The MLS season kicks off Friday night, and with the beginning of the season comes another opportunity for a Toronto sports team to win a championship.
Toronto FC, who made it to the MLS Cup Final last season against Seattle, are hoping to captivate the city by bringing the trophy home this time around.
The Reds aren't the only Toronto sports team that has a chance at a championship, though.
Between the Jays, Raptors and Leafs, the city of Toronto has big time championship potential in the years to come.
Although the city of Toronto hasn't won a championship since 1993 (not including Argos), there's reason to believe the city can be the next great North American sports city, as per Mike Bohn of 'Rolling Stone.'
Sports enthusiasts might look at the Toronto landscape and focus on its shortcomings, like how the Blue Jays were eliminated before reaching the World Series in back-to-back years. The Raptors were decisively bested by the Cleveland Cavaliers in last season's NBA Conference Finals, the Maple Leafs have made the playoffs just once in the past decade and Toronto FC fell short in the MLS Cup final despite their opponent failing to register a single shot on goal during the game. Others might look at Toronto and recall its more unceremonious moments, such as when one foolish fan captured international headlines by throwing a beer can on the field during play at an October MLB wild-card game between the Blue Jays and Baltimore Orioles. From the outside, Toronto might not look like a major league sports town, but look closer and you see something else.
What the city has is its rabid fan base across the sporting spectrum. The support is not restricted to a single competition, and even outsiders can recognize it's not the average sports town. Have you seen Drake running up and down the sidelines, staring down big name players like Kevin Durant on "Drake Night," or walked the streets of the city and gone more than a few minutes without seeing a Maple Leafs logo?
The fan support has been and always will be there for Toronto sports teams, and that fact was evident during Toronto FC's playoff run. Casual soccer fans supported the team and the fanbase as a whole grew.
Despite the shortcomings, the potential is there for Toronto to be the next great sports city, and other players have taken notice of that, too.
The fan support is there, the big names (Jose Bautista, Josh Donaldson, Auston Matthews, DeMar DeRozan, Kyle Lowry, Sebastian Giovinco) are there, and now all that's left is for one team to step up and reward fans with a championship.
Tweet us @BarDown to let us know which Toronto team will be the first to win a championship.
(H/T: Rolling Stone)
