Unlike in previous years, the roster will train exclusively in Canada, said head coach Chris Armas. The players will therefore not have the chance to find the hot sun of Florida or California where they went to perfect their preparation in the past.
It makes a lot of sense for us to keep the players close to their families, in their comfort zones, before we start the year, said Armas. We want to avoid adding the stress of travel to them from the start.
What holds the team back at home is not only the travel restrictions still in place in Canada, but also having a game of the highest importance in March.
Before even kicking off their season, Toronto FC will take part in the final of the Canadian championship, for which they qualified last year. The date of the match is not yet known, but it will be played before April 6.
We are told about mid-March, the end of March. We will prepare as we can, said the coach. We will try to do things faster during the preseason while keeping in mind that the players are not all at the same level physically because of the quarantine.
The team says it is ready to play only intra-team matches. CF Montreal would however have offered to hold a preparatory match, an option that will be carefully studied.
A temporary move more and more likely
If Toronto FC players prepare for the next MLS season in Canada, the team is unlikely to play its first home games there. The organization’s president, Bill Manning, told the Toronto Sun that management consider its options south of the border.
