Amid harsh criticism, Toronto comes through as spirited World Cup host city

Much has been said in the build-up to this tournament about Great White North's ability to step up to the world's biggest stage and put on a show. Toronto, especially, drew much criticism for its stadium, most of the time known as BMO Field, which underwent a massive transformation in order to host six matches.

Toronto Stadium is usually the 28,000-capacity home of MLS side Toronto FC, but for the World Cup 17,000 temporary seats were installed to bring the number up to 45,000. Scaffolding was used to increase the venue's size — just as it was for stadiums at Brazil 2014 and Russia 2018 — but early construction photos drew intense reactions online, with many first takes concluding that the upgrades were ill-fitting for a World Cup host, especially one as wealthy as Canada.

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Contrasted against the modern NFL palaces used for the U.S.-based matches in this tournament, along with the spectacular Mexican venues and even Vancouver's BC Place, Toronto Stadium was seen as lacking and in some eyes symbolized an apparent disregard for the stature of soccer's biggest competition.

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What many complainers didn't take into account was the actual city of Toronto, one of the world's most diverse, and a true hotbed of the sport — especially during major tournaments. Canada's largest metropolis truly comes alive during the World Cup and Euros, and with FIFA's crown jewel in town there was no chance of it not showing out in even bigger fashion.

Friday morning hinted at what was to come, as fans of both countries taking part in the Group B opener gathered at separate downtown Toronto parks before embarking on jubliant supporters' marches to the beleaguered stadium.

The Canadian fans showed up and showed out, marching from Toronto's Trinity Bellwoods Park well before noon as smiling onlookers either reached for their phones to document the passing mass of humanity or joined in on the march themselves, with the initial number swelling by the hundreds by the time they reached their destination.

Not to be outdone, the Bosnian fans made their way about an hour later from Stanley Park, a mere 750 metres away, to create a similar scene.

At the stadium, both sets of fans did their best to create an atmosphere befitting of the World Cup, and it's hard to argue that they missed the mark. And the stadium? Well, the tightly-packed confines of Toronto Stadium allowed for the 43,002 in attendance to witness a match from up close and personal, in a way that none of the other venues in this World Cup can replicate.

A true soccer-specific venue built with the sport in mind back in 2007, no one will mistake Toronto Stadium for the Bernabeu or Wembley, but what the near 20-year-old building does offer is intimate sightlines with fans right on top of the action, and whenever Canada got close to goal the players on the field surely felt it. When Cyle Larin finally got the Canadians on the board in the 78th minute, those maligned temporary stands roared to life — and held strong as the stadium got louder than it ever has.

What happens during the rest of the tournament is still to be written, but on Friday Toronto showed the world what its citizens already knew: It's a true soccer city. 

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