So yesterday while I was working, a friend of mine asked me if I’d like to go watch a Toronto FC Game at BMO Field. Apparently his sister wasn’t able to make it, so I thought that since I didn’t have anything else to do after work (and I work downtown), I told him sure. I didn’t really know what to expect since I’ve never actually attended a Toronto FC game before, but friend’s of mine who have, swear that it is A LOT of fun. I’ve seen quite a few soccer matches on television and I never thought they were particularly “exciting” since the pace of the game seems slow and there isn’t much scoring.

As we got to the field, it was like a sea of red and a lot of chanting from one of the corners. The atmosphere was amazing…the crowd was constantly cheering and many were always on their feet to cheer on the Home team. It took some time, but I was able to distinguish some of the cheers like “This is our house!” and people singing to “When the Reds (Saints) go marching in”. What I found rather hilarious was all the heckling that was going on against the other team. Some examples include throwing streamers at the opponent when performing corner kicks and booing and chanting “Dig a hole, bury him” when an opposing player was injured. I was definitely shocked that the police and officials would allow such behaviour.

When the game was over, it was a 1-1 tie with the team from Montreal. However, it was later announced that Toronto needed to beat Montreal in order to represent Canada in an international tournament. Since it was a tie, Montreal will represent Canada…that caused a huge amount of boos and jeers amongst the Toronto crowd. I never really thought that Toronto would be so passionate about soccer…I guess I was wrong! =) Anyhow, after the experience, I gotta say I had a good time…I never heard such enthusiasm and excitement in a sporting event before…and hopefully I’ll get the chance to watch another TFC game in the future (I really need to get myself a jersey and a scarf so I can fit in with the crowd!)..=)

-Stephen