|
|
It’s winter time, and though it may seem like it’s just begun, we’re in the thick of it now. True, there hasn’t been a major snowstorm yet, but in a few months, we’ll be covered in a thick layer of fluffy snow. BMO Field, with its new, lush green grass, will soon be covered in snow, too, a perfect mix of greens, whites and reds complimenting the season.
Yet, in a few short months, Toronto FC will kick off their seventh season in Major League Soccer, and if Tom Anselmi is right, they’ll be doing so at the Rogers Centre, not BMO Field. The Rogers Centre played host to Toronto FC in the beginning of last season, during the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals against the Los Angeles Galaxy, and though it was a memorable occasion, it hardly requires repeating.
Yes, the Rogers Centre is a big stadium and kicking off the season in style is something that Toronto FC’s upper brass will be inviting, but BMO Field is the home of Toronto FC, and that should come into consideration too. If we kick off two seasons in a row without paying a second thought to our home turf, what does it say of the sacredness (if any) that BMO Field has to the city of Toronto and its footballing fans.
It is why a winterized BMO Field is a must, for it is in the cold that a bond with ones team is forged (better, cemented in ice), and though the elements may be brutal come first-kick, it is a necessary discipline that the team must endure, and use as a tool to grow the culture of Toronto FC.
We must expect one cold, snowy game per season to go along with the climate that makes Toronto what it is. It is a distinctly Canadian privilege to live in a country that provides us with four seasons, each their own, and BMO Field should live to see all four herself. Winterize the stadium, and give Toronto FC the character it deserves.
We’ll freeze our @$$#$ off, and we’ll do it proudly, Rogers Centre be damned!
|