Rough pitch will be replaced

It’s no secret that Toronto’s winter weather hampered the pitch quality at BMO Field over the Reds’ first three games of the year.

“The field has really been in very tough conditions,” said Toronto FC president Bill Manning, who left for Mexico Tuesday morning to meet up with his team for its CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal clash against Tigres UANL. “Probably the worst it’s been in the history of BMO Field.”

But even if the surface does improve with the weather, TFC won’t be playing on the existing grass all year. Head groundskeeper Robert Heggie will replace the field starting in late May. Neither the Reds nor the Toronto Argonauts play at BMO Field from May 26 to June 22, giving the grounds crew the minimum 21 days it needs for the field to gain root.

At the beginning of the season, Heggie felt he wouldn’t have enough time for a new field to “really dig in,” Manning said. But in June, along with Toronto’s three away games that month, Major League Soccer will also take a nine-day break thanks to the World Cup. CUPS RUNNETH OVER: Toronto has a fifth trophy to go after as of Tuesday, with MLS and Liga MX announcing a new Campeones Cup, an annual match between the champions of the two leagues.

As the reigning winners, the Reds will host the inaugural game on Sept. 19 at BMO Field. Their opponent will be decided in July, after the second of the Mexican league’s two yearly tournaments — the Clausura — wraps up in May 2018. The winner of the Clausura will play the Tigres — the winner of the Mexico’s other tournament, the Apertura — for a chance to face TFC.

“We’re excited about that game and it could very well be Tigres again,” Manning said. “We’re really excited about that, representing MLS. But tonight we’ve got to hopefully take care of business.”