebrand varies wildly. I think the best MLS rebrand was Kansas City's rebrand (from the Kansas City Wizards to Sporting KC). Kansas City's MLS rebrand felt like a complete attitude change from a club that presented itself so humorously (in my opinion) to a club that feels professional. The worst MLS rebrand was the Chicago Fire's unnecessary logo change in 2019 that ripped the colors from Real Salt Lake's logo.
Vanney oversaw the successful period of Toronto FC's history, guiding the team to accomplishments such as winning the 2017 MLS Cup, the 2017 Supporters Shield, and making the CONCACAF Champions League Final in 2018. He was also the MLS Coach of the Year in 2017. When I heard the news, one question was spinning in my head. How much did Greg Vanney really contribute to Toronto FC's success over his tenure?
There has been so much chatter from the press and from social media about this whole "Alejandro Pozuelo to Toronto FC" situation. I have no choice but to address this in a blog post. The circumstances for this transfer are both intriguing and unbelievable, and so I need to dive in and give my thoughts on this whole situation. Pozuelo's potential transfer to Toronto FC seems to be an even bigger talking point this year than even Sebastian Giovinco's departure.
It is official. The Sebastian Giovinco era of Toronto FC is over.
The club has confirmed the transfer of Giovinco to Saudi Arabian side, Al-Hilal FC. The news came as a complete shock to me yesterday evening, and I am still trying to process the news. I will write a separate appreciation post for Giovinco, but for this post, I want to talk about the actual transfer and the wider implications on Toronto FC and the supporters.
I will admit that the title of this latest blog post is a slight stretch to compare former Montreal Impact defender Laurent Ciman's transfer from Dijon FCO to Toronto FC, to the forced, manufactured nature of rivalries between MLS clubs. However, I need to explain myself.
I recently purchased my copy of "Come On You Reds: The Story of Toronto FC," written by Joshua Kloke, and as someone who has been around the club since its inception, I felt it was my obligation to provide a book review, and give my thoughts.
The day before the match, I was feeling a little bit depressed. I was still trying to determine whether to go to this match or not. Deep down, in the pit of my stomach, I did not want to go to the match, for the reasons described in my previous post. Another reason why I do not want to go to the match is that I do not want my personal life and my professional life to mix. When I used to go to Toronto FC matches, one of the main reasons why I went was because it provided me an escape from the pressures of school, work, and life in general. I needed that outlet to let off steam and to express myself, as well as to be myself. I used to get involved in some nefarious things on match-days, things that my workplace would not exactly approve. Now that my co-workers are going to the match, if I do end up going to the match, I would have to behave myself. It is almost as if I would have to be a chaperone.
I only went to one Toronto FC match in 2018 so far, and that was the CONCACAF Champions League Final first leg against Chivas Guadalajara back in April. Although TFC had a poor start to the regular season, their run in the Champions League was impressive, beating two strong Mexican sides (Tigres and Club America) on the road to the final. I remember that match at BMO Field very well. It was snowing for large parts of the match, which was unique and rather beautiful to see. The stands were packed and the atmosphere was loud, despite Toronto FC losing the first leg. It was a great night to lose yourself in the match and the sensory stimulation around you, and it made me temporarily forget about the negative feelings I had toward the club.
This was something I thought about and tried to formulate while I was trying to sleep one night.
From someone who has been to many Toronto FC matches, and watched a wide variety of games with different types of atmospheres, I developed a theory for a great football match-day atmosphere. I believe that in order to produce an intimidating football atmosphere, the atmosphere should attack the five senses that a human being experiences (sight, sound, touch, smell, taste). The five senses is something you would normally learn in early elementary school, but there is an application of such a primary concept to a broad range of subjects. I will attempt to apply the use of the five senses when it comes to going to a football match. Two of the senses are obvious to explain, while the other senses require more explanation.
Thursday presented some significant Toronto FC news. TFC has decided to permanently terminate the Inebriatti's status as a recognized supporters group after the events in Ottawa where flares and an explosive device were used in their away section against the Ottawa Fury. This means that Inebriatti members cannot organize in the south end of BMO Field. They must also take a course on MLS Fan Conduct at their own expense if they want to gain re-entry back into the south end of BMO Field.
I remember a time, as late as three years ago, where winning a championship, let alone making an MLS Cup Final, was an unattainable goal for Toronto FC.
To understand where Toronto FC is now, you need to understand where TFC was before. Profit-driven executives who had no idea what soccer was, or how to operate a soccer club ran TFC. Toronto FC fans were being charged premium prices for a ghastly standard of football. Add to that, the coaching and managerial merry-go-round, as well as the infighting between TFC supporters led to a general feeling of apathy. The relationship between the organization and the supporters laid in ruin.
Toronto FC were the laughingstock of Major League Soccer, and of North American sport. This is not a hyperbole.
The club needed a reset button. Out went Tom Anselmi, Richard Peddie, Earl Cochrane, and Paul Beirne. In came Tim Leiweke, Tim Bezbatchenko, and Bill Manning as they tried to make Toronto FC a proud club and an organization with class. They also needed to repair the relationship between the club and the supporters. The big difference between this group of executives and the last group was that this group actually had some soccer knowledge in addition to their business acumen. They understood that in order to keep the supporters coming back, they had to build a squad capable of not only competing for a championship, but sustaining it as well. There was some was rocky times in this new relationship (the signing of Jermain Defoe, the Argos to BMO Field, continued ticket price increases), but I can safely say that the club is in a much better shape now than it was three years ago. It almost feels like a new club.
The signings of Sebastian Giovinco, Michael Bradley, and Jozy Altidore (along with many others) helped to rejuvenate the club, and bring in a new set of TFC fans. TFC head coach Greg Vanney, who in the past has faced some deserved criticism, deserves some credit for TFC's recent success. The newly formed raucous atmosphere you hear at BMO Field from supporters groups such as the Inebriatti have once again made this place a fortress for away teams. It is all these factors and many more that have brought this team to their first MLS Cup Final in their history.
As I was walking around Liberty Village a few hours before kickoff, there was both an aura of jubilation and nervousness. Fans were obviously happy that TFC were even in the MLS Cup Final, and playing at home, no less. However, I did notice a lot of caution and anxiety in the faces of supporters. You could almost tell that supporters were thinking about what would happen if TFC were to lose the match. Many other fans just continued to drink their beers and simply enjoy the moment.
Toronto FC were coming up against the Seattle Sounders, a club who were among the worst teams of Major League Soccer for the first two-thirds of the season, until a coaching change and the arrivals of Lodeiro and Fernandez turned the club's fortunes for the better and the club rode the wave of success all the way to the final. About 1500 away fans made the trip to BMO Field, and some brave Seattle fans were not afraid to sing their chants right in front of the TFC supporters.
After walking past the double-decker bus that was the failed "Bloody Big Deal" TFC marketing campaign, I joined the massive crowd of supporters on the march to the stadium. A lot of the nervousness went away for a bit when the chants started going. Flares and smoke bombs were being set off, and everyone was jumping around trying to pump himself or herself up to be a part of history. When I emerged from the tunnel and the stadium was in sight right in front of me, the anxiety came back in droves. Nevertheless, a realization dawned on me. Whatever the result of the match was going to be, I knew that this was going to be a night I will never forget and that I was going to be a part of something special.
The match itself was not very special, however. Both Toronto FC and Seattle Sounders played a patient, almost cagey style of football (as how it usually is in a cup final). Seattle tried to play for extra time and penalties from the first whistle while TFC was a bit more adventurous with the ball. Michael Bradley was TFC's best player, as his passing was top-notch and his defensive work was admirable. In fact, the only bad thing about Bradley this game was his diabolically awful penalty in the shootout. Jozy Altidore had a few chances to score, including a header in the second half of extra time, which produced a fine save from Stefan Frei. Giovinco did not have a good match and was largely invisible. He had to come off during extra-time, which had me thinking if he was playing while carrying a known injury. With TFC's chances on goal, to see them not finish one was surprising, but if you could not finish your chances, you only have yourself to blame.
BMO Field was packed to the rafters. Seriously, I have never seen so much people packed into a stadium like this, but the atmosphere did not match the MLS Eastern Conference Final second leg. It may have been the occasion or the game itself, but the crowd felt hushed for most of the match, with only the singing of a few chants across the entire south end. The anxiety increased drastically when it was time for penalties and when Justin Morrow cracked the crossbar in the first sudden death penalty, it felt like a kick to the gut. There was this audible exhale from TFC supporters in the stadium, and when Roman Torres scored the winning penalty for Seattle to give them the MLS championship, it confirmed the dread. There was an immediate "TFC" chant right after the penalty to save face, but it did not make the feeling any better.
The Seattle Sounders win their first MLS Cup in their history, but it felt like TFC lost the trophy rather than Seattle winning it. A part of me is happy for the Seattle organization and their large base of support, as they seem like a well-run club with a squad of players who are good but not quite great (TFC between 2007-2014 was the opposite). As for TFC, it feels like "peak Toronto sports" referencing the recent playoff runs of the Blue Jays and the Raptors.
I have said before in a previous tweet that in order for Toronto FC to release itself from its "laughingstock" status, it needed to win this MLS Cup Final, but now I do not really think that anymore. I think they have already shed it. TFC now have a core set of players with a stable coaching staff and management rarely seen in this club. I can see them making another run like this next year and the year after, and that is the important thing, to not only get to this stage, but also to constantly keep getting to this stage. That is what builds dynasties in sport.
I consider myself lucky to witness something like this in person. I have never been to a proper cup final before, and this was an experience I will treasure for a long time. Something like this would not have been possible without all the supporters that pressured the organization for a change, whether in person or on social media. The supporters are what makes this club possible and what makes this club a success.
Toronto FC reached the unattainable goal. Now, actually winning the MLS Cup seems attainable.
Note: I am breaking my hiatus from this blog to talk about the
Toronto FC vs Montreal Impact match that happened yesterday. I need to address
some important things.
Even though I was
taking a break from supporting Toronto FC this year, I felt like I should be at
the match against the Montreal Impact, simply because it was a high-profile
match. Therefore, that was my plan last Saturday night. I experienced the match
inside the stadium and I am ready to give my thoughts on the overall
experience.
First, the
pre-match tifo was fantastic. Big credit to all the supporters groups for
creating the most visually appealing tifo I have ever seen at BMO Field. It was
also ironically funny that TFC supporters embraced the "circus" label
that Montreal fans always give them.
Now, the match. It
may have been TFC's fun house, but it was the Impact that escaped the fun house
with a 1-0 victory, giving them their first ever victory against TFC at BMO
Field. The Impact were disciplined and hard to break down, even when they were
down a man before halftime. They only really attacked when they were on the
counter, and it proved to be successful when Piatti scored. TFC's offensive
play was predictable. All they did was switch the ball to the wing and then
crossed the ball into the 18-yard box, which the Impact back-line dealt with
ease. TFC also did not test the Impact keeper with many shots. They passed
when they should have shot the ball and tested the keeper. I cannot think of
any TFC player that played a good game, while the Impact put in a great team
performance. This match also highlights that Greg Vanney and TFC struggle to
break down teams that play a defensive style of football, no matter what advantage they have. There
will be fans and journalists that will say that there is nothing to worry about
and that TFC are still first in the Eastern Conference. However, this is an issue
that Greg Vanney and the TFC coaching staff will need to fix if they want any
shot at winning any playoff matches this season.
I have noticed a
lot of Twitter chatter surrounding a certain two-stick banner in the south end
of BMO Field. Here it is:
If the image did
not look clear to you, it is a woman wearing blue, representing Montreal,
"going down" on a man wearing red, representing a TFC supporter,
while the banner reads "Montreal Vous Sucez". There are some people,
particularly women, who were offended of the portrayal of a woman in that way.
That is perfectly valid and it is something I agree with. I understand the
hatred that TFC fans have for Montreal and vice-versa, but the person or people
who made that banner could have easily expressed that hatred in a better way
than a woman going down on a man. In a way, that banner was tasteless,
unnecessary, and (dare I say) threatening to women who regularly go to TFC matches. However,
if two sets of fans hate each other, and want to express that hate to each
other, you simply can't expect them to be politically correct at the same time.In Chris Rock's
comedy special "Kill the Messenger",If Chris Rock's car was hit by another
car driven by a one-legged man, he'll talk about the leg (better hope he has
some two-legged insurance).
Toronto vs.
Montreal is a high-profile rivalry, and I expected people to be rowdier than
usual, but I noticed a large amount of people who were ridiculously drunk and
wanting to start fights with others who simply wanted to watch the match. Where
I was in the north patio, there was an altercation behind us between a young, drunk
man, and an older man. The larger man, evidently annoyed at his conduct, punched
him. Other fans separated the two men. BMO Field security showed up quite late
in the first half and took away the two men, and Toronto police arrested the
one who threw the punch. From what I have heard, there were a number of
incidents similar to what I have experienced in and around BMO Field, with
lackluster responses from BMO Field security. Add in the fact that security
shepherded thousands of fans through one gate in the north end (creating a
safety hazard), and it was evident that security really dropped the ball in
creating a safe atmosphere for the fans.
For the TFC
matches I went to these past two years, there has been a large increase in
casual spectators, and with that, a large amount of "bros" who go to
TFC matches who simply want to drink alcohol, start trouble with others, and
have no interest in the team itself. I have been noticing more trouble at the
TFC matches I have been to, and this is not something TFC should be okay with (obviously,
this is only my opinion, and it will differ from others). Sadly, I do not think
TFC and MLSE will do anything about it because they buy the stadium beer and
contribute to TFC’s profits. TFC are developing a reputation similar to going
to Jays games when they used to have the $2 Tuesday tickets in the 500-level,
where you would see a lot of fighting there as well. In a perfect world, actual
supporters are the ones who fill the stands, but TFC and MLSE need to fill
seats by marketing heavily to casual/fair-weather fans and people who simply
want to drink alcohol, because that is where the money is. They are the ones
who will buy the merchandise, buy concessions, and buy alcohol.
I found it ironic
that TFC supporters groups created a tifo labeling BMO Field as a circus,
because that is exactly what BMO Field is now! It has become more of a
sponsorship showcase than a stadium where a match takes place. The main
attractions of this circus are Giovinco, Bradley, and Altidore, and now you
have an influx of people who go to matches to experience the TFC atmosphere,
but refuse to contribute to it. I have been having a growing disconnect with
Toronto FC, and this is only one of the reasons why this is happening with me.
Overall, I had an
okay time, but by going to the match, I realized why I keep telling myself I should
not be going to the match anymore. However, I still do it, so what does that
say about me?
It was finally that time when I could put my season ticket to use for the first time this year. Toronto FC were back home for their 2015 home opener against the Houston Dynamo. I'm not really going to talk about the result and the match itself, because there are hundreds of people who have already done that and who can do a better job at it than I can. What I am going to talk about is my personal experience on that day, from the pre-game festivities to the new additions at BMO Field. I can definitely tell you that it was an interesting experience.
I was at the pre-game fan event at the Brazen Head, which was a little bit lame, if I'm being honest. Before their "pep rally", I was up in the patio having a large pint, when Cabbie came up to the patio and told everyone of the rally that was going down at 3:00 PM. He was clowning our group on the fact that no one (besides me) was wearing any TFC gear, so I thought that was a pretty cool moment. We go downstairs to the rally, and Cabbie and the new TFC girl (whose name escapes me) were hosting the event. I noticed that the crowd was a little bit relaxed, in the sense that I felt that most of the fans were more casual supporters, rather than hardcore supporters. This observation I had was reinforced when the new TFC girl had to go over how to sing "O When The Reds" with the crowd, and on top of that, the actual chanting at the event was sporadic at best.
Tim Bezbatchenko was there, said some things to the crowd, and then proceeded to chug a beer, to the delight of the crowd. Tim Leiweke also said some things to the crowd, and he boldly claimed that TFC will make "the p-word" (his words, not mine). I'm not sure why he wouldn't actually say the word "playoffs" in the first place. It was all nothing but hot air from the club's top brass, which is what they do best. The marching band starts up, a homeless guy dances in front of us, and we all start marching to the stadium. The lack of chanting continues, and anyone who tries to start one is drowned out by the drumming of the marching band.
We come out of the tunnels at Exhibition Station and in front of us was this gargantuan, imposing structure which was the new BMO Field east stand, It looked much bigger in person, and once the roof gets put on the stands, BMO Field can finally look something like a proper stadium. We get in the stadium, and as usual, we get bombarded with the imagery of all of TFC's sponsors, because corporatism is the message. The stadium looked great, although there was still some construction happening around the stadium. My seat was at the top of the upper deck of the new stand, and even though it offered a great birds-eye view of the pitch, the amount of stairs I had to take to get up there was brutal. Now, I'm not the most athletic guy out there, but I felt like I had run a marathon just to get up to my seat.
I decide to stand behind section 112 for the duration of the match. Toronto FC overloaded on the fireworks before the players came out of the tunnel, which I thought was a bit unnecessary, but they have to sell the experience, of course. The pre-game tifos looked nice, though. The match started, and sections 111/112 and 114 were bringing the chanting and singing, while section 113 looked like a wasteland, as only a few people from that section were actually taking part in the chants. The atmosphere from the supporters section was okay, but it really could have been a lot better. Obviously, the support was harmed by the fact that TFC were losing, but I felt that there could have been better communication between 112 and 114. This wasn't helped with the fact that 113 doesn't really join in the chanting. If TFC's vision was to have a united south end all singing the same song, so far, they are failing. The support is too fractured right now, with all these different supporters groups.
I had a good time, as I always do, but TFC's loss hurt a bit. Houston played very well, Michael Bradley was awful, and TFC couldn't push the tempo. It felt like the same old tune we have been hearing for the past 9 years. It was just disappointing to watch, and TFC have really seemed to go all in on how the club is branded, especially since Defoe came to TFC. The entire organization needs to know when to just shut up and try to string some wins together. Until that happens, TFC's marketing strategy feels like it is just being shoved down our throats.
So, that was my experience at the new BMO Field. I hope to put up some video soon.
UPDATE: I took some video of my experience. Watch it down below.
