When Toronto FC hosts the Houston Dynamo Wednesday night, it will mark the first time that Dwayne De Rosario and Pat Onstad have played on home soil in a long time. Both players arrived in Toronto on Tuesday, in awe of the imposing new BMO Field, where an expected crowd of 20,000 Canadian fans will arrive in hopes of witnessing a second win in a row for Toronto FC.
“It’s huge and a great opportunity for me,” De Rosario said. “I haven’t played in my hometown in a long time, and I anticipate a great atmosphere. There are a lot of passionate fans in Toronto, and it is a great chance to showcase ourselves as the champions of MLS.” After Bayern Munich’s Owen Hargreaves (who plays internationally for England), De Rosario is perhaps Canada’s most well-known soccer export. He also happens to be from Toronto. However, De Rosario claims he doesn’t wish he were a player for the expansion club. “Would you give up a chance to play for a championship side just to come home? For me maybe later in my career I would consider playing for TFC.”
For Onstad of Vancouver, the occasion is no less significant: “It’s been a long time since I’ve had a chance to play on Canadian soil,” he said. “It’s going to be a big game for me. I’ll have friends and family coming in [from Vancouver], for sure. I can’t believe after 20 years of playing professionally I am this nervous before a game.”