Just as Pinocchio dreamed of becoming a real boy, Toronto has dreamed of being a real soccer city.
It was so hopeless for so long. No team, no stadium, no chance, no hope.
In many ways, Toronto jumped the queue when every level of government splashed out the cash to build BMO Field. Either Vancouver or Montreal should – by simple soccer rights – have received that gift before Toronto did.
But the money was here, along with the will to deal, Here came the stadium and – about four seconds later – the team.
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Earlier this afternoon, Toronto City Council voted 29-0 to approve Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment’s $5.5-million proposal to build new soccer facilities – and put real grass at BMO Field. The province and the feds still have to sign off, but unanimous votes don’t happen in Toronto, and this one will carry tremendous weight.
Here we go, here we go, here we go!
Certainly, we had gorgeous grass at Varsity Stadium back in the old days. But never with the intimacy and sightlines of BMO Field. Or the noise, either.
Toronto FC still has some Pinocchio strings, in the form of MLS’s tight salary cap and roster restrictions. But there’s hope there, too. The league CBA is up for renegotiation. A higher number and a second designated player would do a nice job of further trimming back the puppet strings.
Oh! The Canadian national teams have a legitimate new home today. With the plastic turf gone – and some of Canada’s best players kitting out for TFC – BMO Field will now officially become what it was originally intended to be … Canada’s national soccer stadium.
Please don’t think I’m trying to hog everything for Toronto. Absolutely not. Any improvement to any facility anywhere on these shores is desperately needed. Grass at BMO enhances all Toronto’s future games with Vancouver and Montreal (and Ottawa), and any actual home games for Canada raise the sport’s profile with media, new fans – and the next generation of international soccer players.
This is just such good news on so many levels. Even if TFC misses the playoffs now, the twin arrivals of grass and Julian DeGuzman guarantee a hot and heavily hyped start to the 2010 campaign next spring.
Now, if MLS can just be convinced to loosen up the purse-strings ….
Onward!