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MLS has new Canadian club
USA - 03 November, 2006
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Major League Soccer's first Canadian franchise is called Toronto FC.
The club, which is owned by Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment, revealed its new name and logo. The club will play in a 20,000-seat stadium beginning in 2007.
There is no coach, GM, players or offices, but the owners believe local football fans will attend the matches once everything is in place, despite no support for the now defunct Blizzards and other clubs.
"Our sense is that it's the right timing and the right place for (an MLS) team. We feel we have the right combination, and that soccer has developed in this city and is ready for a pro team," said Larry Tanenbaum, MLSE chairman.
MLSE feels Toronto, one of the most culturally diverse cities in the world, is suited for the club because of its world-wide appeal.
"Toronto provides the perfect backdrop for the world's No. 1 sport, given our city's diversity and affinity for soccer," said Tom Anselmi, MLSE chief operating officer, who will spearhead Toronto FC's development.
FC, which stands for "football club", was voted the number one name after 40 percent of the voters chose it in an on line survey.
"I think we (Toronto FC) will draw people who follow the English Premiership and the European leagues," said Tanenbaum. That hasn't been the case in the past. A lack of fan support led the Blizzard to join the American Professional Soccer League in 1993, its fourth and final league before folding.
Toronto FC owners are now hoping that an expansion draft, in which they can pick players from the other 12 MLS clubs, will let them choose players of the calibre of Dwayne De Rosario, a Canadian national club striker who plays for the Houston Dynamo.
The franchise will also target Canadian-born players from local clubs.
Special permission from MLS will let Toronto fill its 28-man roster with a minimum of 16 Canadians, instead of the 16 Americans required by the other 12 clubs.
Officials from MLSE and Canadian Soccer Association hope the club will encourage young Toronto players to dream of a professional career, which in turn would help develop players for the Canadian national club.
Canada qualified once, in 1986, for the World Cup finals.
MLS commissioner Don Garber credits the league for the rise of the U.S. from football obscurity to its current ranking of fourth in the world.
"If you ask anyone with US Soccer, they'll tell you the fact their players played in the MLS really helped the program along," said Garber.
The club, which is owned by Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment, revealed its new name and logo. The club will play in a 20,000-seat stadium beginning in 2007.
There is no coach, GM, players or offices, but the owners believe local football fans will attend the matches once everything is in place, despite no support for the now defunct Blizzards and other clubs.
"Our sense is that it's the right timing and the right place for (an MLS) team. We feel we have the right combination, and that soccer has developed in this city and is ready for a pro team," said Larry Tanenbaum, MLSE chairman.
MLSE feels Toronto, one of the most culturally diverse cities in the world, is suited for the club because of its world-wide appeal.
"Toronto provides the perfect backdrop for the world's No. 1 sport, given our city's diversity and affinity for soccer," said Tom Anselmi, MLSE chief operating officer, who will spearhead Toronto FC's development.
FC, which stands for "football club", was voted the number one name after 40 percent of the voters chose it in an on line survey.
"I think we (Toronto FC) will draw people who follow the English Premiership and the European leagues," said Tanenbaum. That hasn't been the case in the past. A lack of fan support led the Blizzard to join the American Professional Soccer League in 1993, its fourth and final league before folding.
Toronto FC owners are now hoping that an expansion draft, in which they can pick players from the other 12 MLS clubs, will let them choose players of the calibre of Dwayne De Rosario, a Canadian national club striker who plays for the Houston Dynamo.
The franchise will also target Canadian-born players from local clubs.
Special permission from MLS will let Toronto fill its 28-man roster with a minimum of 16 Canadians, instead of the 16 Americans required by the other 12 clubs.
Officials from MLSE and Canadian Soccer Association hope the club will encourage young Toronto players to dream of a professional career, which in turn would help develop players for the Canadian national club.
Canada qualified once, in 1986, for the World Cup finals.
MLS commissioner Don Garber credits the league for the rise of the U.S. from football obscurity to its current ranking of fourth in the world.
"If you ask anyone with US Soccer, they'll tell you the fact their players played in the MLS really helped the program along," said Garber.
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