Toronto FC tonight play the Impact in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference final, and TFC President Bill Manning said that, from a business standpoint, the '16 season is "less a high point than a platform" for the club, according to Morgan Campbell of the TORONTO STAR. Manning said that the club -- making just its second playoff appearance in its 10-year MLS history -- can "turn a windfall into sustainable financial success," but only if the "winning continues." Campbell notes for years TFC's off-field performance "outstripped its on-field record." This year, Forbes valued TFC at $245M, "third-highest in the league." Sources said that this year’s "deep playoff run will make next year’s franchise valuation even more impressive." Manning said that the club’s "next challenge is to close the gap between tickets sold and spectators in seats." He said that in '15, only about 75% of fans who "bought tickets actually came to games," but BMO Field’s "new canopy helps by making fans less likely to skip games over bad weather." Manning: "There was a lot of built-up frustration but now our team is really delivering. We have our niche of fans in the marketplace and I think we’re in a growth mode" (TORONTO STAR, 11/30).
MAKING YOUR MARK: In N.Y., Dhiren Mahiban notes a victory for TFC tonight, which would put the team in the MLS Cup, might "bring some welcome attention in Toronto's crowded sports scene" because despite its recent success, the soccer team still "lags behind" the Raptors, Blue Jays and Maple Leafs for fan attention. The Raptors won their third consecutive Atlantic Division title last season and made it the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time. Meanwhile, the Blue Jays have "clinched postseason berths in back-to-back seasons." But if TV numbers are "any indication, Canadian soccer fans have taken notice" of TFC's run. For the first leg of the Eastern Conference finals Nov. 22, a "record one million viewers tuned in" on TSN and its French-language affiliate, RDS. The television numbers "nearly doubled the previous record of 587,000, set on TSN and RDS for the playoff match between" TFC and the Impact in October '15. However, in a city "dominated first and foremost by the Maple Leafs, and hockey in general," TFC’s players "understand what a title run could do for soccer in a sports market hungry to celebrate." TFC MF Jonathan Osorio said, "The Raptors and Blue Jays have been around much longer, and their buzz is a little bit higher because of the culture in North America, but I think TFC -- we’re making the sport grow and have given it a lot more exposure. So this playoff run is huge for that" (N.Y. TIMES, 11/30).
GAME TIME: The CP noted tonight's game at BMO Field is a "record sellout" for the team, with some 36,000 fans on-hand. That number is also a "record for BMO Field, whose capacity has been expanded due to temporary seats in the south end" for last Sunday's Grey Cup (CP, 11/29). The CP's Bill Beacon noted TFC coach Greg Vanney and MF Michael Bradley have "urged their fans to be as noisy and hostile as possible to the visitors to help overcome their one-goal deficit in the two-game, aggregate goal series" (CP, 11/29). The GLOBE & MAIL's David Shoalts wrote much was "made of the bumpy, hard artificial turf at Montreal’s Olympic Stadium for the first game," and now the "concern for BMO Field’s natural grass was the potential damage from the Grey Cup game." However, Vanney said that he was told the BMO grounds crew was "happy with the condition of the pitch" (GLOBE & MAIL, 11/29).
