Stars such as D.C. United's Freddy Adu will help MLS grow in Toronto. (Getty Photo/Doug Pensinger)

While council's approval means Major League Soccer (MLS) will undoubtedly grant Toronto an expansion franchise for 2007 when its board of governors meets this Saturday, it is not known whether Toronto fans will support it.

Plenty of sceptics of North American professional soccer exist in Toronto. We continue to hear their arguments time and time again when the subject of soccer on this continent comes up.

"It's not as good as European soccer ... It doesn't have the best players in the world."

These views have shaped the perceptions of soccer fans in Toronto and encouraged many to look at North American soccer with disdain. All one needs for proof is to look at the dismal and stagnant attendance for the Toronto Lynx, which has averaged around 2,000 spectators during the team's nine-year history in the North American United Soccer Leagues First Division.

It's probably safe to say negative perception isn't an ingredient for success.

In fact, right now, MLS probably does not even register at all in the consciousness of sports fans in Toronto, even soccer fans.

So, is Major League Soccer in Toronto doomed to fail?

While changing negative perceptions is a formidable task, MLS actually has a decent shot of succeeding in Toronto, and here's why.

Let's start with the field of dreams itself. A Toronto MLS franchise will have the kind of venue that will allow it to thrive. The proposed stadium will seat 20,000 and showcase the game the way it's supposed to be viewed - outdoors in an intimate soccer-focused setting.

MLS realizes the importance of playing in smaller soccer-specific venues to grow the game, and not in large-capacity football stadiums.

As a result, the league has helped the Los Angeles Galaxy, Columbus Crew and FC Dallas move into small-capacity soccer-specific stadiums in the last few years, while the New York/New Jersey MetroStars and Chicago Fire are planning to move into new facilities within a couple of years.

The move to smaller venues reflects a league with responsible and visionary franchise owners, unlike the last major soccer league that operated a franchise in Toronto, the North American Soccer League (NASL).

The NASL's Toronto Blizzard was a reasonable success at the gate and created interest among sports fans in the city.

Unfortunately, foolish spending by some franchise owners and general mismanagement resulted in the demise of the league in the early 1980s and the absence of big-time pro soccer in Toronto that has lasted for 20 years.

The situation now is drastically different.

Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment Ltd. (MLSE), joins a group of MLS franchise owners that are strong, stable and committed long-term to the game. Names such as Lamar Hunt, Anschutz Entertainment Group, and Robert Kraft have built successful sports empires, so there's little threat that they'll become dumb overnight and make the same mistakes that the NASL committed.

MLSE is no less an empire. As owners of the Raptors, Maple Leafs, Marlies, the Air Canada Centre and two specialty television channels, it will have several platforms and properties from which to market and cross-promote the new franchise.

As well, there's a big difference between trying to fill a 50,000 or 70,000-seat stadium and a 20,000-seat venue. MLSE's considerable marketing might should be able to take advantage of the fact that soccer is the No. 1 sport for many recent immigrants to Toronto and fill the stadium to a healthy capacity.

If MLSE can't make it work, perhaps no one can.

The interest in soccer is a testament to the latent soccer culture that exists within the city. It comes out in full force every Euro and World Cup when entire communities are immersed in watching games at bars and clubs.

With this culture comes an appetite for quality soccer that needs satiating not just once every two years. MLS, though not the best soccer in the world, may just have enough quality to palate the appetite of soccer fans.

The pieces are in place for a successful run. The next question is, "can it last?"

MLS's long-term viability in Toronto will depend on a number of factors, but the franchise's ability to create a positive perception of itself from the start, deliver a quality on- and off-field product and attract foreign 'name' players to complement top Canadian talent will be paramount.

A lot of work lies ahead for MLSE - no doubt about it - but it just might be able to finally silence the sceptics.

In the meantime, anyone up for naming the franchise the Blizzard?

Vijay Setlur is a soccer stakeholder and Toronto resident who has been involved in the business of soccer for the last 10 years. He has volunteered in communications and event management for various organisations including Confederation of North Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF), Canadian Soccer Association, Major League Soccer, ChampionsWorld and the Toronto Lynx.