They came, they saw, they conquered. As expected, Real Madrid handled Toronto FC with ease on a perfect August evening. As a game, it was no contest. As a spectacle it was what it was supposed to be. It must have been big with Steve Nash and MLS Commissioner Don Garber both in town holding court. There were even rumours the PM would make an appearance for heaven's sake! (Maybe someone said Garber and someone else heard Harper. Silly, silly.)
So now that it's over, what have we learned?
Here's a couple of nuggets: That temporary north end grandstand, which looked pretty good by the way, will become a permanent fixture next year. It won't be the same as the 900-seater they hastily scrambled together for this event. In fact it will be bigger. I'm guessing 1,500 seats, or as many as they can cram in there. Quietly and with little fanfare BMO Field expansion is underway. Most importantly there's now a full court press on the way to get grass in there, and not the kind you rip up after a game and toss away, or at least donate to local schools.
Trust me, the deep thinkers really want it to happen at the end of this season. How much of it is expectation, and how much is simply hope is anyone's guess.
Here's how it would work:
Ideally at some point this coming winter after the bubble is up, they rip everything out and begin the prep work. It involves laying the foundation, the underground piping and all that other stuff I know nothing about. Then as soon as the sun comes out and the bubble is removed next spring, in goes the grass. It means a lengthy road trip to begin next season, but there's no other way considering our short growing season.
As for community use, Lamport Stadium becomes the new home of the existing bubble. But there are still some unanswered questions.
Where do Joe and his buddies play on a Tuesday evening in February if the bubble is still covering BMO but the turf no longer exists. There will have to be some sort of compromise on that issue.
Next up, city hall; MLSE is waiting for an audience right now like an anxious kid waiting for the candy store to open. Get them on board and apparently they already are, and the province and the feds will fall in line. Let's hope there isn't another public crisis like the garbage strike. These things can cause the politicians to take their eye off the ball, so to speak.
Anyway, can this all really happen for next year? My guess is 2011; however, we'll see.
But wait until we see the condition of the exisitng FieldTurf after they lift hundreds of tons of sod off it. If it was flat before, you ain't seen nothin' yet. It'll be harder than Cristiano Ronaldo's six-pack.
