Name Toronto's MLS team?

[Brantford_Tim]

For myself i would like to see the old Blizzard name come back, although
a different coloured strip would be nice compared to the old NASL team.

[Joe MacCarthy]

The only names in the poll that have a fairly recent history attached are Blizzard (which I also like) and Toronto City which I could live with as well. Falcons have a historical context and could be an interesting name. Don't think we'll see Metros Croatia as that caused enough problems the first time.

You went a little overboard with some of the names. :) You might want to amend the poll to get rid of some non possibilities. Highly doubt you will see a Toronto Whitecaps or Toronto United (already have DC United)

With an organization like MLSE I would say there would be a snowball's chance of an ethnic name like Celtic or Inter which would be stupid anyway. (Real Salt Lake huh?)

I get the feeling unless there is a huge groundswell of support for Blizzard (which is starting to happen) MLSE will go with one of those goofy new names where you can sell lots of gear and be cute for kids ie Raptors. They would really want to put a brand on the product so that's why you won't see Canadians (similar to Habs) or Mounties (copyright problems)

[toronto_soccer]

toronto city would be an awesome name. i heard on the radio that mlse is considering calling the team "the soccer maple leafs" so fans can chant go leafs go all year round. that sounds wack. any thoughts on team colours btw.

[Brantford_Tim]

The only names in the poll that have a fairly recent history attached are Blizzard (which I also like) and Toronto City which I could live with as well. Falcons have a historical context and could be an interesting name. Don't think we'll see Metros Croatia as that caused enough problems the first time.

You went a little overboard with some of the names. :) You might want to amend the poll to get rid of some non possibilities. Highly doubt you will see a Toronto Whitecaps or Toronto United (already have DC United)

With an organization like MLSE I would say there would be a snowball's chance of an ethnic name like Celtic or Inter which would be stupid anyway. (Real Salt Lake huh?)

I get the feeling unless there is a huge groundswell of support for Blizzard (which is starting to happen) MLSE will go with one of those goofy new names where you can sell lots of gear and be cute for kids ie Raptors. They would really want to put a brand on the product so that's why you won't see Canadians (similar to Habs) or Mounties (copyright problems)


can't see celtic or Inter being named either,just wanted to see if there was enough interest. Just as long as MLSE don't do the stupid name like Raptors like you said, Let the supporters pick it. As for United, it's works in more then one city/league ie: manchester,sheffield,newcastle among some of them.
As long as MLSE are willing to help put soccer back on the map in TO thats all that matters for now. Now it's up to the politicans (lord help us).. : :boom:

[supersjd]

I really like Toronto City. Its nice and simple. Canadians and Blizzard are ok but please NOT Celtic. Everything else is stupid too

[Joe MacCarthy]

Seeing as we've had a couple of votes for Toronto City here is a little background on the name. This article was written five years ago.

Dream team provided kicks

http://www.canoe.ca/2000GamesColumn...ross_aug27.html

At all-star time, sports fans get to see dream teams in hockey, baseball and basketball.

More recently, the Olympics have spawned dream teams in hockey and basketball.

However, once upon a time in Toronto, a regular dream team did exist, consisting of captains of national squads, hall of famers and staunch enemies.

Modern chroniclers and fans may not remember as far back as the summer of 1961, but Toronto unveiled the best soccer team ever assembled in Canada. The Toronto City Soccer Club was born under the auspices of a huge sports fan and budding grocery magnate -- Steve Stavro.

It was in 1961 that soccer enthusiasts in three cities -- Toronto, Hamilton and Montreal -- formed the four-team Eastern Canada Professional Soccer League, thanks to the efforts of Stavro and the late senator Peter Bosa. The teams were Toronto City, Toronto Italia, Hamilton Steelers and Montreal Cantalia.

Toronto City's role was to concentrate on a collection of top British players to develop a rivalry with Toronto Italia. The opening match in May 1961 attracted a sellout crowd of 19,000 to Varsity Stadium. The big crowd caught the Varsity staff by surprise and the start of the match had to be delayed 15 minutes to allow all the fans to get past the turnstiles.

There was a reason for this fan interest, of course. Italia had several first-division players from the top professional league in Italy, but Toronto City had the dream team.

Leading off the roster of superstars was right winger Sir Stanley Matthews, a legend of the game and the first soccer player knighted by Queen Elizabeth. He played for Stoke City and Blackpool. At inside left was Johnny Haynes, the captain of both his country, England, and his pro club, Fulham.

The midfield was patrolled by Northern Ireland's captain, Danny Blanchflower, who also was the captain of Tottenham Hotspur.

The list didn't stop there. Jackie Mudie, a seasoned World Cup ace for Scotland and Stoke City, played on the same forward line with Matthews and Haynes. And speaking of Scotland, Toronto City's goalkeeper was Scottish captain Tommy Younger. It was a first in soccer history, because never before, or since, have the captains of England, Scotland and Northern Ireland played on the same team in league competition.

England's elite club, Blackpool, had three players on Toronto City's roster -- centre back Roy Gratrix, fullback Tommy McGlennon and midfielder Cyril Robinson. Ambrose Morgan, a Welsh junior international, was the striker.

Allan Harvey of Lincoln City sped up and down on left wing, while Scottish club Morton sent fullback David Caldwell.

It goes without saying that the Dream Team had no difficulty winning the ECPSL championship. The brilliant actions of Matthews, who was called the Wizard of Dribble; the field generalship of Blanchflower and the skills of Haynes and Mudie were something to behold. And if there was a breakdown anywhere in the team, there was Younger, one of the world's top goalkeepers.

In international contests, City beat Reims of France, the French champions with nine World Cuppers in the lineup, 2-1, then trounced AIK Athens, the perennial champions of Greece, 4-1. City also beat the B.C. All-Stars, 7-1, in Vancouver.

It was a dream year for Toronto soccer fans, but it lasted for only that one season. You see, Stavro opened his purse strings and the star players were paid more in two months than they were making all year in Britain. The English League, and particularly secretary Allan Hardacker, got worried about an exodus of players from Britain and came out with a ruling whereby no player of the English League's First Division was allowed to play anywhere in the off-season.

Toronto City kept going in spite of the ban, albeit with British players from lower divisions, and kept winning the ECPSL championship until 1965, when the team was disbanded.

Now Stavro is trying to assemble a different sort of dream team for Toronto -- a hockey team that will bring back the Stanley Cup after more than a 30-year absence.

[Ese_Guy]

I am undecided.
I like both Blizzard & City.

[Brantford_Tim]

I am undecided.
I like both Blizzard & City.

Toronto Blizzard City FC? sounds interesting.....

[Brantford_Tim]

toronto city would be an awesome name. i heard on the radio that mlse is considering calling the team "the soccer maple leafs" so fans can chant go leafs go all year round. that sounds wack. any thoughts on team colours btw.


team colors...anything but blue and white those colors are disgusting.

home strip; red shirts with a white maple leaf crest,black shorts, red socks.

away strip: black shirt with a red maple leaf crest, yellow shorts, red socks.

[supersjd]

team colors...anything but blue and white those colors are disgusting.

home strip; red shirts with a white maple leaf crest,black shorts, red socks.

away strip: black shirt with a red maple leaf crest, yellow shorts, red socks.

definitely put the maple leaf on it. we gota represent canada as much as possible ... unless we get smoked by every team

[toronto_soccer]

i think the maple leaf should be in the logo. and team colours could be black blue and white. you gotta have blue man it's toronto.

[Joe MacCarthy]

Strange that you and Brantford_Tim have a thing for black when it is neither a traditional Toronto or Canada colour.

[supersjd]

I say stick with the red and white. Black is cool but nothing to do with Canada or Toronto.

[Ese_Guy]

Yup, the maple leaf with red & white.

[supersjd]

Why are there so many replies but only 3 votes? lol

[toronto_soccer]

team canada's hockey uniform has black in it. what's the big deal?

[supersjd]

team canada's hockey uniform has black in it. what's the big deal?

ya ur right but still i think the red and white would be better

[Joe MacCarthy]

Black is a trend colour that will soon become passe. After all, when every team makes a third sweater and it is black that's bound to go out of style.

Traditionally Toronto colours are blue or double blue although the Blizzard did have a red shirt. Doubt if you'll see a Maple Leaf on a blue shirt aside from the one and only Maple Leafs.

There is a strong contingent that wants to name the team Blizzard, there are also some that want to name the team the Maple Leafs, like the hockey and former baseball teams.

I suspect MLSE will go with a goofy name similar to Raptors. They are too smart an organization to get involved with an "ethnic" name to further polarize Toronto soccer fans.

[toronto_soccer]

the raptors uniforms are brutal. i hope there is more creativity with the soccer uniform.

[chuncho_azul]

wouldnt mind toronto canadians

[chuncho_azul]

though its really not creative :)

[Joe MacCarthy]

wouldnt mind toronto canadiansIt would be competing with the world famous brand, Montreal Canadiens. Don't think you'll see that one.

[supersjd]

It would be competing with the world famous brand, Montreal Canadiens. Don't think you'll see that one.

true

[Brantford_Tim]

Black is a trend colour that will soon become passe. After all, when every team makes a third sweater and it is black that's bound to go out of style.

Traditionally Toronto colours are blue or double blue although the Blizzard did have a red shirt. Doubt if you'll see a Maple Leaf on a blue shirt aside from the one and only Maple Leafs.

There is a strong contingent that wants to name the team Blizzard, there are also some that want to name the team the Maple Leafs, like the hockey and former baseball teams.

I suspect MLSE will go with a goofy name similar to Raptors. They are too smart an organization to get involved with an "ethnic" name to further polarize Toronto soccer fans.


Yes no more names like raptors.....maybe we could have a new name change there too? But the Blizzard name is catching on again.

[RaulMadrid7]

I voted other, and here is my pick:


Toronto FC

The word Toronto already sounds exotic and I think it would be lame to add something like Blizzard etc... because it would sound like a hockey team or something.

So anyways that's my opinion.

[Joe MacCarthy]

FC is pretentious in NA. It's soccer, Toronto has a football club, the Argos. Like it or not Blizzard is the name people associate with soccer in Toronto. Any name that is Eurocentric is the ultimate in poseurism and also divisive, exactly what the team in Toronto doesn't need. Thankfully, MLSE won't go that route.

[mrdeeds]

Toronto Blizzard is my choice, brings back a bit of nostalgia and I personally think it is superior to the other more mundane choices like Toronto United or FC

[toronto_soccer]

i posted a thread on the u.s. page asking people to justify the name fc dallas. the people said it was to add legitamacy to the team. but football here is not soccer, sc dallas would have been a better choice. as far as blizzard what history do they have here. small crowds? relocating to buffalo?

[Joe MacCarthy]

i posted a thread on the u.s. page asking people to justify the name fc dallas. the people said it was to add legitamacy to the team. but football here is not soccer, sc dallas would have been a better choice. as far as blizzard what history do they have here. small crowds? relocating to buffalo?Suggest you do some research on the Blizzard, NASL, CSL etc. Had good crowds in the NASL days playing at Varsity and I don't know what you mean about Buffalo.

If you're younger than 20 I suppose it won't mean anything to you which is one reason MLSE may not go with the name but name them the Brontosauri for the younger set. Toronto Brontos I kind of like that. :)

[RaulMadrid7]

FC is pretentious in NA. It's soccer, Toronto has a football club, the Argos. Like it or not Blizzard is the name people associate with soccer in Toronto. Any name that is Eurocentric is the ultimate in poseurism and also divisive, exactly what the team in Toronto doesn't need. Thankfully, MLSE won't go that route.

What is this Continental dicatorship over names?

American "Football" should be called something else, but hey American ignorance is typical.

Anyways, what's bad about changing the style of the name since this city is one of the most diverse in the world.

But hey we all know people call it soccer here so change the words.

Toronto SC

Toronto Blizzard, I agree does sound Canadian because obviously it's damn cold up here but it sounds like a hockey team.

Anyways tell me what the orginization actually calls it at the end.

[Toke-E-Yo]

I chose other as well, but I really dont know wat the club would be called. I dont think I would mind FC Toronto (FC T-Dot)

and names like "Blizzard" and "Lakers" sounds corny as hell, I think it should be kept traditional and not make the team sound liek a NBA, NHL or MLB team. A nickname is different.

[Joe MacCarthy]

What is this Continental dicatorship over names?

American "Football" should be called something else, but hey American ignorance is typical.

Anyways, what's bad about changing the style of the name since this city is one of the most diverse in the world.

But hey we all know people call it soccer here so change the words.

Toronto SC

Toronto Blizzard, I agree does sound Canadian because obviously it's damn cold up here but it sounds like a hockey team.

Anyways tell me what the orginization actually calls it at the end.
It's Canadian (3 down) football in Canada so I guess Canadian ignorance is also typical. Still can't figure out why some people feel we should copy Europeans. We'll never get anywhere that way and will always be a step behind if we do.

Why change over 100 years of Canadian football history for a few European wannabe soccer fans? If I understand some here, they would rather we copy a European name (in our own country) than use something more familiar to our own society.

Real Salt Lake, now there's a good name, nothing corny about that.

Can't see FC or United as there are already teams in MLS with those names. Blizzard will likely be a second choice with something like Brontos :) being the final choice.

[toronto_soccer]

well this is mlse first time naming a team, let's see how they do. how about the Lakeshore Seaguls.

[Joe MacCarthy]

well this is mlse first time naming a team, let's see how they do. how about the Lakeshore Seaguls.That name might bring up some bad memories of Dave Winfield. If that's the name I hope they spell it right. :)