And You Thought MLS Fans Didn't Care
FourFourTwo UK|February 2017

Eurosnobs give MLS a bad rap, but keep your opinions to yourself when Seattle and Toronto fans are about.

Graham Parker
And You Thought MLS Fans Didn't Care

The main stand is turning a different shade of red. Toronto FC’s fans, as much a part of this underdog story as any player, are melting away to the exit gates. For the past few hours they have watched their team do absolutely everything but score, while restricting Seattle Sounders to precisely zero shots on target. Now, though, as the Sounders’ Roman Torres wheels off to celebrate the penalty that has won the 2016 MLS Cup Final, the sea of red and white scarves morphs into a sea of red seats.

But thinking back to what Toronto have packed into their short history – a history that at times has resembled a desperate gambler playing one more hand in a bid to recoup his losses – what’s remarkable is not the efficiency with which the Canadian supporters vacate their seats, but the fact they were here at all.

Duncan Fletcher, a podcaster and writer covering the team, told FourFourTwo before the game: “If I’m honest, I’m just going to enjoy today. There’s actually a sense of relief that we’re not a laughing stock any more. Whatever happens now, we’ve shown we’re a proper club.”

Fletcher is all too aware of Toronto’s inglorious past. His first blog, Cruel Geography, detailed how “supporting [your] local team means a lifetime of rarely alleviated struggle and misery”. As someone who hailed from and supported Darlington as a young man, Fletcher may have felt cursed when, having emigrated and wound up in Toronto, he discovered a local team no more capable of stabilising any emotions attached to them.

Bu hikaye FourFourTwo UK dergisinin February 2017 sayısından alınmıştır.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

Bu hikaye FourFourTwo UK dergisinin February 2017 sayısından alınmıştır.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

FOURFOURTWO UK DERGISINDEN DAHA FAZLA HIKAYETümünü görüntüle
Over the Top with Brian Clough - The legendary former Derby and Nottingham Forest manager was a columnist for FourFourTwo from 2001 until his death in 2004 at the age of 69 - not all of his forecasts came true, though he was never short of an opinion...
FourFourTwo UK

Over the Top with Brian Clough - The legendary former Derby and Nottingham Forest manager was a columnist for FourFourTwo from 2001 until his death in 2004 at the age of 69 - not all of his forecasts came true, though he was never short of an opinion...

The legendary former Derby and Nottingham Forest manager was a columnist for FourFourTwo from 2001 until his death in 2004 at the age of 69 - not all of his forecasts came true, though he was never short of an opinion...

time-read
5 dak  |
November 2024
"THE PLAYERS DIDN'T SEE KEVIN KEEGAN'S 'MELTDOWN' AS ANYTHING NEGATIVE. WE LOVED HIM FOR HIS PASSION"
FourFourTwo UK

"THE PLAYERS DIDN'T SEE KEVIN KEEGAN'S 'MELTDOWN' AS ANYTHING NEGATIVE. WE LOVED HIM FOR HIS PASSION"

The Geordie recalls King Kev's rant, shares his love for Ossie Ardiles and reveals what it's like to cross the Tyne-Wear divide

time-read
5 dak  |
November 2024
"HODDLE HAD BEEN PLAYING FOR MONACO UNDER WENGER, SO WE COULDN'T BELIEVE IT WHEN HE JOINED SWINDON HE WAS LIGHT-YEARS AHEAD!"
FourFourTwo UK

"HODDLE HAD BEEN PLAYING FOR MONACO UNDER WENGER, SO WE COULDN'T BELIEVE IT WHEN HE JOINED SWINDON HE WAS LIGHT-YEARS AHEAD!"

The tireless winger opens up on playing in his dad's shadow and making the wrong kind of headlines at Sunderland...

time-read
5 dak  |
November 2024
"I'M PROUD TO BE THE FIRST AFRICAN IN THE PREMIER LEAGUE - BUT LOOK WHO CAME LATER"
FourFourTwo UK

"I'M PROUD TO BE THE FIRST AFRICAN IN THE PREMIER LEAGUE - BUT LOOK WHO CAME LATER"

FFT chats to the three Boy's A Bit Special stars of Issue 1: first, a humble hotshot on rejecting Arsenal and being 'Nuddy'

time-read
4 dak  |
November 2024
AROUND THE GROUNDS
FourFourTwo UK

AROUND THE GROUNDS

Rangers' in-form keeper tells FFT he has his sights set on a Three Lions recall

time-read
5 dak  |
November 2024
WHY MESSI'S ARGENTINA HAD TO GET 'WORSE' TO CONQUER WORLD
FourFourTwo UK

WHY MESSI'S ARGENTINA HAD TO GET 'WORSE' TO CONQUER WORLD

The Albiceleste didn't have their most talented squad in 2022, and their star wasn't at his absolute peak - but 4-4-2 helped them to win anyway...

time-read
3 dak  |
November 2024
WHY 1999 WAS THE FINEST MOMENT FOR 4-4-2... AND SIR ALEX FERGUSON
FourFourTwo UK

WHY 1999 WAS THE FINEST MOMENT FOR 4-4-2... AND SIR ALEX FERGUSON

Manchester United swept to a famous Treble thanks to the management skills of their legendary boss - and a formation that suited them perfectly

time-read
3 dak  |
November 2024
HOW THE 4-4-2 BECAME BRITISH FOOTBALL'S MOST ICONIC FORMATION
FourFourTwo UK

HOW THE 4-4-2 BECAME BRITISH FOOTBALL'S MOST ICONIC FORMATION

A system of playing inspired the name for this very magazine - on these shores, for numerous reasons, it's football heritage

time-read
3 dak  |
November 2024
FINDING DIEGO
FourFourTwo UK

FINDING DIEGO

A little over a year before his untimely death at the age of 60, Diego Maradona was managing Mexican second-tier side Dorados de Sinaloa - FourFourTwo went deep into drug cartel country to track him down

time-read
10+ dak  |
November 2024
RESPECT
FourFourTwo UK

RESPECT

That's what women's football demands more than anything. Its status has grown exponentially during FourFourTwo's lifetime, but finally the long and arduous battle for recognition is starting to pay dividends

time-read
10 dak  |
November 2024