TORONTO – Toronto FC fans will not boycott Sunday’s MLS Cup at BMO Field after a frustrating season led to rumors that the local supporters would skip out on the event to send a message to TFC ownership.
Boris Aguilar, the president of TFC supporters group Red Patch Boys, says that he thinks a bulk of disgruntled TFC fans will attend the match between the Colorado Rapids and FC Dallas (8:30 pm ET, ESPN/Galavisión, TSN2).
“I’m pretty sure they’re all going to the game,” Aguilar said. “I think everyone has sort of left it to the individuals themselves whether they’re going to go or not, but from what I’m hearing a lot of people are in fact going.”
There were lingering rumors in the month leading up to the MLS Cup that Toronto fans would boycott the match in protest to TFC ownership group Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment after the club missed the postseason for the fourth consecutive year.
A ticket to MLS Cup was included for all TFC fans who bought or renewed a season ticket package for 2011. Sunday’s game marks the first time the event has been held in Toronto.
The Red Patch Boys and TFC’s other supporters groups, U-Sector and North End Elite, have held a club party nights, a supporters soccer tournament and pub crawls for visiting supporters, including those from Vancouver, Montreal and Portland.
Toronto supporters have helped make TFC a model franchise and Aguilar hopes they see MLS Cup as a great opportunity to showcase soccer in Toronto.
“A lot of people around the MLS have heard of our market, and how large our market is, how great our market is and looking at the supporter groups we have some really great supporters groups that are really advanced in the supporters culture,” he said.
“We’ve really embedded the supporters culture into the city and I think us hosting the final, it’s our time to really show that to the entire league, to sort of demonstrate what we have here north of the border, so it’s our opportunity to show off."
