July 3 – The fledgling third tier of US football – USL Division III – has announced its fifth founding member for its inaugural 2019 season. Toronto FC II will be operated by 2017 MLS Cup Champions Toronto FC and is owned by Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Group.
Already a member of the USL playing in the what is the second division of US soccer after the MLS, Toronto FC II is stepping down a division enabling the club to focus on player development.
Club president Bill Manning said: “Player development is critical for us as we look to become a team that can contend for championships year in and year out. This league is a perfect fit for us, and we look forward to working with the new league to help it achieve the levels of success already established by the USL.”
Toronto FC II originally joined the USL in 2015 and has developed a number of players who graduated to its ownership’s MLS franchise as well as the Canadian national team, including Mark-Anthony Kaye (now at Los Angeles FC) and Raheem Edwards (Montreal Impact).
USL CEO Alec Papadakis said: “With our inaugural kickoff just around the corner in 2019, we are thrilled to add an experienced and championship-caliber club like Toronto FC II to USL Division III. Today’s announcement is the perfect blend of championship pedigree with future opportunity. TFC II has had a strong track record in the USL, and we look forward to working with the club to support its success both on and off the pitch.”
TFC II joins South Georgia Tormenta FC (Statesboro, Georgia), FC Tucson (Tucson, Arizona), Greenville Pro Soccer (Greenville, South Carolina) and Madison Pro Soccer (Madison, Wisconsin) as founding members.
A league objective is to “create regional rivalries that reduce travel costs, encourage supporter travel and deliver on-field excitement,” according to a USL press release. One issue for clubs in the US is the vast distances they often have to travel. USL Division III is an opportunity to take some of the cost and fatigue out of that schedule and focus on developing players, teams and local identities.
“Additional new market announcements will be made over the coming weeks and months as we prepare for our inaugural season,” said Papadakis.
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