The ties that bind: Toronto FC’s championship run has plenty of roots
TORONTO — Back in August 2006 when Mo Johnston was named Toronto FC’s first head coach, the former Scottish standout player promised his MLS expansion team would be good from the get-go and that its stadium is “going to rock.”
He was right about BMO Field. But Toronto finished last in the 13-team league with a 6-17-7 record in its inaugural 2007 season. Ten years later and eight coaches later, it is MLS champion.
While soccer spans the globe, it can be a small world.
Johnston, whose off-field efforts as salesman for the fledgling Toronto franchise should not be forgotten, had perhaps already done a solid for TFC before signing on. In January 2006, as coach of the then-MetroStars, Johnston took a teenage forward named Jozy Altidore in the second round of the MLS SuperDraft.