A quick look at North America's top soccer league:
Birth: MLS was officially formed in 1993 and the 10-team league
played its first season in 1996. The league expanded to 12 teams in 1998, but
contracted two clubs at the end of the 2001 season. MLS currently consists of
12 teams after adding two expansion clubs at the start of the 2005 campaign.
Eastern Conference teams: Chicago Fire, Columbus Crew, D.C. United,
Kansas City Wizards, New York/New Jersey Metrostars, New England Revolution.
Western Conference teams: Chivas USA, Colorado Rapids, FC Dallas,
Los Angeles Galaxy, Real Salt Lake, San Jose Earthquakes.
Top MLS stars: Landon Donovan
(Los Angeles), Freddy Adu (D.C.), Carlos Ruiz (Dallas), Ramón Ramírez
(Chivas USA), Youri Djorkaeff (NY/NJ).
Notable Canadians: Dwayne De Rosario, Pat Onstad and Mark Chung
(San Jose), Will Johnson (Chicago), Winston Marshall (Dallas).
Previous expansion: Chicago Fire and Miami Fusion (1998). Chivas
USA and Real Salt Lake (2005).
Defunct teams: Miami Fusion and Tampa Bay Mutiny (contracted
after the 2001 season).
MLS Commissioner: Donald Garber (1999-present).
Television: MLS games are televised on ABC, ESPN and ESPN2, and
Fox Soccer Channel (formerly known as Fox Sports World).
Return to Glory
A full blown tribute site to the Toronto Blizzard.
Canada Kicks
Offers a Canadian perspective on the global game.
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INDEPTH: MAJOR LEAGUE
SOCCER The Toronto BlizzardThe
five Ws (and one H) of Toronto's most famous soccer team
CBC Sports Online | Last updated Nov. 9, 2005
The Blizzard brought soccer excitement
to Toronto. (Photo courtesy 1981 team press guide).
WHO were the Toronto Blizzard?
The Toronto Blizzard were a soccer team that competed in the North
American Soccer League (NASL) from 1979 to 1984.
Before Major League Soccer came along in 1996, the NASL was the top soccer league in North America. It was formed after two rival outfits – the United Soccer Association and the National Professional Soccer League – merged in 1968.
The NASL suspended operations in 1984.
WHAT were the Toronto Blizzard like as a team?
Not bad. The Blizzard routinely played exhibition games against some of the top European teams in Toronto and posted famous victories over Italian clubs Juventus and AS Roma, and English side Nottingham Forest.
The Blizzard made the playoffs four times, losing out in the first round in 1979 and 1982, and advancing to two consecutive NASL finals. Toronto lost 2-0 to the Tulsa Roughnecks in the 1983 Soccer Bowl, the NASL championship game, before a jam-packed crowd at B.C. Place in Vancouver. A year later, the Blizzard lost a two-game championship final to the Chicago Sting.
Over the years many international stars played for the Blizzard, including Roberto Bettega (Italy), Jomo Sono (South Africa), Peter Lorimor (Scotland), Jan Moller (Sweden) and David Byrne (England).
Canadian national team members such as Bruce Wilson and Colin Miller also donned a Blizzard jersey during their respective careers.
HOW did the team first come about?
The Toronto Metros played in the NASL from 1971 to 1974 before merging with the Toronto Croatia (of the Canadian National Soccer League) in 1975. The new team was named the Toronto Metros-Croatia and the club went on to win the NASL championship in 1976.
The marriage didn't last, however, and the two teams split in 1978.
The Global Television Network purchased the Metros-Croatia team in
1979 and the club was re-christened the Toronto Blizzard.
WHERE did the Blizzard call home?
The Blizzard played at the Canadian National Exhibition Stadium before
moving to Varsity Stadium. Both stadiums have since been torn down.
WHEN did the team fold?
Technically, the team ceased operations in 1984 when the NASL folded.
WHY did the Blizzard not stick around?
The team did resurface in several reincarnations, but the magic of the old NASL days were never equalled.
One year after the NASL folded, the Blizzard's owners bought a semi-professional Ontario-based National Soccer League with the intention of renaming them the Toronto Blizzard.
The Blizzard played one season in the NSL before joining the fledgling Canadian Soccer League in 1987. Toronto lost the 1991 CSL championship final to the Vancouver 86ers.
Both Toronto and Vancouver joined the American Professional Soccer League in 1993 when the CSL folded but the Blizzard closed up shop after one season.
CBC does not endorse and is not responsible for the content of
external sites. Links will open in new window.