TORONTO – "Boom Boom Hey!"
There's a new tradition brewing at BMO Field, taking root since the completion of the 2016 UEFA European Championships.
The supporters had been doing the basic chant for years, but with its profile raised by the Icelandic national team's Euro run, the so-called "Viking Clap" has infected the entire stadium, spreading from the most fervent of fanatics to even the poshest of the "prawn sandwich brigade," resounding off the new roof and rattling the press box.
At the end of Toronto FC's win over Philadelphia Union on Wednesday night, the players and staff made straight for the South End, leading their fans in a rendition of the chant, with Michael Bradley and Sebastian Giovinco manning the drums.
It was a reprisal of the scenes following an August 3 win over Salt Lake, where Jonathan Osorioled the cheer.
“It was a great moment,” said Nick Hagglund after training on Friday. “One you want to savor; put in a bottle.”
Much as the team enjoyed it, it wasn't about them.
“For the people who have supported this club for 10 years, the chance to enjoy a night like that, let their emotion out, and feel proud of what they were a part of ... that was important,” said Bradley, the club captain.
“I've not been here for 10 years, but I know it's been a long way for a lot of people. For me, the celebration was not for our team; it was a big game, and we were very excited, but we still have more to do,” explained Bradley. “The celebration was to give the people who have supported this club for a very long time the chance to enjoy it and to be proud of being in that stadium on that night.”
“The hope is that every person who was in the stadium, goes home and thinks, 'Man, that was amazing; I gotta be back.' And the people who were at home, watching on TV, think to themselves, 'Man, that was amazing, I gotta get there,'” he continued.
TFC resume their 2016 Audi MLS Cup Playoff quest on Sunday evening with a high-profile fixture against New York City FC (7 pm ET, FS1 | TSN1/4 in Canada). With less than a 1,000 tickets remaining as of Friday afternoon, the stadium will be packed and rocking.
The aim, according to Bradley, is that “over the next six weeks, we continue to use the momentum and the energy of our fans and this city [to carry] us to this cup.”
