TORONTO – For many Toronto FC supporters, this weekend's game at Philadelphia represents a realistic opportunity for their team to possibly earn their first road win of the Ryan Nelsen era.
But for TFC central defender Danny Califf, Saturday’s match at PPL Park (4 pm ET, Live Stream of the Week) also marks his return to a city that became a second home to him and his family during his two-and-a-half year run as a key player for the Union.
“I’m looking forward to going back to Philadelphia,” Califf told MLSsoccer.com. “My family is going to come out from California, which is going to be awesome. I’m excited. I have already spoken with some people in Philly and I’m really looking forward to getting there, putting in a good game and hopefully getting a 'W.'”
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After playing professionally for a number of years in Denmark, the 33-year-old central defender joined the Union for their inaugural 2010 season and quickly developed a special relationship with both the city and Union supporters.
While he has already faced Philadelphia while he was a member of Chivas USA following being traded to the Los Angeles club last May, that match was played at the Home Depot Center. Thus, Saturday’s fixture will mark the first time that he will play in front of Philly supporters as an opposition player and he is looking forward to hearing from a crowd that is renowned for its unique character.
“[Philly sports fans] are absolutely different from other sports fans, but they love their teams and they are knowledgeable," Califf said. "It is a pretty cool dynamic. I think they are going to heckle me a bit. I think it will be friendly heckling and I’m excited to see how creative they get with it. I would feel weird if they didn’t do that.”
