GM hopes to see warmer weather
Toronto FC opens training camp Wednesday in a winter wonderland, with a new coach in Chris Armas and the hope that the search for a third designated player is close to completion.
Other questions remain as TFC kicks off the post-Greg Vanney era. Where Toronto will play its home games is chief among them, after the club finished out the 2020 season in East Hartford, Conn. TFC ended up playing just four games at BMO Field last season due to the pandemic.
Florida seems a likely option given the current border restrictions. Team president Bill Manning has mentioned Tampa and the team is no stranger to Orlando, having held their pre-season there in the past.
“We’re looking at a number of different sites that make sense,” GM Ali Curtis said Tuesday. “Hopefully warmer weather.”
Toronto has been given permission to open camp early to prepare for the Canadian Championship final against Forge FC, which will determine who will face Mexico’s Club Leon in the Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League round of 16, which is scheduled to start April 6-8.
February in Toronto is more about snow than soccer, however, and Torontonians, including Curtis, found themselves shovelling driveways and shivering Tuesday in the wake of a winter storm.
Still, Toronto players are supposed to train Wednesday, with most having already observed the necessary quarantine and testing.
“We expect most of the players to be in (Wednesday),” Curtis said. “It’s been a challenge, I’ll say that.”
The club has had to ensure players got here and then track of the hoops they have had to jump through before they can start training. Changes to the start of the season — now set for April 17 — only complicated matters.
Most other MLS clubs will report March 1 for a seven-day quarantine period, with team training set to start March 8. Atlanta, Columbus, Philadelphia and Portland, who have already qualified for the Champions League, can report Feb. 24.
Toronto can work out under a bubble at its north Toronto training centre and may spend more time at BMO Field, where the playing surface has underground heating (unlike the training facility).