Leiweke lauds Bradley and BMO Field
Former TFC architect talks about team’s star midfielder and Argos’ move outdoors
TORONTO — It turns out former TFC head honcho Tim Leiweke didn’t go far enough in predicting coach Greg Vanney would become the club’s first two-term bench boss.
On Monday, Major League Soccer revealed Vanney as MLS Coach of the Year, an award Leiweke says was well earned given the amount of pressure Vanney faced in 2017.
Leiweke, the CEO of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment and patriarch of TFC’s storied rebuild, was en route to Seattle Monday when Postmedia reached him. The quarter-hour chit-chat touched upon everything from Michael Bradley to Columbus relocation to MLS expansion doubts in Miami.
As you can imagine, Leiweke was more than willing to go to bat for Bradley, a player he brought to Toronto in 2014.
“It’s completely and totally unfair and ridiculous how people don’t realize what this man has done for his country and the teams he has played on,” Leiweke said of the constant jeers Bradley has received.
“He’s what you want your son or daughter to be,” Leiweke added. “He is, to me, the epitome of an athlete you do want to put on a pedestal.”
The conversation pivoted to BMO Field, where the success of a CFL-MLS ground share has silenced naysayers who said it couldn’t work.
“The reality is I don’t think the Argos could have pulled off what they just pulled off without BMO Field,” Leiweke said. “I think as much pain as we went through, with everyone shooting at us, I think it has worked out extremely well for the Argos and TFC and Toronto. Mayor (John) Tory should be smiling today because of the bet he made at leading the charge to redoing these facilities.”
But while the City of Toronto is enjoying sporting success inside a new venue, the Columbus Crew are reeling after owner Anthony Precourt threatened possible relocation due to crumbling infrastructure and a lack of interest.
“I hope they work it out in Columbus, but at the end of the day the league is in a very different place than it was when they built (Mapfre Stadium),” Vanney said. “You look at these brand new stadiums and the economics they’re generating and you have to have one of those to be competitive.
“I get what they’re going through and they have to find a solution. It’s no different than you see in the NHL or the NBA or the most successful league in the world, the NFL, which has three teams that have moved.”
“It’s completely and totally unfair and ridiculous how people don’t realize what this man has done for his country and the teams he has played on.” — Tim Leiweke