TORONTO – Niklas Dorsch was highly coveted by Toronto FC and he hasn’t needed long to show why.
The German midfielder has scored two goals in his first two matches to help his new team to a win and a thrilling 3-3 draw. As a new signing, Dorsch is representative of the change in perception of Toronto as a soccer city and how TFC wants to build on the momentum of hosting World Cup matches.
Dorsch, in fact, received positive feedback about the city through his wife who interacted with some of the German national team players’ wives. He also had his social media flooded with feedback from Germans who have either been born and raised in Toronto or spent a considerable amount of time here. It’s all made for that much smoother of a transition.
“The people are amazing, it was so easy for me to adapt here,” Dorsch said. “I didn’t expect that, to be honest, because in Germany the German people are really straight, a little bit more cold. For me, it was easier to adapt than when I did some moves in Germany.
“I’m really happy and thankful for the chance.”
German fans felt right at home in Toronto but they weren’t the only ones. The large Croatian community made the likes of Luka Modric and Ivan Perisic relish the opportunity to play in Toronto, and then there was Portugal manager Roberto Martinez waxing lyrical about BMO Field in comparing it to an old school Premier League stadium and praising the facilities as top notch.
To top it all off, the biggest name of them all in Cristiano Ronaldo absolutely fell in love with the city, making time for his adoring fans night after night outside the Delta Hotel downtown. Portugal enjoyed their experience so much they even extended it to continue training in Toronto ahead of their clash against eventual champions Spain. Portugal played in four different cities during their World Cup campaign, but Ronaldo only felt the urge to show his love in an Instagram post for one. “Toronto ❤️” the caption read.
It has nearly 24 million likes and over 450,000 comments.
Jason Fernandez, Toronto FC general manager, wants to use that publicity to the club’s advantage. Top European and African nations got a real taste of playing in Toronto. Beyond the social media posts and these players knowing what Toronto actually feels like as a soccer city, there is also now the power of the word of mouth from trusted voices.
“Now when we go out and recruit, let’s say for example a player who didn’t get to see our market, but we have testimonials from the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Roberto Martinez, we can now bring that and go to folks and say this is our backyard, this is where you would come,” Fernandez told Yahoo Canada. “It’s a soccer-crazy city that will show the passion for this sport that you might think you’d miss coming to North America.”
Major League Soccer has had to fight off the stigma of the bigger soccer nations viewing the league as a final stop before retirement. Dorsch, who started his professional career at Bayern Munich and has spent the majority of his career in Germany’s top league the Bundesliga before coming to Toronto, is smack in the middle of his prime at 28 years of age.
Fernandez and his staff identified Dorsch as a potential target last winter and saw a clear fit on the pitch. Club officials then went to Germany to watch him in person and get to know the person. With everything in alignment, it became a matter of finding the right timing before TFC could bring him on board. While the TFC season was in full swing, European clubs were in the midst of their summer break.
That’s something the MLS is hoping to address with schedule changes, too. Having long operated under a February to November calendar, the league is shifting to a July-to-May calendar next year that includes a mid-December to early-February break to try and avoid extreme winter conditions.
“It’s not a massive shift in the home footprint but, ultimately, what we’re asking to do is change habits and when you’re gonna go out for TFC matches and fun nights out, and the whole bit,” Fernandez said. “Part of it will be a learning experience but ultimately what I’m most optimistic about is that MLSE has never shied away from all the ways TFC has looked to evolve and receive support and grow.”
Thankfully, that timetable shift won’t affect Dorsch’s schedule when it comes to his favourite pastime in Toronto. Dorsch, now out indefinitely with a facial fracture that required surgery, is a huge baseball fan and has already gone for a few Blue Jays games. After some time away, Dorsch’s wife and 15-month old son returned to Toronto just over a week ago so he’ll be able to get some quality time with them and check off some of the numerous recommendations they’ve received on things to do in the city.
Robin Fraser, TFC head coach, is looking to return the club to its glory days having been an assistant coach during its most successful period between 2015 and 2019. Born in Jamaica and representing the U.S. at the international level, he’s been on the side of not really knowing Toronto and transitioning to having nothing but love for the city. He knows what an eye opening experience the World Cup was and what it can mean for TFC moving forward.
“This is a great city and I think a lot of people don’t know that,” Fraser said. “I think when you come to visit Toronto, you’re surprised by — especially in the summer time — you have no idea how alive downtown is, there’s so many things going on, so many things to do. People probably don’t realize how polite and friendly Canadians are and it’s one of those things where if you don’t know, you don’t know. But, if you come here, you see it, and then you take a look at the teams that came and trained here, recognize that we have top class facilities here, I would think as a player it becomes more and more attractive.”