occer fans suffering from
withdrawal following the excitement of the 2006 FIFA World Cup won't have
to wait long to get their kicks once again. Next April, Canada's newest pro soccer team, the Toronto FC (Football Club), will take the field and join the 12 teams of the MLS Major League Soccer league in the hunt for the MLS Cup.
Coached by Mo Johnston, a former player on Scotland's national soccer team, the Toronto FC will largely be made up of players from across Canada.
The first player signed to suit up in Toronto's red and grey jersey is Canada's own Jim Brennan, a 29-year-old native of Newmarket, Ontario. Brennan is one of the most dominant players on Canada's national soccer team, leading the pack with 43 career goals. Before joining the Toronto squad, Brennan played in the FA Premiership, the top soccer league in England.
Construction is already underway on BMO Field, a 20,000-seat stadium located within downtown Toronto's Exhibition Place.
In addition to housing the Toronto FC and Canada's national teams, the stadium will also play host to the 2007 Under-20 FIFA World Cup next July. The youth-focused championship has been a proving ground for up and coming players in the past such as Portugal's Luis Figo in 1991 and England's Michael Owen in 1997. Just recently, Argentinean striker Lionel Messi made a big splash at the 2005 tournament.
It won't be an easy task getting the diverse population of Canada to tune into North American soccer, but Richard Peddie of Maple Leafs Sports Entertainment (MLSE) has stated that the club would be content attracting between 13,000 to 15,000 fans to each home game.
Toronto has had trouble attempting to establish a steady soccer team, but according to Johnston,
that's all in the past.
"The foundation here is very strong, from the grassroots right
up," Johnston tells Teen Tribute. "The MLSE runs the Marlies,
Maple Leafs and even concerts. They're a very strong organization and they
know how to do business. It's been a pleasure working for them. Everything
they do turns to gold." Heavily influenced by European soccer and the English Premiership, MLS was founded in 1996, not long after USA hosted the 1994 FIFA World Cup. The league just recently finished its tenth season of play with the MLS Cup Championship being played in Frisco, Texas.
The future of soccer in Canada is definitely looking bright, and the optimistic Johnston is hoping it leads to success for his new squad.
"We're going to hold international games in the summertime. The (FIFA) Under-20 World Cup is coming and the MLS is coming, so it's an exciting time for soccer fans out there," says Johnston. "They watch plenty of soccer on Saturdays and Sundays, and hopefully at 4 p.m. on a Saturday, they'll come down and watch us."
-- Mark Guilherme