The Durham Chronicle - 2017-12-12

chronicle.durhamcollege.ca December 12 - 18, 2017 The Chronicle 17
Sports
TFC: Built to contend
Reds have
strong core
of returning
players
Pierre Sanz
The Chronicle
Over the years, Toronto FC has
been a franchise looking to make a
statement in the city, but has failed
many times by finishing at the bottom
of the league.
But the last three years have
seen a change, with a remodeled
stadium, the addition of star players,
a new backroom staff and on
field success, Toronto FC are now
back-to-back Eastern Conference
champions.
This has all led the franchise to
be one of Toronto’s most successful
teams, says John Molinaro, Sportsnet’s
chief sports writer.
Toronto FC kicked off its first
season in 2007 and went down
as one of the worst ever teams in
the MLS, winning six of their 30
league games in their expansion
season.
Attendance averaged just over
20,100 people per game in the
opening season and dropped over
the next few years. Average attendance
dropped overall by 2,000 fans
a game from 2007-2012.
In 2015, Maple Leaf Sports Entertainment
(MLSE) added 8,400
seats, along with the star players
such as Sebastian Giovinco, Jozy
Altidore and Michael Bradley.
After success in the last couple of
seasons, the average attendance
in 2017 was just over 27,600. Success
on and off the field has raised
the average attendance by 9,000
people from 2013-2017.
Molinaro says with the work
TFC has done on and off the field,
it’s the best team in the MLS.
“The last three to four years this
has become a model franchise,” he
says. “I think there’s been a major
culture change where they expect
David Dengis
The Chronicle
The UOIT Ridgebacks men’s
hockey team swept the UQTR
Patriotes in a two-game series to
enter the mid-season break with
eight straight victories.
Toronto FC fans showing their pride during the Major League Soccer playoffs at BMO Field.
to win and everything is far more
professional than it was.”
This franchise is also having
a big impact on the city, says
Molinaro.
He says young Canadians are
finding a new motivation to want
to play for their hometown team
after the franchise won its first ever
Supporters’ Shield this season.
The Supporters’ Shield is the
team who has the most points after
34 games in the East and West
combined.
TFC fan Chris Lozanovski, who
has been there since the start, says
everything changed after the appointment
of head coach Greg
Vanney, who just won Coach of
After a 4-3 overtime win Dec. 1
and a 3-2 regulation win Dec. 2,
UOIT now takes a 33-day hiatus as
the league is shut down until Jan. 5.
Despite languishing at 2-5-1 to
start the season, the Ridgebacks,
with head coach Curtis Hodgins
at the helm, have since turned their
luck around in spades.
“Well, we’re on an eight-game
winning streak, so things are going
well right now,” Hodgins said.
“We had a slow start but we’ve
rebounded nicely: 10-5-1 at the
break here. We’re off for a month
now and then we’ll have 12 games
to close things out.”
the Year and general manager Tim
Bezbatchenko.
“The culture and atmosphere of
the stadium changed, the way the
club treated the youth players was
a lot more exceptional and I think
that gives younger players a motivation
to want to get their foot stuck
in with TFC,” said Lozanovski.
Canadians Jontahan Osorio,
Jay Chapman, Raheem Edwards,
and Tosaint Ricketts an integral
part of TFC’s success, according
to Molinaro, and they are players
Canadians can look up to and try
to emulate.
“I think it’s important for young
Canadians to have something to
aspire to, to have Canadian soccer
Mike Robinson leads the team in
scoring – in fact, he’s tied for most
goals in the Ontario University
Athletics (OUA) with 13. Additionally,
UOIT centre Ben Blasko
was named one of the OUA Athletes
of the Week after picking up
a goal and four assists in the series
against UQTR. He currently sits at
20 points – five goals and 15 assists.
Hodgins offered praise for
Robinson and Blasko, who share
39 points between them after 16
games. However, he pointed out
that contributions have come from
the entire roster and his “team
first” philosophy suggests the fine
players to emulate and to look up
to,” he said.
The introduction to the Canadian
Premier League (CPL) in
2018 will also be an asset for TFC,
said Molinaro. The CPL will provide
a stage for young Canadians
who share a dream of playing for
Toronto FC to showcase themselves
at a higher level, he added.
“The best thing new fans can
do is watch other MLS games
and they will realize how good
this team is and how special the
atmosphere is,” said Lozanovski.
“Hockey is the dominant sport in
this city and basketball is growing
rapidly, so I think TFC’s immediate
success has got them on the
points are equally important to attaining
victory.
“I don’t often draw any attention
to the guys that score goals but I
like to draw attention to guys that
maybe blocked a shot or had a huge
backcheck,” he said.
“All the little things matter and
they add up to the big thing at the
end of the day which is winning or
losing.”
The Ridgebacks will return for
a two-game series on Jan. 5-6 in
Kingston against Queen’s University.
The two teams are tied for fifth
place in the standings and Hodgins
says they share an ongoing rivalry.
Photograph by Pierre Sanz
map in this city.”
A big question is whether TFC
will be able to maintain this success
over a period of years. Since Vanney
and Bezbatchenko signed new
contracts in the summer, Molinaro
expects the core of the team will
stay put for the coming years.
“Key contributors like Altidore,
Giovinco, Bradley and Vazquez
are locked up for a couple more
years,’ said Molinaro.
“The club has a core of young
players like Delgado, Edwards,
Osorio and Bono also locked up
for multiple years, so I think this
is a franchise who can challenge
for MLS Cup every season for the
coming years.”
Robinson, Blasko lead charge for UOIT men's hockey
'Backs on
eight-game
winning
streak
“I’d say our biggest rival probably
is Queen’s right now but
there’s so much parity in the East
Conference that every game is an
absolute battle and a war,” Hodgins
said.
The Ridgebacks had a heated
series with Queen’s in the playoffs
two years ago, which Hodgins says
carried over to some good games
last year as well.
They’ve already split two games
against Queen’s this season, winning
4-2 and losing 4-0.
Hodgins feels the stage is set for
a couple more competitive clashes
come the New Year.