All MLS Teams wear their 'Alternate' Kits at home at least a couple of times a year (especially when they are just introduced) solely for sales.
See Colorado/New England with their State Flag inspired alternates, Us with the Onyx kits in 2014, and CBus with their Minion inspired kits this year adn their black kits last year as well.
Toronto FC,#CMNT & #CWNT, Scotland, Heart of Midlothian FC, Tottenham Hotspur FC
"The Harder the Struggle, The Greater the Reward" - @OsoJ92AWAY DAYS - CHICAGO August 2017, MONTREAL March 2018
Completely agree but it works the same way regardless the hue of an alternate. We didn't have this convo at this length concerning the onyx kit but it was better received. They specifically call it an alternate and not the new away kit for this reason to "show it off" to hopefully get more sales at home as if we only see them live and tv doesn't exist.
FORMER FULL TIME KOOL-AID DRINKER
Theyre primary and alternate based on the leagues format. No "true" home shirt.
The online stores are wrong and dont care to clarify is my guess.
Og, you took the words out of my mouth. I think it is very important to maintain some sort of consistency, and red kits at home should totally be the standard for us. I still like the black alternate kit and will tolerate the new white top, but those two points above are probably the best arguments for keeping us dressed as The Reds here at home. I mean, the team's nickname seems to be getting much more exposure by the club and media - heck, the name is used in this season's ticket holder scarves. Let's not go out of our way to confuse potential new fans, right?
As an aside, anyone have any idea if people are buying these new heritage tops? I don't think I've seen a single person wear one in 112 or on the GO coming into Toronto.
Last edited by Cashcleaner; 05-16-2016 at 08:54 AM.
Did the USA , of all countries, just fix soccer? - C. Ronaldo, May 27th commenting on the FBI-led investigations into fraud and corruption throughout FIFA.
This is true but it does need to be addressed. Not just MLSE but MLS is trying to build something and from the beginning haven't been sure which way to do it. Even though the most successful method so far has been to build on the foundation the supporters have put in place, the marketing still sometimes works against that. It's not a bad idea to point that out.
Yes, but some do it more then others.
Im really struggling to get why a team at home wouldn't wear their home strip. The colours of the club, the stadium and the fans is red and when at home this the colour I believe should be worn at all time. Did the team lose because they didn't wear red? no. I accept money has to be made, and replica jerseys offer a good source of income but if Id paid over $100 for my kids to wear red, and the team trotted out in white Id feel a little let down, and they'd probably ask why id bought the wrong kit.
One other different thing over here is there isn't much in the way of "one off coming to a home game from far away but support the team all the time" attendance. You either show up all the time, show up some of the time and support the team or show up cause its fun to go to a game. There isn't much of a hard core far away but get to a game occasionally support base (well apart from those who come from the local area to see TFC when the team travels)
On here, you are in the land of the hardcore supporter. Most supporters are a bit more casual and probably didn't know there was an alternate kit with blue shorts, even though we have played in that kit already this season. The amount of people who come to games and don't know a star is injured or on international duty is quite high.
The mind is a very powerful tool, you need to create an atmosphere at BMO Field that is 'all for one' this seems bizarre that we are 'all for one' then the players are the odd ones out. The fact that this thread is here, and its up for discussion would suggest the same conversations where happening at the stadium on saturday night, this at a time when the focus of everyone should have just been on securing three points.
One of the quirky things about MLS is teams get most of their revenue from ticket sales and merchandise.Ive got no problem with the white/blue, personally Im not from a Toronto background, I just think its a nice kit, and a decent alternate. Im a new fan to Toronto this season, and when I switched the game on the other night we looked like visitors in our own home, and to me this just didn't feel right.
Insert digression:
(well apart from US TV rights to US & Mexican National Team games, which funnel to MLS through a separate company - it would be like the EPL owning the rights to the English MNT (we use MNT or WNT over here because for decades the Women's National Teams have been more successful (welcome to the land of quirky football relationships - it is CONCACAF that brought down Sepp Blatter after all)))
TV is there because almost every sport is covered somehow. But, its not the main focus of teams marketing wise. That is getting people in the gate. The TV ratings are generally abysmal. That game on Saturday would do well to get 250 000 people watching across Canada.
Agreed.The kits in the online store are advertised as 'Home' and 'Alternate' and for me, when at Home, we should play in the Home shirt.
BTW, the level of detailed knowledge among hard core MLS supporters is quite high primarily because soccer came of age as a spectator sport here right when the internet took off.
E.g. Every time there is a major game on from somewhere in Europe, something about that game is trending on twitter here in Toronto. Its a very knowledgeable base, when it comes to whatever it wants to be knowledgeable about.
Last edited by OgtheDim; 05-16-2016 at 10:49 AM.
FWIW, on the day I went down to the Popup shop on Queen West, I saw somebody cycling to work there with one on. Within an hour down on Queens Quay, I saw somebody jogging wearing one - he looked like a training staff member I've seen on the pitch on game day. Both guys looked good in that shirt because both were fit.
I've seen a couple of kids and one adult at games wearing one.
Like the old white away/alternate shirts, the white shirt looks cool if you are young or fit - if you got a belly, wear a coat or a hoodie and you'll look better.
Im worried about you. Nobody thinks that magic is involved. It is fun to blame the loss on those offensive and ugly fuckin' kits though. Its also good to draw attention to the fact that we dont like the team identity being fucked with, and we as supporters have every fuckin' right to say so, and this would be the venue to do that.
Every post I see you make, seems to be vomiting on other peoples right to express their opinions. You either call them whiners, accuse them of moaning and right now.. you are likening people to conspiracy theorists who believe in lizard men.
Go away, we're talking. fuck.
You come on a board of a group to which you are not a member and use the term "we" as if it means all supporters.
Well "I" as a supporter think using a loss to support the fact that your a grown man complaining about uniform colour on an internet forum is embarassing for the rest of us.
So i'm going to mock your opinion. You have a right to make an opinion, you arent immune from it being called out when its embarrassing for our fanbase. And should other people who csre about football stumble on here, i want them to know there are a great deal of rational supporters who dont care about the jersey colour or your idea of what "supporters" think.
Last edited by Red4ever; 05-16-2016 at 12:48 PM.
I've hated all alt kits this club has ever worn and I will always blame the loss the Alt/Away kit.
I especially find it odd that the home team playing in their home stadium wore a Alt/Away kit.
I understand the business side of it and why club management would want to do it. It's all about $elling more jer$ey$
But IMO it's very bizarre and really leaves a bad taste in the mouths of all fans - especially the casuals who show up wearing some sort of red they scrounged up - only to find out the home team is white, blue and red. I thought we were watching the American National team out there!
Last edited by jabbronies; 05-16-2016 at 08:28 PM.
I don't think anyone's really that upset here. Good-natured. But the marketing point is valid, and people will become more upset about that over time. It's a real mood-killer when they do something for allegedly "historic" reasons but fail to consider tradition, the Argos sensitivity, the blue-white issue, the fact that nineteen dozen teams in NA history have been red-white-and-blue.
They look like the late 70s Allouettes to me...
Their marketing head needs to be a hardcore fan, and he needs to stick up for developing traditions that are about the club's culture, not the bottom line. Those shorts looked fucking ridiculous.
Remember The Man, The Legend, The Goal 5-12-07 and All That #9 Left On The Pitch, Thanks For The Memories !!!
I don't necessarily have a problem with the alternate SHIRT, or even wearing it at home on occasion (ie. for "special events nights" like it was on Saturday).....the problem with me is the blue shorts.....it doesn't even look like our TFC out there.....IF they HAVE to wear them again, red shorts please.....
Wow, this has become my favourite thread of all time!!
Attempt at summary
The heritage kit looks like a laundry pile after a Metros-Croatia vs Alouette game (unless it was a USMNT vs Blizzard game)
Registered users should defer to RPB notably in claims pertaining to speaking for all (for one) supporters. (I do intend to send in money and join up, but where did I put my notes from that membership phone call???).
Tongue in cheek is a tactical formation used by the Faroe Islands when they defeated the Greeks and sent Claudio Ranieri on to glory at Leicester City, I think.
I may be allowed to play for both sides, poke fun at the concept of blaming blue shorts (and windspeed, lake water temperature and failing to use Eriq Zavaleta and Josh Williams as brute force strikers) for the loss to the Whitecaps AND truly hate the blue shorts...
Well darn it, to my 10yr old son aka Jr Flush the team is now blue!
He doesn't understand why we sing to the reds but they have blue shorts. I tried to explain The whole "paying homeage to the first team in Toronto...." Well I failed.
@FluSH_RPB / IG: @Flush.rpb
The Legendary
RED PATCH BOYS
No blue shorts at bmo!! Two stick Inc.
Toronto FC,#CMNT & #CWNT, Scotland, Heart of Midlothian FC, Tottenham Hotspur FC
"The Harder the Struggle, The Greater the Reward" - @OsoJ92AWAY DAYS - CHICAGO August 2017, MONTREAL March 2018
Most of this is fun and games but let me clarify that declaring that one as a user or member speak for everyone as a supporter is folly.
Your issue with the reality of this board being run on members has nothing to do with deferral on opinions outside how the group is run. Colour of shorts does not qualify.
FORMER FULL TIME KOOL-AID DRINKER
for 2010 we had a pink, red for home (with the collar) and the white with grey collar - I believe that is the year we split the home and away kit cycle to 2 years respectively.
Then came the white in 2010 and the pictured grey was put to pasture. This pic is the 2011 combo as we updated the red
Last edited by Phil; 05-17-2016 at 09:02 AM.
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Twitter: @RPBPhil