Arsenalist

OK, so I’ve decided to write about Toronto FC, a team that I have no attachment to and one that doesn’t even exist yet. The only question is should I get a separate domain name and host it there or just shove it under arsenalist.com. I’m opting for the latter since its not going to cost me anything. For those of you living under a rock, Toronto FC is Toronto’s new MLS (that’s Major League Soccer to you) soccer team. First of all, it’s hard for me to say soccer since it’s not really soccer, it’s football. So from now on I’m not going to use the word soccer.

Toronto FC has no nickname, so there’s no official animal or beast which will represent the team, it’s just Toronto FC. The reason behind this can best be explained by Executive VP and Chief Operating Officer Tom Anselmi:

“The absence of a conventional sports nickname is deliberate, we wanted the whole city to feel ownership and we want to provide the opportunity for a meaningful nickname to emerge over time.”

All the power to Tom for approaching this venture with fresh ideas and an open mind. The season for Toronto FC starts on April 7th, 2007 against Chivas USA. Now I’d be lying to you if I told you I knew what and where that team is. I’d also be lying to you that I’ve been following MLS at all. It’s hard to watch MLS when you can watch the Premier League. But that’s a different issue and it was probably a mistake even comparing the two leagues. Toronto FC is my home team and if you don’t support your home team, you don’t deserve to live in the city of use it’s public transportation system (ice hockey is the exception, I don’t consider it a sport).

I might even buy a Toronto FC jersey just so I can say 20 years from now when they’re beating the shit out of Manchester United that I supported them from the beginning. But that’s probably never going to happen and I shouldn’t set my hopes that high. Or should I? Tom Anselmi, can you help me out?

“Toronto provides the perfect backdrop for the world’s number one sport given our city’s diversity and affinity for soccer. We’re committed to making Toronto FC and Major League Soccer a success”

As long as he’s committed, I’m putting my complete faith in Tom Anselmi’s reign as as the Executive VP of the club. The roster for the club is pretty dynamic since training camp and other sort of tryouts are still happening so there’s no point listing them here, here’s a link to their official roster. Their coach isMo Johnton, who in this picture looks a little like Jack Bauer from 24. He’s spent 15 years with European clubs in Scotland, England and France, with the majority of his successes coming with the Rangers. I sincerely wish him the best of luck because as with any expansion franchise, there are growing pains. I don’t know if these growing pains will be on the same scale as that of the Raptors, another local sports franchise, but I’m positive there will be times where he will regret taking this job. We as fans can hope that such pains will be limited.

Judging by some of the traffic I’m getting from search engines, my posting about David Beckham in Toronto raised some interest. So August 5th, 2007 is the date when David Beckham and Posh Spice come to Toronto. Mark you Spice Girls calendars as soon as possible. I for one will boo the hell out of Beckham. No friend of Man Utd can be a friend of The Arsenalist.

I can already tell we have a joker in the camp and it’s midfielder Ronnie O’Brien. When asked what the best part about training camp was, he replied, “Bed time”. Now although this kind of humour would be fine if you’re playing junior varsity at a Catholic middle school, it obviously doesn’t jive as well in professional sports. I know he’s joking but son, let’s cut that shit out and focus on not making a fool of yourself on day one. You can ready more quotes from camp at their website, which happens to be a pretty friendly one.

They’ll be playing at BMO Field near exhibition place which is very close to where I live so I can conceivably walk to their games. Really, after the Raptors, there’s nobody to care about in Toronto and I do love football, so there is space in my heart for another sports franchise. Why not it be Toronto FC?