THE STARTING 11: Advantages to having so many Montreal Impact fans visit BMO Field

Toronto and Montreal. Rivals in so many things. Language, culture, business, terrible mayors, Prime Minister-themed airports and who Upstate New York wants to take to the prom. No list of inter-city rivalries of course would be complete without sporting interests. Whether it is real football, Canadian American football or ice football, these two great cities love to battle it out. TFC and Montreal Impact have a nice little head-to-tête going on and the clubs' fans are travelling in greater numbers. On Saturday, BMO Field hosted its largest ever group of MLS away supporters and when that many of our swarthy, brooding cousins from Quebec stop by, it has advantages...

11. Stadium's "No Smoking" rules completely out the window for one afternoon

10. Proposed "safe standing" sections accelerated by random seat removal in away section

9. Inevitably poor BMO Field weather helps both sets of supporters ignore flying spit

8. They bring their own cheese!

7. High number of flares helps planes land at Toronto Island Airport

6. The GO Train ends up sounding like a classy, double-decker Orient Express

5. Much higher chance of seeing Mitsou

4. The haunting pre-match song "You'll Never Prov-alone"

3. BMO Field demolition costs plummet with assistance from visiting "volunteers"

2. Quebec/Ontario relations are strengthened as thousands of people join together in their mutual disdain for Vancouver Whitecaps

1. Bitchy Le Hawk

EDITORIAL: "It's all gone quiet over there!" TFC adopts a quiet approach to the off-season

You have no idea how hard it is to find a mouth-closed picture.

Perhaps Tim Leiweke and his posse down at BMO Field have been listening to Rob Ford's faux-bravado "actions speak louder than words" phrase - or maybe they're all on crack. It's your call. One thing few TFC supporters won't deny though is the strange sound coming from the local football club... silence. While the off-season is still young, the usually overly verbose club has been noticeably muted. 　

Now this is not in any way a complaint, we are definitely fans of substance over style but it is a glaring difference from the past seven years. While there has so far been little to speak of surrounding the club (apart from the latest high profile DP to turn their nose up at The Reds) it is unusual for the Lakeshore House of Promos to stop flapping their gums for this long. Is this an unexpected maturity from the club or is there more to it? 　

The front office has indeed had a change of personality, with the likes of former public faces such as Paul Beirne and the well-liked Asif Hossain moving on to greener pastures, but other aspects of TFC winters are missing as well. Gone are the pub crawls, post-season wrap parties and often hilarious town halls of years past. While we here have never been massive fans of any of these glad-handing events, other fans have rightfully enjoyed them. Some of these fans are now feeling a lack of "personal presence" from their club.

EDITORIAL: "It's all gone quiet over there..." But does TFC really care?

The blurst of times.

With apologies to the majority of the BMO Field population (circa 2007-2013), Toronto FC's image was built in large part on the visage of the South Stand. Now in no way are we claiming that the supporters in the south are more valuable or important than any others in the ground but it was the sizzle of the "European atmosphere" that TFC immediately harnessed to carve their place in Toronto's crowded sports entertainment market.

For the first few seasons, the club and its "benevolent" owners were handed a sweet gift from PR heaven - an organic (for the most part), grassroots supporter culture that was the talk of the town. Nary was a TFC ad or promo seen without the obligatory smoke-strewn, flag-waving, streamer-laden "Ultra" supporter that most other MLS markets lacked at the time. Word was out - Toronto had "the best fans in the league (TM)" and MLSE was more than happy to bottle it. The team thingamajig could come later.

Sadly, in true MLSE fashion, their promotional eyes grew too big for their belly and the fervent support they were so happy to promote was not rewarded... but rather milked. BMO Field ticket prices rose and game day expenses grew while expensive friendlies were shoehorned in on the back of this seemingly unquenched thirst for local football. Again, all while failing to meet the one request their fiery fans salivated over - a competitive side of their own.

Seven long and very unfruitful seasons later and the South Stand is a shadow of its former self. Large patches of empty seats and most noticeably an atmosphere that has gone from "European" down to "USL" levels. It is not a from lack of desire, no, TFC fans deserve all credit for still even discussing this team, rather it is the death by a thousand cuts of broken promises, greed and sheer drudgery. With the lowering in volume in the south, the rest of BMO Field has followed to become a fairly passion-free ground. The question is: do TFC and their owners actually care?

EDITORIAL: Got Used To It and Still Getting Used To It...

 

I get it.

 

Toronto FC is a business. It’s a franchise. It’s not a "club". It’s not a community cornerstone.

 

Toronto plays Roma. They give Roma an appearance fee, and then Toronto sets out to recoup their investment by charging higher-than-normal prices and hope the fringe football enthusiasts, glory hunters or die-hards of both sides pony up the dosh to watch the match.

 

And this model obviously works.

 

The "get used to it" comment has been blown out of proportion, as gold as it has been comedy-wise, by hardcore supporters as a metaphoric middle finger.

 

Here are things we need to remember:

 

Because it’s a business, and a for-profit one at that, the object is to exchange entertainment for money.

 

The hardest-core of supporters sit in the lowest revenue generating sections of the stadium. Have you seen what they charge for the comfy back seats at the centre of the pitch? One of those season seat holders has to be worth at least 10 of the south-enders.

 

Who hasn’t noticed the increased number of advertisers this season? Every facet is sponsored by someone or something. The only time the PA announcer doesn’t remind us that something is sponsored by something is when he’s announcing the starting lineup, goals and substitutions. Otherwise, his primary function is to shill.

 

 

We, like most of you, hate that loyal supporters are an afterthought at TFC, but it is as evident now as it ever has been. And as much as we have romantic ideas of supporter-owned clubs or protests that actually result in something positive, that will likely never happen. Why? Because you already paid. Money is the only metric that matters.

 

14000 people show up for a game that 19000 paid for. Are they concerned? A little. What will they do to change that? Platitudes. Cultural nights. Our presence isn’t nearly as treasured as we think.

 

Remember: This is a business. As long as anyone pays, then that’s what matters. The dollar is a vote, and with every dollar spent, is a vote of re-election.

 

With the threat of a mass exodus of season ticket holders at the end of last season, that’s when REAL CHANGE took place. Out with Anselmi, in with Payne. Money was about to be lost and likely not coming back.

 

Minimize (or stop) giving TFC your money for kits, scarves, beers, chip buttys and especially exhibitions. Otherwise, get used to it.

 

@ignirtoq sometimes has a point and sometimes within that point, he can articulate it without a massive tangent that never seems to come back. One time he took a tangent that led him to explaining why it is bullshit that ice cream is no longer ice cream but "frozen dairy treats". Too bad he was talking about T20 cricket and why it's awesome. Where was I... oh yeah, so sometimes @ignirtoq has a point... 

"It's not us, it's you" - The fun has left BMO Field as TFC's only claim to fame fizzles

"Can you feel the passion? Umm...guys? Can you feel it?"

It was always going to be this way. As far back as the first home fixture in 2007, Toronto FC was based on a house of cards that was "the great atmosphere". It didn't help when the assembled North American football media got in line to stroke the club and its supporters’ egos for managing to introduce a "European match atmosphere" to MLS. The club, so wrapped up in this unexpected phenomenon, took a path that would see them bathe in their fans' "ultra" imagery and lean on this as the be all and end all of Toronto's re-born football scene. This golden calf invariably lead them to doing the one thing that would eventually slay this unexpected idol - they didn't bother to build a football club for it.

　
This is old news to 99% of you reading this. The many re-births, the conveyor belt of management and the eternal continuation of "Five-Year Plans" have become the stuff of local farce. Until recently however, the supporters who have graciously, and against all odds, continued to attend TFC matches met the club's lifelong struggles with gallows humour and a frustrated resilience. The once exalted atmosphere, while steadily decreasing, seemed strong enough to at least allow the ground's denizens a fun day out. For those of you who go to TFC matches regularly are likely aware, and as a note to those that do not, the fun has gone.
　
It is palpable in the air. Joviality towards our lovable bumbling squad has turned into hostility and - far worse - deafening apathy. There is not an ounce of blame available to put on a single supporter or group who still attends due to their genuine affection for TFC (or at least the sport) as most are all out of spirit. The club has beaten it out of their fans through a battle of below-mediocre attrition that few fans would be willing to endure. Yes there are fans of other clubs around the world who have suffered through worse but they likely support a club with history and past glories to lean on. In Toronto, supporters can only lean on paper-thin promises of better days ahead. A Herculean sales pitch that MLSE likely didn't expect to have to make.
　
The question thus becomes - how will the club sell a day out at a match? There is a palpable fear that the ownership will begin to panic soon. The original recipe for success was selling a football experience that was as close to "old world" sensibilities as you could find in North America. There was a refreshing lack of bottled Arena Football-esque bottled atmosphere. The near organic supporter culture papered over the rapidly exposed ills of a poorly managed team. But when this is gone, how will an ownership that has a PhD in "Sizzle over Steak" react?

The TFC Retro-Fit, Part 3 : The Kit

Yesterday, we took a look at the proposed old-school badge of a club that wasn't all that old-school to begin with.  We opted for one direction over another as the kit to pursue and went with the cold Soviet-style logo.  This should work.

So, with fellow kit and logo nerd @theyorkies1812, firmly behind this project, we decided to make sure this sucker has all of the things needed for this to, at least appear, to be something from a bygone era.

Red?  Check.

Cyrillic?  Check.

V-neck?  You bet.

Sponsor?  Da, comrade.

Old-school Adidas trefoil?  You know it.

Yeah, the BMO logo in Russian was @theyorkies1812's idea. Sweet touch. We figured putting a name in Cyrillic just nails it. The number font is from a font found from the 1974 world cup Adidas kit styles. I'd like to find a more 'blockier' Cyrillic font for the names, but this will do for display purposes.

Understanding that Adidas is creating new kits for Toronto this season, I don't have much faith in the 'testing' designs that some of the other sides in the league have had to endure (the garbage Seattle kits, Columbus away, Philadelphia). I am a fan of the current kit with the grey sleeves and red chest as they are excellent. Toronto has come far design-wise since the lame first seasons.

I think we may have found our new kits for next year, even if TFC/MLS/Adidas wouldn't agree.  We'll have to place the order soon once we decide which legend's name and number we want on the back.

Please leave your criticisms below. Blind hate to be ignored and ridiculed. Open to suggestions. Follow my inane banter on the twitterz @ignirtoq

The TFC Retro-Fit, Part 2 : The Badge

So our discussions of nerding out over the idea of a retro kit was on the basis of our love of past kits.  Not necessarily the most memorable ones based on hideousness or outright fame but rather the fondness of a bygone era of not-quite prima donnas and simplicity.

It was put forth that the design should be this simple. Like so...

Without the "Wrangler" on the front, but you get the idea.  Old-style Adidas, pinstripes, v-neck collar.

But first we need a crest.  The current TFC crest looked way too modern, or way too circa-2008.  We tend to believe that its look is dated but we don't exactly know how yet.  So we had two schools of thought : a 60's/70's style crest - either artistic like English crests of the era - or something minimalist from the Soviet school of thought.

This is the take on the 70's English style, something that would look good in the centre of a rosette.  Rope border, civic representation, spelling out of the full name, starting first with the city flag incorporated in 1972 and then adjusted to the colours to match the club.  The city crest would've taken too long so forgive me.  It was decided that we chose the year of incorporation and not their first season of 2007 as the date on the crest.

However, the one that I think turned out the best was the Soviet style.  The colours that TFC uses as secondary, the two shades of grey, make for a perfect cold-war pallet.  The first idea was to consider the names that adorned many clubs in that time (and plenty still do) : CSKA, Spartak, Torpedo, Dynamo, Lokomotiv.

Wanting desperately to revisit the Lokomotiv Toronto crest I did earlier in the year as a joke, I realized that deviating too far away from the name of the club would defeat the purpose of this re-imagining.  So we scrapped that idea and just went for Toronto FC.  In Cyrillic.

(yes, it's this rediculous)

Come back tomorrow for the final installment of The TFC Retro-Fit, Part 3 : The Kit.

The TFC Retro-Fit, Part 1 : The Idea

For the eight of you regulars who visit the site (the old six, please make the new two feel welcome), we try to convey that we are football nerds first, kit and crest nerds second.  And sometimes, it's the other way around (had anyone here actually HEARD of the Kansas City Comets before they came here?).

Recently, I have become engaged and part of the preliminary wedding planning talks has involved a heavy 'footy' theme.  Scarves, songs, colours, the whole bit (honey... is there room in the budget for a tifo?).  Part of that included customized soccer jerseys.  I began my research by looking into a few companies and decided that they only way to know what kind of quality we're getting is to order a few 'tests'.

The first test was to recreate a jersey of my first football love : my local beloved perpetual silver medallists, the Hamilton Steelers.  Below is a kit from 1986, when they won the national amateur championship.

After rebuilding the old logo into something modern and artistically balanced, I laid out the jersey and sent it off to the manufacturer.  The cost of this shirt from the manufacturer was $85, $30 of it was shipping.  So if we were to do more than one, the costs should come down I suspect.

Upon receipt of the kit, I showed @theyorkies1812 and his wheels started spinning : We should make a TFC retro kit!

The first thing we agreed on was that it wasn't or couldn't be the Blizzard because it's already been done.  Or Metros-Croatia.  Or City, or Falcons or any of the old ECPSL clubs.  It had to be a re-imagining.  Obviously, if anyone wanted a true 'TFC retro kit' and you looked around discount warehouses, you'd find the first kit issued in 2007. But we were thinking more of a period piece.  A bygone era.

Pre-1960s wouldn't work for what we had in mind.  Everything was simple.  Designs didn't exist, but rather "you wore this because this is what the manufacturer made" types of shirts...

Check back tomorrow where we show the results of our retro-inspired TFC crests in The TFC Retro-Fit, Part 2.

THE STARTING 11: Strange Toronto FC insults from Impact supporters

"Thanks... was that so hard?"

With the first MLS meeting between Toronto FC and Olympique du Fromage behind us, it is safe to say "The 401 Derby" is here to stay. There is very little love lost between the red clad fans on this end of the highway and the bleu clad on the eastern end. With so many Montreal Impact fans on hand in The Big O to "welcome" TFC and their supporters it was no surprise that things got a petit bit testy. While some of the overheard chants and insults were clever, and others were just... well insulting... some must have been lost in translation.
　
11. "Monarchist Dichio-addicts!"
　
10. "Non-Smoking De Ro danglers!"
　
9. "Ungrateful Laurent Robert deniers!"
　
8. "VIA-riding Sutton users!"
　
7. "Deodorant-happy Mitsou haters!"
　
6. "Parliamentary poutine smugglers!"
　
5. "Bibliotheque-searching Hardenites!"
　
4. Swiss Chalet swallowing Carlsberg guzzlers!"
　
3. "BMO-stealing Gerba wasters!"
　
2. "Ketchup covering French Fry abusers!"
　1. "Leafs fans!"

"No one likes us, we shouldn't care"

Definitely not the Home Depot Center



While The Reds are a far cry from the South London ruckus that is Millwall FC, you could forgive TFC supporters from mistaking BMO Field for The New Den today. Amidst the euphoric din from the triumphant but still bewildered Toronto fans, emerged a narrative from the rest of North America that was somewhat sobering - no one really cares about Toronto FC all that much.
　
Leading up to the match, and most likely until the final whistle, the majority of this continent's media and fans (outside of Toronto) had already written off TFC's chances. Most barely gave The Reds the credit to even provide Davy Knickers & The Boyz a real challenge. When the match ended and turned predictions on their heads, some naysayers were willing to eat crow but mostly with the caveat that poor Galaxy were "so fatigued". Those insights were oft followed with polite pats on the head for the plucky Canucks with platitudes laced with adjectives like "unfashionable", "perennial underdogs" and "underachievers". Back-handed at best.
　
While there will always be a certain sect of the American football fan who will never be comfortable with Canadian clubs in MLS, was it naive to think that last night's famous win could afford the Torontos some cross-border affection? When Real Salt Lake made its run to the CONCACAF Champions League final there was a league-wide love-in that put rivalries to one side and pushed a #MLS4RSL online campaign. However, if early public reaction is anything to go by, a similar #MLS4TFC campaign doesn't look like it would get much traction past the 905 area code, let alone south of the border.
　
For Toronto sports fans, not getting the love from "Canada's shirt" is nothing new - just ask the Blue Jays and Raptors (not that they deserve love). However, TFC probably won't generate much hate from the USA - more likely just apathy. Instead, most of the vitriol and bad tidings in our quest for CCL success will emanate from within our nation. A #CSA4TFC campaign is maybe less likely than the MLS variety. Our dirty hippie cousins at BC Place are still smarting (and telling anyone who will listen) how they should have won the Voyageur's Cup in 2011 and that TFC's run is a sham. Do not expect much in the way of solidarity from the Rockies. Meanwhile our age-old rivals down the 401 would probably rather give up their strip-club memberships than see TFC beat the same Mexican club that gave them one of their all-time worst humiliations. Add the usual Toronto-hate from the rest of the country and The Reds are truly an island.
　
Basically, Toronto FC aren't the high-flying fashionable club that neutrals want to bandwagon on. In English football parlance, we aren't Chelsea or Arsenal - neither nouveau riche nor aristocratic. Instead, we are more in tune with a Newcastle (in Toon?) or Leeds. Big clubs that have made stupid mistakes but have rabid, die-hard supporters who stick by them even if everyone else thinks they are a bit delusional. When success does come for those types of fans, it's always that bit sweeter than at the clubs where it comes easily.
　
The bunker mentality can be a good thing - even the players can feed off the "us vs. them" emotion. So really, if you were miffed today that your beloved club wasn't getting the love you feel it deserves... is that so bad? It's always more fun to swim against the stream and wouldn't you rather be "disliked" alongside 47,000 of your closest friends at SkyDome rather than being "fashionable" at the Home Depot Center?

Supporter apathy, not anger, the biggest threat to Toronto FC

"Hate is not the opposite of love; apathy is."

- Rollo May
　
For the first few years of Toronto FC's existence, the club, so desperate for a positive spin, dined out on the media propelled designation that BMO Field had "the best fans in the league". Boisterous, loud and loyal, the supporters were the only thing worth putting on a billboard to promote a club so bereft of quality on the pitch. While TFC fans are still amongst the best in the league, loyal almost to a fault, the comments in the same media that held up local support as a beacon in MLS now wonder where the electricity has gone.
　
The knowledgeable and devoted support at TFC have been behind their club through thick and the very many thins. However, when things were obviously wrong in the past, there was palpable, vocal frustration often bordering on anger. The club-destroying reign of the MLSE-backed Mo Johnston, the carpet bagging pricing schemes over the Real Madrid friendly and often the general play on the field were met with passionate discourse. Five years on though, new sins are being met with deep sighs, a resigned shrug of the shoulders and most notably absence.
　
From our in-person vantage in the South Stand, the vaunted bastion of The Reds sometimes fiery support, we have the pleasure of being surrounded by a cross-section of fans. Older fans who have immigrated from nations where football is like breathing; younger fans who were seduced by Toronto FC's "real football" atmosphere; long-time Canadian fans thrilled to have big league football in town; and in the near distance, the club's established supporters groups. While the attitudes vary and some are still as happy to sing "The Dichio Song" as they were in 2008, a wide spectrum of these fans have seemed to stop feeling as passionate. They are indeed angry after five years of rebuilding a club that was never built in the first place, but the fire in them to kick up a fuss is dwindling. There is almost a feeling that any anger is almost futile against an ownership that wouldn't hear the loudest of yells.
　
Whether it is right or wrong, the sense that the ownership is only in this for a quick buck has seeped through the stands. TFC supporters have been so loyal while watching other teams enter the league and achieve success quickly while The Reds stay in neutral. The effect has been seen in the stands this season with many empty seats - despite the 19 or 20 thousand "announced" attendance at every match. The casual support is breaking away to other forms of entertainment that don't leave you quite as frustrated at the end of two hours. While we, along with many other dedicated supporters will stick with the club, BMO Field may soon start to resemble stadiums in Columbus, New England and Dallas with small pockets of hardcore support, heavily outnumbered by swaths of empty seats. These are the stadiums we used to look down upon as being... well... apathetic.
　
Excuses like bad weather, match schedules or UEFA Champions League matches never used to affect the attendance and buzz at BMO Field but that has changed. There is almost a boredom sometimes at matches which emanates from the toxic mixture of the currently poor football and the steps the club has taken to mute the supporter culture in the stands - the only thing the trophy-phobic club was built on. If MLSE/ TFC think that replacing true organic support and good football with thundersticks, cheerleaders and promises of "a bright future" will work, they are mistaken. Apathy may very well turn into something worse - the fans once used to promote the club, turning their backs on it for good.

Grass no greener off the pitch at TFC

Roof goes here.



Ask Toronto FC supporters what is wrong with the failing, and seemingly flailing, club right now and many will give an arms-length list of problems dressed in red kits or holding clipboards. In a season where on-field successes have been few and far between, it is hard to fault the average member of BMO Field's faithful for pointing at the pitch and screaming in exasperated frustration.
　
It is obvious to anyone who has regularly attended a match on Toronto's Lakeshore this year or even watched a match on TV, that there is a different air around the club. The heady days of electric atmosphere and optimism without reason have noticeably diminished in 2011, replaced only with flickering hope that yet another new regime will bring the change that The Reds’ loyal support so deserves - or worse, an uncaring apathy.
　
Judging the club based on its on-field performance right now brings simple answers - bad. However, those can be fixed with a few inspired personnel moves - it is arguably off-field issues where the rot has set much deeper and may indeed be the threat to TFC reaching its full potential as a club.
　
THE TFC MANAGEMENT CULTURE
The apple rarely falls from the tree. While the Aron Winter/ Paul Mariner management team does its best to bring a professional environment so missing under Mo Johnston, there are still many links to the "old ways" of doing business. Much of this "culture" comes from owners MLSE who as any Torontonian sports fan can attest, is far more interested in dollars than trophies. The owners have somehow managed to turn the hottest ticket in local sports into a rapidly dull and apathetic environ. The extendable "5-Year Plans" (which aren't necessary in MLS) are slowly alienating casual support and somehow slaying the most unlikely "golden goose" in the Toronto sports scene. Can Winter & Co. battle the culture of "All For One Dollar"? There are a few players, some here - some departed, who already think not.
　
THE MLSE "FOR SALE" SAGA
While the story has gone quiet (...too quiet) the seemingly inevitable sale of MLSE to (insert media giant / bank / super villain name here) must have a forward effect on planning. An air of instability must run through the front office rank and file with their futures seemingly in the balance. And what of MLSE currently? Is there a desire to improve the team long-term with acquisitions of Designated Players for example? Or, would such frills be considered ill-timed if a sale is on the horizon? While the massive Academy investment seems to signal long-term strategy (but possibly real estate accumulation), other short-term (and short-sighted) decisions such as putting most TFC matches on MLSE-owned GolTV seem like a short-cut to the quick buck. The GolTV move, which may affect long-term fan growth, is a particularly distressing move and one which hopefully doesn't signify a short-term vision in other areas.
　
SILENTLY SILENCING SUPPORTERS?
In the club's early days, the emergence of a "global football supporter culture" took hold at TFC and likely took MLSE by surprise. The raucous atmosphere created at BMO Field was noticed around the league and around the world as a new type of MLS club support. The supporter culture made TFC matches a "place to be" and MLSE soon was happy to market this as a reason to come to matches when the football was definitely not. Recently however, it seems to many as if the club's operators have been quietly trying to dampen the boisterous supporter sections and the groups within them.
　
Minor incidents with flares for example, have been manipulated to excuse an overzealous security clampdown which has gone as far as making it difficult to bring a flag to the stadium. The result is a much more muted supporter element at BMO at a time when other MLS clubs are embracing such supporter displays. While many think they would never castrate this segment of the crowd, would it be beyond belief to think that a "Family Section" wouldn't fill the coffers of MLSE as easily without the hassle of policing this so-though-of "troublesome" element? It is a doomed vision if it exists - but would surprise few.
　
THE STADIUM
It is difficult to be too hard on BMO Field because without the publicly funded tin-can, there would be no TFC. When the stadium was built, it was assembled on the cheap as quickly as possible and Toronto football fans had no problem with it. The idea of a footy specific stadium was so rare after all. However, apart from the installation of grass (an admittedly fine investment by MLSE) the stadium is not the comfiest place to watch a match while other, more grand stadia, are being erected league-wide.
　
Positioned by the lake and being used during an MLS season which sees the worst of Toronto's extreme weather, BMO Field can be a challenge for the heartiest supporter. While MLSE will claim that the stadium is a municipal facility and their hands are tied, no one believes that the city would object if the owners would spring for the missing element in making BMO a better place to watch football - a roof. Whether it protects from searing heat or freezing rain and wind, a basic roof would be a gesture in customer appreciation which MLSE could afford for the price of a few Maple Leafs fourth liners and transform BMO Field from an "okay" place to watch a match into a great one.
　
PRICE IS WRONG
It is not an insult to refer to Major League Soccer as a mid-range football league. It's what it is. MLSE of course would prefer to compare TFC to its other products, the Leafs and Raptors, who play in the global premier leagues of their sports. This thinking led MLSE to charge a premium rate for TFC tickets which average higher than many English Premier League clubs. The astounding early success of TFC of course affirmed their decision and gave them the bravado to increase ticket prices regularly and quickly.
　
Now that the "golden goose" has been somewhat slayed, the ticket prices no longer represent value for money. Casual fans and supporters in what were once cheaper seats are openly questioning the value of such investment in a floundering club while once die-hards in more expensive seats are simply not showing up to matches. Despite announcing near sell-outs for every match, BMO Field has rarely looked full in 2011 but a price roll-back by MLSE is still highly unlikely. It’s just not in MLSE’s DNA. This, with many of the above issues, may spell out a future that is darker before the dawn at the once liveliest sporting event in Toronto.

THE STARTING 11: Reasons Toronto fans left the MLS Cup early

Extra Time is just about to kick-off...

Poor, poor Toronto FC supporters. As if we don't have to put up with enough from our Goat-god worshipping, panda-eating, Cochrane-promoting ownership... today we're getting it in the ear from our MLS supporter rivals from around the continent!. Our fabled and over-marketed "BMO Field atmosphere" didn't live up to its own hype during last night's Cup Final with a mixture of apathetic crowds, empty seats and a mass exodus well before the 90th minute. Locally we know that supporters have been used and abused by ML$E and that had much to do with the lacklustre turn-out (so enough of your lip North America... you don't know our pain! Single tear) but there were still other reasons Torontonians headed for the exits early...
　
11. They stopped selling beer in the 75th minute... duh!
　
10. Had tickets for the 11PM showing of Harry Potter
　
9. Insulted that away supporters didn't know "The Dichio Song"
　
8. Thought there was a spontaneous 83rd minute walk-out to protest against ML$E

7. Stood up to get on TSN2's cameras so I could seen by dozens across Canada
　
6. Was sure that I bought tickets for Avalanche vs. Stars
　
5. I came. I gave Jeff Cunningham the finger. I left.
　
4. Only bought tickets to hear Garber's halftime interview
　
3. Chip Buttys only have a 68 minute shelf-life
　
2. No buffet car on the 11PM GO Train
　
1. Could no longer feel own ass

Buffet Car is in carriage 5. Try the salmon... exquisite!

THE STARTING 11: Censorship-proof "MO MUST GO" banners

--------------------------Get lost Mo... you stooge

MLSE has been promoting "the best fans in MLS" for four years now. They love to bang on about how the team's "supporters groups" make the best atmosphere in the league. They love photo ops with perfect demographic specimens waving non-descript flags and screaming with glee. They don't know the difference between a football supporters group and a fan club.
　
A big talking point from the home opener has been MLSE's apparent new "unofficial, mistaken" (giant air quotes) censorship policy over any supporter having a sign that criticizes the woeful, disgracefully inept misDirector of Football. Accounts of confiscated signs (with no profanity included) are rampant. Although MLSE is saying it was all a big misunderstanding, it could re-appear in the future (i.e. the next ESPN telecast). So how to safely voice your anti-Mo displeasure at BMO Field? Well you could buy a fashionable, easy to conceal t-shirt (operators are standing by!) or if you insist on a banner - how about some alternatives...
　
11. LARRY, CURLY & GO
　
10. "i take GO transit to bMO field"
　
9. "ON YER BIKE WEE MAN!"
　
8. BAN GINGERS!
　
7. GLASWEGIAN LIBERATION FRONT: RELEASE THE SCOT!
　
6. SUPPORT WHOLE MILK: "MOO MUST GOO"
　
5. M.L.S.S.R. - THE MOVIET UNION
　
4. TORONTO PIG LATIN CLUB: "OMAY USTMAY OGAY"
　
3. DOWN WITH CENSORSHIP: "#&$ MUST #@%!”
　
2. "THE GRASS IS TOO LONG - MOW OUT!"
　
1. "DYSLEXICS UNITE! OM MUST OG!"

Sing when you're not winning

------"Sorry mate, you were singing off-key, you have to leave."

The grass is almost finished being painted green. The chip butty batter is being mixed. The PA announcer is learning how to speak Latvian. Yes, it's almost opening day at BMO Field. The expansion Philadelphia Union (I wonder how long their 5-year plan is?) will be winging their way to Toronto for Thursday night's big match under the floodlights and will be greeted by yet another sold-out Toronto FC crowd.
　
Since year one, the Toronto support has been lauded around MLS circles for being one of the league's loudest and best. How they have been re-paid by the team is another story. Either way, the supporters love a good chant or sing-along during a match and have memorized quite the little repertoire. However, if you're a little tired of singing for bald retirees, here are a few of the better chants that have come into us over the off-season. Sing, you burly baritones - sing!
　
DE-ROSARIO (Captain's Armband Remix) - to the tune of "B-I-N-G-O"
The Captain is from Scar-bo-rough
And De Ro is his name-o!
De-Rosario! De-Rosario! De-Rosario!
And De Ro is his name-o!
　
HEY JULES (The JDG Song) - to the tune of The Beatles' "Hey Jude"
Hey Jules,
It's not so bad.
It's not La Liga,
But it's getting better
　
Remember,
When puffing out that afro,
You are now rich
And close to Scar-bro!
　
OUT (The Mo(ve) Out) - to the tune of Tears For Fears' "Shout"
Out! Out!
Get the hell out!
Mo is the one we are singing about,
Get lost... you ginger buffoon.
Get lost!
　
DO THE SANYANG - to the tune of The Police's "Doo-Doo-Doo"
Amadou-doo-doo,
Ama-dah-dah-dah!
He's the Red from Gambi-ah!
(Repeat)
　
MO'S HOLES - to the tune of "Hole in the bucket - Dear Liza"
There's a hole in our defence,
Mo Johnston, Mo Johnston.
There's a hole in our defence,
Mo Johnston, a hole.
　
There's a hole in our midfield,
Mo Johnston, Mo Johnston.
There's a hole in our midfield,
Mo Johnston, a hole.
　
There's a hole in our offence,
Mo Johnston, Mo Johnston.
There's a hole in our offence,
Mo Johnston, a hole.
　
There's a hole in your backside,
Mo Johnston, Mo Johnston.
There's a hole in your backside,
And that's what you are.
　
CHIP BUTTY CHANT - to the Gap Band's "Oops Upside Your Head"
We-put-chips on bread,
Say, we put chips on bread!
(Repeat ad nauseum!)
　
THE FACTS OF MO - to the theme of TV's "Facts Of Life"
He trades the good,
He keeps the bad,
He blows the cap, and there ya' go,
The facts of Mo - It's the facts of Mo!
(Repeat)
　
LIFE ON BAY STREET - to the tune of "Que Sera Sera"
Que sera sera,
Our owners are M-L-SE,
5 year plans are what we'll see
For... eternity!
(Repeat with gusto!)

BMOspotting: A natural field guide of the supporter species

Around the holiday season, television is full of long in-depth documentaries about the natural world. You know the type - some David Attenborough wannabe hiding in the bushes while chimps smell their hindquarters in the distance. Gripping monkey action.

Well as a post-holiday treat we bring you another hard-hitting, likely award winning, up close and personal look at the wildlife that lives within the dangerous confines of BMO Field's terraces. For those of you who are nature buffs or for brave souls who may venture to the Lakeshore Jungle for the first time in 2010 - feel free to carry around this handy guide so you too can be a BMOspotter.

THE VETERANS (Veterelder Futbolis)
The sage and noble elder of the terraces can be seen dressed in a genteel manner and usually watch matches in small groups of three to four. Their grey haired heads can often be seen nodding wisely in a manner that denotes having seen most of what football has had to offer over the years. While no longer the loudest in the jungle, ancient memories of their past lives in windswept stadia across Europe often return with a loud cry of "Wanker!" at a passing referee.
ORIGINAL SPECIES: Liverpool, Rangers, Benfica

FOOLIGANS (Mimicus Millwallis)
This young brash brood roam the corners of the BMO jungle in the quest to be the dominant force among the crowd. While small in number they are often the most vocal of creatures known for their attempt at mimicry of the extinct 1970's European hooligan. While few have stepped into an actual European stadium, and fewer still were around in the 1970's, their love for wearing red kits (non-TFC) and boastful power drinking give them a self assured air of authority despite the fact that they would likely burst into tears if faced with a real "firm" from the bad old days.
ORIGINAL SPECIES: Manchester United, Arsenal, AC Milan

NEWLIGANS (Trendulus Uefas)
While the above mentioned Fooligan may be brash, there is usually some sort of heritage and staying power in the species. The Newligan however, is the younger hybrid in the supporter genus. Very new to the sport, they have taken the colours and plumage of a current glamour team in order to fit in amongst the more established members of the jungle. Famous for joining in chants with affected accents (and knowing some of the words) and also for having "a few" favourite teams.
ORIGINAL SPECIES: Chelsea, Real Madrid, the current Champions League Winner

THE MISERY CASUALS (Negativum Doldrums)
This odd breed of supporter is usually scattered amongst the other species without purpose. Their dress is often casual and harkens back to the "hard man era" of British football but they are more noticeable by the look of despair on their faces. Many have strong ties to a club that has highly underachieved or has given them expectancy for the mediocre. No matter the score, the misery casual will likely be complaining or shaking their heads while expecting TFC to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.
ORIGINAL SPECIES: Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham, Lazio

EUROPOSEURS (Supremus Continentei)
You will never find this species wearing the colours of Toronto FC. Seemingly uninterested in the product on the pitch, the Europoseur would rather wax lyrically from behind a set of designer wraparound sunglasses. No matter how good the local team plays this well coiffed creature will crow loudly to all around that it's "not as good as" whatever European league they watch a handful of times a year. Their knowledge of the sport is usually illustrated by such insightful proclamations as "These guys should sign Vieri - then they'd be less sh*t!"
ORIGINAL SPECIES: Juventus, Inter Milan, Barcelona

THE PROFESSORS (Analysticus Fifax)
This strange breed of well-versed supporters usually travel in pairs and sit serenely if not quietly while combing over every pass with a fine tooth comb. When not attending BMO Field they can be found awake late at night watching Japanese League highlight shows or the Oceania Club Championship on a specialty channel. They have fantastic memories, especially for obscure players and clubs in far flung places - mostly from their hours spent playing Football Manager. They have seen TFC win the MLS Cup many times... on their computer.
ORIGINAL SPECIES: Ajax, Fulham, Bayer Leverkusen

SUPER SOCCERERS! (Maternus Minivanis)
This large roaming breed always travels in large packs and carries enough rations to last through a season. The elders never roam far from their young who are often the most aggravating to all other species in the BMO jungle. With their high-pitched screams, flapping of novelty noise-makers and low attention spans they are the species most likely to be growled at by others. The elder of the species can be spotted by its constant handheld natural tool, aka Blackberry, and by the constant checking of their watch. At there most vocal an elder may be heard to say "C'mon FC's!!!" in a slightly raised tone.
ORIGINAL SPECIES: David Beckham's current club, Canadian Women's Team, their child's team

So there you have it nature lovers. There are of course many various breeds who roam the plains along Lake Ontario so be sure to take your binoculars, this handy guide and maybe a blow-dart. Chip Buttys are also good - they seem to like those. Happy hunting in 2010!

THE STARTING 11: Ways to bring the BMO Field experience home

Even though TFC will likely get about 95% season ticket renewals this year, not every Reds' supporter will be returning to BMO in 2010. Maybe the 15% increase is too steep or maybe the lacklustre season made you say "enough is enough". Not to fear though, you can still enjoy that BMO South End Experience from the comfort of your living room. So switch on your TV and enjoy...

11. Collect empty pizza boxes during the week, stack them on your lawn, then kick your kids' toys at them during the half

10. Find a random Scotsman in your neighbourhood and constantly yell at him to "sign better players!"

9. Put the words "FOOD BUILDING" on top of the house across the street

8. Buy a budgie and name it "Bitchy". Sit it on top of the stairs and train it to attack the kids

7. Invite random neighbours over to form long line-up in front of your bathroom 2 minutes before the half

6. Prank-call 911 before the game to get that stadium-esque police presence

5. Dress your pets in red - pull their tails in the 24th minute and make them sing

4. Have a guy dressed in an AC Milan kit come over and say "your TV's not as good as the TV's in Europe"

3. Buy a case of beer then charge yourself triple to drink it

2. If your family walks near the TV throw streamers at them and chant "Who Are Ya?!"

1. Wonder Bread and McCain's Superfries - enough said

"Real" Greed Makes MLSE Kaka

To brand Friday night's friendly against Real Madrid as a negative would be an ignorant thing to do. To imagine that MLSE brought the Nu-Galacticos here to further the "beautiful game" in Toronto would be a far more ignorant line of thought. The fact that our local squad, comparable in stature with a second division European club, gets to test their skills against the reserves of one of the world's Top 5 clubs is great in theory. The way the event was created, and the why it was created, is an exercise so steeped in corporate greed that it must even make some MLSE execs blush - and their bar is quite low already.

The bad taste for some supporters started early when the match was first announced. The immediate excitement that Real Madrid was this year's friendly was amazing. Then the bottom fell out. This was not the free match, instead, season ticket holders were given the privilege to get a bank loan and pay four or five times the regular price of their ticket to see a no contact, no hustle friendly. Inevitably the match sold out, there was little doubt about those chances, however, the very fans who make the noise and atmosphere that the ownership uses so deftly to promote the team will mostly be absent. The great unwashed got the distant second place award of a night with River Plate. Instead, the average rabid TFC supporter will be supplanted on Friday by suburbanites in Cristiano Ronaldo jerseys and corporate hangers-on who might watch the odd "soccer" game every four years. Some BMO Field regulars will be apologists and tout the "once in a lifetime" aspect of the match but real Reds' supporters are far more interested in the remaining MLS schedule and still very angry at the team's pathetic Champions League elimination.

It is no secret in Toronto that MLSE is not in the trophy-winning business. The Bay Street Bankers are in the profit business and they are perennial champions. But, even in their wildest dreams the board could have not seen this coming when they paid a pittance for the expansion fee and weaseled their way into a nearly free stadium. Sold out crowds (who can pound back the Carlsberg), merchandise wearing fanatics, transfer fee windfalls and now this - the multi-million one night only jackpot! It's no wonder that MLSE has been pushing this as the "be all and end all" of football extravaganzas, for them it is. An approximate profit of $3 Million for the match itself and for the cherry on top, an approximate $225,000 gate from tonight's Real Madrid open practice. And that's before refreshments and merchandise! The giddy giggling you hear from Bay Street is The Board of Directors rolling in a big pile of money taken from those "crazy soccer lovin' sons of immigrants!"

Toronto FC, despite its name, is not a club. To it's fans it is, to the suits it is very much a franchise - part of the corporate branding in MLSE's sports entertainment catalogue. It is just the latest product to be sure that all of the Toronto area's market demographics are covered. Results on the pitch are of no consequence to the boardroom. Win, lose or draw, BMO Field is full. MLSE collects just enough men in red shirts to manage expectations and to field an opponent for "big" football teams to visit. This is most reflected by the tone of MLSE VP Bob Hunter who when asked about the grass being installed for Real Madrid said the surface "reflects the quality of the team we're playing...". If that's the case, then the Field Turf, which now looks like a pair of old man's polyester green slacks, must reflect the quality of the team who plays on it the rest of the year. Complain all you want Mr. De Rosario - you are just the pin-up boy for TFC Inc. - your thoughts on the turf do not matter.

The saddest part of this whole fiasco is how a friendly, what most real clubs play in their pre-season, is being sold to the dimmer lights of TFC support as "The Highlight of the Season". For supporters, that should send a collective chill up the spines. There was barely a peep from TFC/ MLSE about the Champions League debacle, there is a glossing over of the wall that TFC has hit and the rapidly disappearing play-offs, the Director of Football has spent most of the transfer window watering a falsehood about Julian De Guzman signing while not actually signing anyone, and yet what is the PR machine churning out and the media eating up? “Kaka is here!” Indeed it is.

Real Madrid will come and go and MLSE will have a giant $3 Million dollar-plus cheque in their hands. That’s a similar amount to the fee they got from the sale of Maurice Edu last year, which was apparently going to be spent on club improvements. Is temporary one-day grass covered in the Edu fund? TFC is turning into a very lucrative little jewel in the MLSE Empire and has given the execs the one thing they didn’t think was possible – “Leafs Nation” 12 months a year. The “Leafs On Turf” may wear red but the bottom line will never share the same hue. One more similarity TFC will share with its MLSE cousins on ice and hardwood… an empty trophy case.

TFC Supporters -The Biggest Fish?

A few years ago when MLSE announced the purchase of an MLS franchise, many football fans in Toronto, myself included, suspended the usual MLSE-bashing due to the sheer excitement of being awarded a real team in a major league. After a few days I thought "well that's great but surely they will screw this up". I envisioned cheerleaders, a big fluffy mascot and a terrible name such as Toronto Strikers, T-Rexx or Ex-Treme! However, as we know, MLSE actually did things right. A real club name, proper kits with a sponsor on the front and an atmosphere at our real football stadium which was cultivated along with the supporters and not forced down our throats with canned cheering and animated clapping hands telling us to "Make Some Noize!!!". They even hired a football man to run the show. Surely the snickers we heard from NY Red Bulls fans about his appointment were just jealousy - right? For those of us who had grown up attending matches abroad in established leagues, we finally had a club of our own. The disbelief continued to be suspended.

The massive waves of excitement surrounding the club's first season did little to quell our appreciation to the previously maligned corporation. Most of us had suppressed that little voice in our head telling us that we were inevitably going to become "Leafs on Turf". Despite the terrible football of the first couple of seasons, the majority of us had a level of forgiveness towards MLSE and knew they wouldn't dare pull the same stunts they had been doing with Leafs and Raptors' fans. Right? It was in the second year though when cracks started to form. Promises of exotic players from South American scouting trips; big investments with the cash we got after selling our most promising player; not-so-subtle hints of a DP in the days leading up to season ticket renewals; and grass - beautiful real green grass to lure great players here. Supporters couldn't help but get excited but these promises disappeared as mysteriously as they appeared - coming and going on the wind depending on that week's results. TFC win: no need to say anything. 3 losses in a row and no goals: rumour has it an International captain/Brazilian wonder kid/World Cup hero is in town on trial and he drove in on a truck with fresh real grass and a construction crew to expand BMO Field. For supporters who were reading between the lines - cracks were emerging.

As Season 3 approached, the purchase of Dwayne DeRosario gave us a whisper of optimism but not long into the campaign, the cracks became larger and more evident. Halfway through the 2009 campaign, it is fair to say that things have gone from glass half-full to grass half-empty quickly. At the time of writing, our tough talking coach, John Carver, abruptly quit under very odd circumstances; the massive holes in our back line are only overshadowed by one of the worst strike forces ever seen in professional football; our pitch looks like a green pair of old man's slacks and now has very visible lacrosse markings on it; our Director of Soccer only appears once a year like a groundhog (except his appearance usually marks 6 weeks until the end of a season without playoffs) and he somehow can't find any suitable players to fit within acres of cap-room; we are all but eliminated from CONCACAF Champions' League by lower division rivals - again; and most obviously, TFC seems to be hitting it's annual mid-season collapse. Sadly, these are not the worst things happening at Exhibition Place.

The most alarming development has been the gradual gap which is widening between the club and its most loyal supporters. The close relationship which was seemingly cultivated for three years has been damaged badly by the Real Madrid friendly-fiasco. The money grabbing move immediately undid MLSE's image as a patron of football and TFC and exposed them as the same group who have been fleecing Raptors' and Leafs' fans for years. The insertion of one-day-only grass has even angered their star player DeRo who feels disrespected by the move. Add to the list a feeling from certain supporters that players aren't as available as they were before; pushing of Marlies' tickets onto ticket packages; hard line security crackdowns at the stadium; blaming the City of Toronto for every ill of the stadium despite having a lucrative lease which no doubt comes with a level of influence; and worst of all, the inevitable fact that in a few short weeks, 2010 ticket packages will be announced with the equally inevitable price increase.

These frustrating facts can only make the loyal supporter ask - was MLSE's good will and football-friendly decision making truly benevolent or are we in the middle of a 3-year marketing plan that has reeled us in to the point where our loyalty to the club is being used against us? Is the real corporate monster about to be unleashed with the supporter's only remaining choice being go to matches and revel in mediocrity or say goodbye to a club you've taken on as your own? It is at MLSE's peril if they take that route because as much as their bottom line would have them believe now, Toronto FC are not "Leafs on Turf"and the casual football supporter will not wait 44 years for a cup.