MLSE President & CEO Tim Leiweke said that he expects Toronto FC to do more than $50M in revenue in '15, a number "he claimed would be a North American soccer record," according to Kurtis Larson of the TORONTO SUN. Leiweke: "If TFC wins, they’re going to be just as relevant as the Jays and the Raptors. We can do that here, but we have to win ... We know what will happen if we win here." MLSE Chief Commercial Officer Dave Hopkinson expects Toronto FC "to sign up 4,000 season-seat holders" in addition to a 90% season-ticket renewal rate from last year. Meanwhile, Larson wrote Impact Owner Joe Saputo's recent comments criticizing TFC's "kid-in-a-candy store spending habits struck a nerve" with TFC's top brass. Leiweke: "I love the fact Joey (Saputo) is shooting at us. ... I think we have better young players (than Montreal). A better academy. A better focus on what (our staff) is trying to do with the young kids." Saputo last week called TFC spending close to $70M on F Jozy Altidore and MF Sebastian Giovinco "crazy" and warned "it may hurt" MLS down the road. Leiweke: "It’s funny that in Montreal they’re upset with how we’ve spent money, but we’ve spent more time and energy on our draft picks and academy in the last 12 months than we ever did." He added, "Toronto needs Montreal and Montreal needs Toronto to dislike each other. That’s a good thing. I hope we have an even better rivalry. I think it’s good Joey adds fuel to the fire. I completely disagree with him" (TORONTO SUN, 2/11).
