Toronto FC will continue to host top-flight international competition at BMO Field this July. (Frank Gunn/Canadian Press)Toronto FC has announced two international friendlies will be played at BMO Field in July, against Pachuca of Mexico and Independiente of Argentina.
Toronto FC will host Pachuca of the Mexican Primera Division on July 5 (7:30 pm ET). The historic club was founded in 1900 and is the oldest in Mexico. The team has enjoyed tremendous success in the past decade, winning five national championships, three CONCACAF Champions Cups, the Copa Sudamericana title in 2006 and a SuperLiga title in 2007.
Pachuca last faced MLS competition when the team defeated D.C. United 3-2 in the semifinals of the 2008 CONCACAF Champions Cup.
Independiente will appear in Toronto on July 15. Based in Avellaneda, in the greater Buenos Aires area, the Argentine club has won 14 national championships since the its inception in 1905.
Independiente also boasts seven Copa Libertadores titles, including a run of four straight from 1972 to 1975, as well as 15 international titles.
"Once again, we are excited to announce two great opponents that will be coming to Toronto to excite our fans," said Toronto FC director of business operations Paul Beirne.
"We feel both Pachuca and Independiente will bring with them a Latin style of play that many of our fans aren't used to seeing here in Toronto. It's a very different game compared to the European style of play that we saw last year from Aston Villa and Benfica.
"Latin America players have always played a big part of Major League Soccer and we know that not only will the games be entertaining, but it will also be a very competitive match for our squad."
Toronto FC has enjoyed a successful start to its second MLS season. A 1-0 win over D.C. United on May 21 extended the team's unbeaten streak to six games, placing them fourth in the MLS's Eastern Conference with a 4-2-2 record.
