Toronto FC vs DC United: Game Thread

Toronto FC vs DC United
Bmo Field, 4:30 Eastern
TSN

So here it is finally, after 5 long months, the return of TFC to BMO Field, the home opener. The chance to meet up with old friends in the seats next to you, or see the stadium from a new vantage point if you've swapped seats. The chance to check out the new food options and hold aloft a new scarf. The chance to see what tifo ideas the supporters groups have come up with over the last few months. The chance to be excited just to be seeing a game again, without being weighed down by another failed season. And, happily for lazy bloggers, the chance to use the exact same opening paragraph as in years past. Wheeeee!

There is a point to the nostalgia though as this will be the last home opener at Bmo Field as we know it. 2015, it'll be bigger, 2016 it'll have a roof, Both years, there's a good chance it'll be a barely disguised construction site and sometime in April, and after that we'll be in full on Argo groundsharing territory, whatever that might bring.

TFC v DCU Storystream

From pre game to post, all our coverage of TFC vs DC United in one easy click

It certainly won't be balmy at BMO Field, but it might well be barmy for what is probably the most anticipated home opener since 2007 (Want to recapture that feeling? You can watch that entire game here on youtube). All the big signings got the enthusiasm up, and last week's win just spurred the whole thing on. If TFC can become a team that wins regularly at home, that's just going to snowball, and for all my jaded cynicism, that would be fantastic to have that buzz back at BMO Field, people eager to be there and interested in what's happening rather than there as some kind of chore or to hang out with their fellow supporters.

Can Bradley, Defoe et al take care of that and keep the good times rolling? Can De Ro do his whole score against his old team thing? Or will Eddie Johnson spoil it all again, just like he did back in 2007? You've got to think that despite their off season additions, DC are the kind of team that TFC really should be beating now, especially at home. It's good to be anticipating a win, but most of all to care about that win, to know that the 3 points will be important at the end of the day. Football matters again, let's enjoy that.

For a fuller preview, all the know your enemy's how you doin'?, smarter than mariner and all the usual pre game stuff, click on the link to the storystream above, and why not check out the brave face DC are putting in things over at SBN's DC blog Black and Red United.

We'll be at the BMO expansion q and a thing beforehand so might have info about that in the comments section here and we'll have team news as soon as it hits twitter. As for in game commentary, well it's going to be bloody cold at the game, so I'll warn you right now, I'm not going to be taking my hands out of my pockets and gloves off to be updating on my phone during the game, but hopefully there'll be someone here for that. If not, well feel free to just talk among yourselves.

Come on you Reds Onyx FFS.