Toronto FC
| Toronto FC | |||
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| Basic data | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Surname | Toronto Football Club | ||
| Seat | Toronto , Ontario , Canada | ||
| founding | 2005 | ||
| owner | MLSE | ||
| president | Bill Manning | ||
| General manager | Tim Bezbatchenko | ||
| Website | torontofc.ca | ||
| First soccer team | |||
| Head coach | Greg Vanney | ||
| Venue | BMO Field | ||
| Places | 21,566 | ||
| league | Major League Soccer | ||
| 2019 | Eastern Conference: 4th place Overall table: 9th place Play-offs: MLS Cup final |
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The Toronto Football Club (short Toronto FC ) is a franchise of professional football - League Major League Soccer (MLS) from Toronto , Canada , which was founded of 2006. In the 2007 season , the team took part in the MLS game for the first time and was the first Canadian team to win the championship in 2017 .
The team belongs to Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Ltd. (MLSE), which is based in the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.
history
The first years 2007 to 2010
Toronto FC were the 13th team to join Major League Soccer in 2007 and the first Canadian franchise. In the first four league games in the club's history, the team could not score a single goal. It was not until the fifth match day, May 12, 2007, that Englishman Danny Dichio scored the first goal for the red and white Canadians in a 3-1 home win over Chicago Fire . In memory of this goal, fans still sing Dichio's name when a goal is scored for their team. Despite the lack of sporting success, Toronto was able to establish itself as a solid team. This was mainly due to the stable structure in the club and the huge popularity of the fans. In Toronto, 14,000 season tickets have already been sold for the first season - a record in the MLS.
At the end of the regular season 2007, the team finished seventh and last place in the Eastern Conference and was also the worst team in the overall table. The play-offs could not be reached that way.
The 2008 season was also disappointing for the Canadians, who were christened “il bianco-rossi” by their Italian-born supporters, and the team again ended up in last place in the Eastern Conference. The fans still stood by their Toronto FC and the BMO Field transformed, unique in the MLS, into a "cauldron" at every home game.
To determine the representative of Canada for the CONCACAF Champions League , the Canadian Championship was introduced in 2008 . Toronto was seen as the favorite, but ultimately lost to Montreal Impact .
On April 25, 2009, coach John Carver resigned for personal reasons. He was succeeded by Chris Cummins , the former head of the youth departments of Luton Town and Watford FC . Cummins was previously the assistant coach of Carver and initially ran the club as an interim coach.
In contrast to the previous two years, the 2009 season was crowned with greater success. The team reached fifth place in the regular season and missed the play-offs by just one point. This season, the "Reds" players like the Canadian international Dwayne De Rosario or Sam Cronin were able to commit. De Rosario scored eleven goals in his first season. Other outstanding players were Amado Guevara and the Swiss goalkeeper Stefan Frei .
In the Canadian Championship 2009 the Reds prevailed against Montreal and the Vancouver Whitecaps and qualified for the CONCACAF Champions League 2009/10 . There the team was defeated in the qualifying round against Puerto Rico Islanders FC .
After they could not reach the play-offs again in 2009, the club management issued the directive to create this in 2010. For this reason, the then manager Mo Johnston signed the former US international Preki as a new coach. Under Preki the squad was almost completely renewed. The most prominent new signing was the Spaniard Mista . By winning the Canadian Championship 2010 , the team qualified again for the CONCACAF Champions League . In the preliminary round, the Reds won against CD Motagua . On August 17, 2010, the first group game against CD Cruz Azul could be won. Ultimately, the team finished third in the group and did not qualify for the quarter-finals.
Despite a relatively good start to the 2010 MLS season, the team, which had to contend with injuries and motivation problems, ended up again in fifth place in the Eastern Conference. Due to the poor performance again, Mo Johnston and Preki were released on September 17, 2010. As an interim solution, Earl Cochrane and Nick Dasovic have been appointed as coaches. The team acted more openly and flexibly under Dasovic, but could no longer save the season. Meanwhile, there was also a bad mood among the fans. In several events of the club management promises were made about an improvement of the situation.
2010-2014
On November 3, 2010, the former German national player and coach Jürgen Klinsmann and his company SoccerSolutions were hired as consultants for the Reds. The aim was to find a better game system and strong team leadership within the next six months. On January 6, 2011, the former Dutch international Aron Winter took over as coach as the first episode of Klinsmann's work .
After the 2011 season was just as unsuccessful as the previous ones and the qualification for the playoffs seemed out of reach after only three wins in 19 games, the club announced on June 29, 2011 the commitment of the multiple German national player and former Werder captain Bremen , Torsten Frings . The Dutch offensive player Danny Koevermans , who last played for PSV Eindhoven , was also presented as a new signing. But even in spite of these new signings, the team could not qualify for the play-offs and ended the season in penultimate place in the Eastern Conference.
For the third time in a row, Toronto won the Canadian Championship on July 2nd . In the final, the team won over the Vancouver Whitecaps . The Reds qualified again for the CONCACAF Champions League and met Real Estelí FC from Nicaragua in the Preliminary Round (qualifying round) . This could be beaten with a total of 4: 2. In the subsequent group stage, the team took second place and made it to the quarter-finals. There the Toronto FC met the Los Angeles Galaxy . At the home game at the Rogers Center , a new attendance record was set with 47,658 visitors. The game ended 2-2. Thanks to a victory in Los Angeles, the team even reached the semifinals, where Santos Laguna stopped the triumphant advance.
On January 8, 2013, the club separated from its previous coach Paul Mariner . On the same day, New Zealander and newcomer to coach Ryan Nelsen was presented as his successor. At that time, Nelsen was still under contract as a player with the Queens Park Rangers . The team was then temporarily looked after by assistant trainer and director of player recruitment Fran O'Leary , who was hired together with Nelsen.
Kevin Payne was hired as the new General Manager before the 2013 season. Payne was employed in the same position for many years at DC United and was instrumental in founding Major League Soccer. However, this was dismissed after only one season, as one did not agree with the path chosen, which Payne has chosen for Toronto FC. Shortly beforehand, Tim Leiweke was confirmed as President and CEO for the owner company Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment. He had already played a decisive role in the transfer of David Beckham to LA Galaxy in 2007 and wanted to continue the concept of player purchases with big names in Toronto. Tim Bezbatchenko succeeded Payne as the new General Manager.
Under Bezbatchenko, Toronto signed a number of successful players between the 2013 and 2014 seasons. These included longtime MLS player Justin Morrow , then captain of the US national team Michael Bradley and Dwayne De Rosario . In January 2014, England international Jermain Defoe moved from Tottenham Hotspur to Toronto. A little later you could also secure the Brazilian goalkeeper Júlio César on loan. After the 2014 season got off to a very successful start, performance collapsed after the break caused by the 2014 World Cup. Thus, Ryan Nelsen was fired as a coach on August 31, 2014. Greg Vanney was hired as his successor . The former soccer player was employed as an assistant coach at CD Chivas USA until 2012 . Although the season ended with the most league wins in the history of the franchise, they did not reach the play-offs in the MLS in their eighth year.
First play-off participation
In January 2015 Defoe left the team after just one season. The US international Jozy Altidore and a little later the Italian international Sebastian Giovinco were signed as replacements . Despite starting the 2015 season with 4 defeats in the first 5 games, the Canadians managed to save themselves to 6th place in the Eastern Conference at the end of the regular season. Thus, the first participation in the MLS play-offs was secured. There you failed in the first round due to Montreal Impact. Sebastian Giovinco was also the first Toronto player to be awarded the MLS Golden Boot as the league's most successful goalscorer. He also received the Landon Donovan MVP Award for best player of the 2015 MLS season and was named MLS Newcomer of the Year.
Toronto FC finished the 2016 season with a third place in the Eastern Conference. In the subsequent play-offs, the team made it into the final of the MLS Cup for the first time. There they were defeated by the Seattle Sounders on penalties .
MLS Cup 2017
For the 2017 season, Toronto FC signed the two internationally experienced players Chris Mavinga and Víctor Vázquez . In addition, Jason Hernandez switched to the Canadians as an experienced MLS player. With only 5 defeats in 34 games, the TFC secured first place in the table in the Eastern Conference and at the same time the title of MLS Supporters' Shield as the most successful team in the 2017 regular season.
In the subsequent play-offs, the team made it to the final, as in the previous year. There you met the Seattle Sounders again. This time, however, the Canadians won the game 2-0 and won the MLS Cup for the first time.
The Canadian Championship could also be won.
However, the 2018 season could not be so successful. After losing their home game against the Vancouver Whitecaps 2-1, it was already clear that the play-offs were missing three game days before the end of the regular season.
Coat of arms and colors
The official colors of the team are red and white. The coat of arms consists of the city name Toronto, which is placed over the symbol in white letters with a red border. Behind it is a capital T, which is flanked by a small F and a C. On the upper edge of the coat of arms there are four pentagons, which reflect the shape of a maple leaf. The leaf symbolizes Canada.
Stadion
Toronto FC plays its home games at BMO Field in Toronto. The stadium, which has a capacity of 21,566 seats, was completed in spring 2007. On September 20, 2006, the naming rights were sold to the Bank of Montreal.
For the first season of Toronto FC, the managing director of the MLSE, Richard Peddie, expected an average attendance between 13,000 and 15,000. This expectation was exceeded and an average of 20,134 spectators was reached and almost every game was sold out in the following season. As in the previous year, all 16,000 annual tickets were sold out for the 2009 season.
Games of the FIFA U-20 World Cup 2007 and the MLS All-Star Game 2008 against West Ham United were played in this stadium. In 2010 the final of the MLS Cup also took place here.
Club culture
Name and identity
After it was announced in 2005 that Toronto would get an MLS expansion team , the team name Toronto FC was announced on May 11, 2006 by the MLSE. In the football environment, the FC stands for Football Club , although in the case of Toronto, the FC is not written out, even in official documents.
Before the announcement, there was an online survey of what name the new MLS franchise should be. The names Toronto Northmen , Inter Toronto FC , Toronto Reds and Toronto FC were available for selection . The main reasons for the resulting decision by the MLSE were the fact that more than 40% voted for the Toronto FC proposal and the fact that creating abbreviations for the name would be better done. These abbreviations would help fans identify with the team more quickly. The nicknames TFC or the Reds are preferred in the media and from official sources .
Fan groups
Toronto FC has had a large fan base since the beginning. The audience figures in the first few seasons alone exceeded the expectations of the owners. This also results in some fan groups. The North End Elite, which have their permanent place in the north of the stadium, in Section 127, are among the largest. The Red Patch Boys have their place in Sections 111 and 112 in BMO Field. This part is also called the bunker . This group is most strongly represented in away games.
Other groups are the Tribal Rhythm Nation, which mainly includes fans with African or Latin American backgrounds from the Greater Toronto Area . The U-Sector was once the support group for the Toronto Lynx and was previously called Toronto Ultras. Others are the Ultras 114 and GoTFC.
Organization and finance
owner
In addition to Toronto FC, the MLSE also owns the Toronto Maple Leafs ( National Hockey League ), the Toronto Raptors ( National Basketball Association ) and the Toronto Marlies ( American Hockey League ). In addition to these teams, the company is also active in the real estate and property business. The MLSE owns the Air Canada Center and Oshawa Gardens. The President and CEO of MLSE, Tim Leiweke, is also responsible for Toronto FC.
sponsor
The current shirt sponsor is the BMO Financial Group , which has also acquired the naming rights for the club's stadium. The club is equipped by adidas .
Youth and development
TFC Academy
The Toronto FC youth and training program is referred to as the TFC Academy or KIA Toronto FC Academy. It was introduced in 2008 and consists of several teams of different age groups (senior, junior, U-16, U-14 and U-12).
The senior team plays in League1 Ontario , a semi-professional Canadian league from the Ontario area. The team is coached by Danny Dichio .
Since June 2012, all Academy teams have been training and playing on the KIA Training Ground, which is located in Downsview Park in North York . The KIA Training Ground is a training ground that also belongs to the MLSE.
Toronto FC II (USL)
| Toronto FC II | |||
| Basic data | |||
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| Surname | Toronto FC II | ||
| Seat | Toronto, Ontario | ||
| founding | 2014 | ||
| Website | www.torontofc.ca/tfcII | ||
| First soccer team | |||
| Head coach | Michael Rabasca | ||
| Venue | Lamport Stadium | ||
| Places | 9,600 | ||
| league | United Soccer League | ||
| 2017 | Regular Season: 15th place, East Play-offs: not qualified |
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Toronto FC II is a Canadian soccer franchise of the United Soccer League based in Toronto, Ontario .
The team, founded in 2014, provides the reserves for Toronto FC and works with the Toronto FC Academy.
history
On January 22, 2014, Toronto signed a one-year partnership with the USL pro team Wilmington Hammerheads . Part of the agreement is that Toronto FC will loan at least four players to the Hammerheads over the season. Furthermore, business relationships have also been more closely linked. The partnership goes back to an agreement between the MLS Reserve Division and the USL Pro.
In November 2014, Toronto FC announced that they wanted to provide their own team for the USL Pro. So the partnership with the hammerheads was not continued. This new team, which will be the reserve and development team of the MLS team, will compete in the USL Pro from the 2015 season. The home games were played at the Ontario Soccer Center in Vaughan . Jason Bent was confirmed as the first coach.
For the 2018 season, they switched to the BMO Field and Lamport Stadium to host their home games. On July 2nd, 2018 it was confirmed that Toronto FC II will compete in the newly created USL Division III from this season onwards.
Season statistics
| year | League level | league | Regular season | Play-offs | Audience average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 3 | USL Pro | 11th place, East | not qualified | 445 |
| 2016 | 3 | United Soccer League | 13th place, East | not qualified | 1260 |
| 2017 | 2 | United Soccer League | 15th place, west | not qualified | 1089 |
| 2018 | 2 | United Soccer League | 16th place, East | not qualified | 810 |
| 2019 | 3 | USL League One |
Players and staff
Current professional squad
As of March 23, 2019
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Former players
Coaching staff
As of August 14, 2018
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Greg Vanney (Head Coach) -
Robin Fraser (assistant coach)
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Nick Theslof (assistant coach)
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Dan Calichman (assistant coach)
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Jason Bent (assistant coach) -
Jon Conway (goalkeeping coach)
Previous trainers
| nationality | Surname | Term of office |
|---|---|---|
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Mo Johnston | 08/25/06 - 02/01/08 |
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John Carver | 02/01/08 - 04/25/09 |
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Chris Cummins | 04/29/09 - 10/27/09 |
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Predrag Radosavljević | 19.11.09 - 14.09.10 |
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Nick Dasovic | 14.09.10 - 06.01.11 |
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Aron Winter | 06.01.11 - 07.06.12 |
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Paul Mariner | 07.06.12 - 08.01.13 |
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Ryan Nelsen | 01/08/13 - 08/31/14 |
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Greg Vanney | since 08/31/2014 |
successes
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Major League Soccer
- Winner (1): 2017
statistics
Seasonal balance
| season | Regular season | Play-offs | Canadian Championship |
CONCACAF Champions League |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 7th place (east) | not qualified | not carried out | |
| 2008 | 7th place (east) | not qualified | Second | not qualified |
| 2009 | 5th place (east) | not qualified | winner | Preliminary Round (2009/2010) |
| 2010 | 5th place (east) | not qualified | winner | Group stage (2010/2011) |
| 2011 | 8th place (east) | not qualified | winner | Semi-finals (2011/2012) |
| 2012 | 10th place (east) | not qualified | winner | Group stage (2012/2013) |
| 2013 | 9th place (east) | not qualified | Semifinals | not qualified |
| 2014 | 7th place (east) | not qualified | final | not qualified |
| 2015 | 6th place (east) | Quarter finals | Semifinals | not qualified |
| 2016 | 3rd place (east) | final | winner | not qualified |
| 2017 | 1st place (east) | winner | winner | not qualified |
| 2018 | 9th place (east) | not qualified | winner | final |
- ↑ The competition started in autumn of the previous year. Until 2008 under the name CONCACAF Champions' Cup. It has taken place in the calendar year since 2018.
Club records
These records relate to the Regular Seasons :
- Most games: Ashtone Morgan , 83
- Most goals: Sebastian Giovinco , 40
As of April 18, 2017
Visitor average
Regular season / play-offs
- 2007: 20,130 / not qualified
- 2008: 20,108 / not qualified
- 2009: 20,344 / not qualified
- 2010: 20,453 / not qualified
- 2011: 20,267 / not qualified
- 2012: 18,681 / not qualified
Web links
- Official website (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ http://www.dieinnenstadt.com/news/2016/4/21/two-ronto
- ↑ http://www.sportsecyclopedia.com/mls/toronto/torontofc.html
- ↑ http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2010-review-best-worst-toronto-fc
- ^ Winter new coach at Klinsmann Club Toronto . 1asport.de. January 7, 2011. Archived from the original on October 22, 2013. Retrieved on January 13, 2011.
- ^ Frings & Koevermans Join TFC . Retrieved June 29, 2011.
- ↑ MLS - CCL Recap: Donovan, LA rally for 2-2 draw at Toronto. Retrieved July 29, 2012 .
- ↑ Reds, Mariner Part Ways. Retrieved January 8, 2013 .
- ↑ Ryan Nelsen Named Head Coach. Retrieved January 8, 2013 .
- ^ Former DC captain & current QPR defender Ryan Nelsen named head coach of Toronto FC. Retrieved January 8, 2013 .
- ↑ MLSE's Leiweke confirms firing of TFC president, gives manager a vote of confidence . In: The Globe and Mail . September 5, 2013. Retrieved August 17, 2018.
- ↑ Tim Bezbatchenko named Toronto FC GM , the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. September 20, 20113. Retrieved August 17, 2018.
- ↑ Toronto FC fires coaches, Jermain Defoe might go . In: Toronto Star , August 31, 2014. Archived from the original on September 1, 2014. Retrieved on August 17, 2018.
- ↑ Italy attacker Sebastian Giovinco to join Toronto FC in July . ESPN. January 19, 2015. Retrieved August 17, 2018.
- ↑ Recap: Toronto FC vs. Seattle Sounders . mlssoccer.com. December 9, 2017. Retrieved December 9, 2017.
- ^ BMO Field . mlsnet.com. Archived from the original on September 22, 2006. Retrieved February 22, 2009.
- ↑ CBC.ca: Toronto FC sells out season tickets, again
- ^ Toronto FC - our brief history and bright future . mlsnet.com. Archived from the original on November 12, 2006. Retrieved March 8, 2009.
- ^ Toronto FC Finalizes Technical Staff For TFC Academy . oursportscentral.com. Retrieved February 22, 2009.
- ^ TFC Academy . mlsnet.com. Archived from the original on March 3, 2009. Retrieved February 22, 2009.
- ↑ Toronto FC II joins USL Division III as Founding Member . Toronto FC. July 2, 2018. Retrieved August 15, 2018.
- ↑ Toronto FC - Players. Accessed February 26, 2019 .
- ↑ Tornto FC - First Team Staff. Retrieved on August 14, 2018 .
- ↑ a b MLS Factbook 2012. (PDF; 1.2 MB) MLSsoccer.com, archived from the original on December 24, 2012 ; accessed on July 29, 2012 .
- ↑ rsssf.com - game details for the competitions. Retrieved July 29, 2012 .
- ↑ MLS - 2007 Full Season Stats. Retrieved July 28, 2012 (English).
Eastern Conference: Atlanta United | Chicago Fire | FC Cincinnati | Columbus Crew | DC United | Inter Miami | Montreal Impact | New England Revolution | New York City FC | New York Red Bulls | Orlando City | Philadelphia Union | Toronto FC
Western Conference: Colorado Rapids | FC Dallas | Houston Dynamo | LA Galaxy | Los Angeles FC | Minnesota United | Nashville SC | Portland Timbers | Real Salt Lake | San Jose Earthquakes | Seattle Sounders | Sporting Kansas City | Vancouver Whitecaps
Future Franchises: Austin FC (2021) | Charlotte (2022) | Sacramento Republic (2023) | St. Louis City (2023)
Former franchises: CD Chivas USA (2005–2014) | Miami Fusion (1998-2001) | Tampa Bay Mutiny (1996-2001)
Chattanooga Red Wolves | Fort Lauderdale CF | Forward Madison | Greenville Triumph | New England Revolution II | North Texas SC | Union Omaha | Orlando City B | Richmond Kickers | South Georgia Tormenta | Toronto FC II | Tucson FC
Future Franchises: Rochester Rhinos (2021)
Former Franchises: Lansing Ignite (2019)
Eastern Conference: Atlanta United 2 | Birmingham Legion FC | Charleston Battery | Charlotte Independence | Hartford Athletic | Indy Eleven | Loudoun United | Louisville City | Memphis 901 FC | Miami FC | New York Red Bulls II | North Carolina FC | Philadelphia Union II | Pittsburgh Riverhounds | Saint Louis FC | Sporting Kansas City II | Tampa Bay rowdies
Western Conference: Austin Bold | Colorado Springs Switchbacks | El Paso Locomotive | LA Galaxy II | Las Vegas Lights | New Mexico United | Oklahoma City Energy | Orange County SC | Phoenix Rising | Portland Timbers 2 | Real Monarchs | Reno 1868 FC | Rio Grande Valley Toros | Sacramento Republic | San Antonio FC | San Diego Loyal | Tacoma Defiance | Tulsa FC
Future Franchises: Oakland East Bay (2021) | Queensboro SC (2021) | Rhode Island (2022)
Former Franchises: Antigua Barracuda (2011–2013) | Austin Aztex (2011-2017) | Charlotte Eagles (2011-2014) | FC Cincinnati (2015-2018) | Dayton Dutch Lions (2011-2014) | FC Montréal (2015-2016) | FC New York (2011) | Orlando City (2011-2014) | Ottawa Fury (2017-2019) | Penn FC (2011-2018) | Phoenix FC (2013) | Puerto Rico United (2011) | River Plate Puerto Rico (2011) | Richmond Kickers (2011-2018) | Rochester Rhinos (2011-2017) | Toronto FC II (2011-2018) | Sevilla FC Puerto Rico (2011) | Vancouver Whitecaps 2 (2015-2017) | Tampa Bay FC (2013) | Wilmington Hammerheads (2011-2016)