Toronto FC players and coaches endured a nervy flight home from their 3-2 triumph in Los Angeles on Sunday, the Globe and Mail reports. The airplane on which the team traveled had problems with its hydraulics system and was forced to make an emergency landing in Omaha, Neb.
“We panicked a little bit,” TFC coach John Carver said. “We had a lady sitting next to us and she actually started crying. She was petrified. I think Mo [manager Johnston] looked out of the window and [saw] that the police had stopped the traffic on the motorway. So when that happens, you know it’s serious.” There were also fire trucks and ambulances on hand, but in the end, the plane landed safely and the passengers all applauded.
Scary plane rides notwithstanding, things are starting looking up for TFC. After opening with three road games, the Canadian club now returns to Toronto for a five-game home stretch. Following Sunday’s win in Los Angeles, the team is also in much better shape for its home opener than it was last year. It also has several promising new faces, including French winger Laurent Robert, Honduran playmaker Amado Guevara and English midfielder Rohan Ricketts. “To have five home games at once, I’ve never known it before. It’s pretty incredible,” said Carver, who believes that TFC’s “fanatical fans” can help make BMO Field a “fortress.”