Who are they?
Toronto FC - or The Reds as they are inventively nicknamed. One of the three Canadian clubs in MLS, Toronto joined the league in 2007 - a turning point that Don Garber called the beginning of MLS 2.0, the rise of the successful expansion clubs and supporter culture.
So Toronto have been successful...
They certainly created the model for successful expansion club, selling out their first three seasons. On the field though, the team has never made the playoffs.
Never?
Nope, not in eight attempts.
What have they won?
The Canadian Championship - a five team cup competition amongst Canada’s professional teams, which is used to determine which Canadian team makes the Champions League. Toronto have the most wins of all time, with four.
What about the Disney Pro Soccer Classic.
Toronto are in fact the only team to have competed in all five Disney Pro Soccer Classics. But no, they haven’t won one.
Last year...
They spent BIG to try to shake off the “never made the playoffs” tag - bringing in Michael Bradley and Jermaine Defoe pre-season. They even had a bus which proclaimed it was a “bloody big deal”. Bradley fizzled and Defoe never settled, with rumors of his Premier League return surfacing even before the season was out. Ultimately they missed out, and Defoe went back to England.
Are they any good?
US international Altidore replaced Defoe in a deal with Sunderland, and Italian international Giovinco joins alongside. With three star players, and Benoit Cheyrou picked up from Marseille in the offseason - you have an attacking group that is, on paper at least, one of the leagues best. It’s difficult to think that they won’t make the playoffs this year, but then again…
So far this year...
They’ve had a pretty bad start, losing four of five - with only Montreal Impact having less points. They’ve played all of these games on the road however, as they get ready to open BMO field after completing the first phase of extensive renovations.
Players to Watch?
Sebastian Giovinco. The signing of an Italian international in his prime (he’s only 28) was a real coup for Toronto, and the attacking midfielder will prove a handful. His cheeky chip last week was a goal of the week contender.
Who’s the boss?
Greg Vanney spent the majority of his playing career in MLS, as well as a few years as an assistant coach at Chivas. However, he’s inexperienced as a Head Coach, taking on the job at the back end of last season and coming out with a less than impressive record. Given Toronto’s history with Head Coaches (Vanney is the ninth in nine seasons) he will quickly have to pick up some wins if he’s to avoid the same fate as his predecessors.
What about their supporters?
Most articles mentioning Toronto’s support use the words “long suffering” although we’d never go for such cliched terms here. Despite their record, the support has been incredible, with attendances averaging in the 18,000 region.
Who are their rivals?
They compete with Montreal Impact in the 401 Derby (named after the road that joins the cities). Both clubs take several thousand fans to the respective away games. The two cities have had sporting rivalries for many years, so it was only natural it extend to soccer
