Toronto FC lost their home opener Saturday 1–0 to the Kansas City Wizards, but they showed that they can compete and make life difficult for visiting teams at BMO Field. BMO Field is a newly built soccer-specific stadium with field turf instead of natural grass.
Backed by tremendous fan support from Toronto's multicultural community, Toronto FC's '12th man'—the fans—almost made the difference. In front of a crowd of 20,000 strong, Toronto FC brought professional soccer back to Canada.
Not since the Toronto Blizzards of the early 80s and the Toronto Metros of the 70s has Toronto had professional soccer. Toronto FC is the 13th team in Major League Soccer (MLS). All other teams are based in the United States.
The cold, cloudy weather didn't dampen the spirits of Toronto FC fans as they pounded their drums, chanted loudly, and waived their Toronto FC scarves. A sea of red and white greeted their new heroes.
"During warm-ups, we saw the crowd going crazy, and you hear the chants, it's an amazing feeling ... it was the biggest crowd I've ever played in front of before so it was a real exciting moment for me," said Toronto FC's midfielder Maurice Edu.
Head coach Mo Johnson echoed those comments: "I felt our fans were magnificent. For the first time in a long time, I had goose bumps for a game, and I felt they were wonderful."
Toronto FC's lineup is still sorting itself out, but one major piece of the puzzle, Danny Dichio, formerly of Preston North End in England, asserted himself as a powerful center forward. His physical play and heading ability make him a good building block for others to support.
"It was Danny [Dichio's] first game, and Maurice Edu's first time in the middle. ... We're filling some gaps. But I was very pleased in the first half," said the coach.
Toronto FC was solid in the first half but failed to capitalize on opportunities. After four games, they have yet to score a goal and have lost all four matches. Eddie Johnson sealed the deal for the Wizards, cleverly slotting a left-footer low to the short side of goalie Greg Sutton late in the second half.
Good results will be hard to come by in the inaugural season. Progress from game to game becomes the barometer of success.
Things won't get any easier for Toronto FC as they next host the Chicago Fire on Saturday, May 12. The Fire are burning brightly so far, winning three out of their first four matches.
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