The Reds have booked a mid-season friendly against Manchester City. The game goes May 27, four days after TFC hosts Portland and three days before San Jose comes to town. I’m sure the spring weather in Toronto will allow BMO to hold up just fine. The pitch won’t be ripped to shreds at all.
There will be some that will be baffled by resistance to having a big club come to town. They will think it’s good to see a “real” team up close.
Real team. In fairness, they might not articulate it like that but that’s the message these games send. The season doesn’t matter—come watch the circus! Tickets start at $50!!
As most will know, this particular match-up has a personal connection. I support Manchester City. I think anyone who pays to watch this game is wasting their money. Under no circumstances will I be there. City will be a week off the end of their season and I’m not happy that the club is forcing them to fly over here and play this.
But, this isn’t about City. This is about how damaging it is to TFC and how it betrays the idea that they actually care about anything more than growing the market. If you’re OK cheering for a balance sheet then enjoy. I, for one, would like ownership to actually respect the league and the fans. Playing these games is disrespectful.
Why?
Because they make TFC lose. More. Think I’m exaggerating, check out the numbers:
TFC has played 10 mid-season friendlies all-time. Eight have forced the team to play on a short week (less than seven days rest). Their record in those eight games is 0W-3D-5L for 0.375 points per game. Compare that to TFC’s all-time record of 1.02 points per game and you’ll see that playing these games directly hurts performance in the games that actually matter.
By the way, TFC’s record in MLS games on a short week is exactly the same as its MLS record is – 1.02 points per game. It’s playing the friendless, the extra crap around them and the disruption they cause that creates the problem, not simply the short week.
The only reason to be accepting of these games is if you believe MLS isn’t worth supporting on its own.
And the only way to stop them from holding these games is to stop going.