Scarborough Is TFC's Favela

Football has always been the sport of the people. Most of the legends of the greatest game have been from poor or working class roots while many of the world's most beloved clubs are based in their city's poorer neighbourhoods. From Pele to Zidane, it has always been boys with little more than a ball and a dream who have shone the brightest. The most famous football factories are the Favelas of Brazil’s biggest cities like Sao Paulo and Rio but as Toronto FC and Canada grows into it's football skins, our own hotbed has risen - Scarborough.

The much-maligned (never on this site!) eastern suburb of Downtown Toronto with such nicknames as Scarberia, Scarlem and The Scronx is not only the home of some of Canada's biggest football stars but has also raised the spine of Toronto FC. Whether you judge the current crop of Reds as a success or not you cannot imagine many wins without Adrian Serioux, Dwayne De Rosario and now rookie O'Brian White drawing a straight line down the middle of the pitch. In addition to TFC's crop of Scarberians you can add the De Guzman brothers to the mix and suddenly Scarborough Town FC is your perennial MLS Cup Champion!

Some would argue that White is Jamaican-born and not a product of Scarborough but that is just proof of the Borough's strength. Like most of Toronto, people are welcomed from all over the world and given the opportunity to excel. It was in Scarborough where White like his TFC teammates developed and were noticed by football scouts. Serioux, De Ro and the De Guzman's took the route of minor league football while White went to the NCAA only to come full circle. The hard work and determination it takes to become a pro footballer was no doubt helped by growing up in the Boro. It isn't always the easiest place to be a young man and you need good strength and toughness to emerge from it’s available pitfalls. Much like other poor hoods dotted around the football world, it instills a confidence and swagger in those who emerge from it's streets. De Ro's flair, Serioux's hardman steel and White's determination are fine examples of this.

Scarborough natives know there is something special about the place. It is an enigma of a town that can leave you shaking your head one moment and proud the next. It can have some ugly, grey urban landscapes while having stunning natural landscapes. It is an old town full of new Canadians - it is hard and tough but full of families striving to give their kids a better future. Mostly, it's a place where only those who have grown up there can understand and who are the only ones who have the right to criticize it. If the players who have come out of the Boro have the make-up of De Ro, Serioux and potentially White then Mo Johnston should forget about looking near Scarborough, England and keep an eye on the pitches of the Scavela.