Toronto FC hosts the Montreal Impact in the most important game in franchise history Wednesday night but, win or lose, the Reds have already put up stunning numbers.
TFC averaged 26,583 spectators at BMO Field this season, 13.4 per cent more than last year. And when these teams played the first leg of their Eastern Conference final, more than one million viewers tuned in on TSN and RDS.
Even though the club has been more popular, TFC president Bill Manning says that, from a business standpoint, 2016 is less a high point than a platform. From here, Manning says, the club — making just its second Major League Soccer playoff appearance in its 10-year history — can turn a windfall into sustainable financial success.