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MLS commissioner lauds effort of Toronto FC, Impact

Jason Mowry / Reutesr

When MLS commissioner Don Garber first worked to expand the league into Canada, his vision was to capitalize on a market he says "really loved the game."

That vision became reality in dramatic fashion Wednesday night as bitter foes Toronto FC and the Montreal Impact battled to determine which Canadian outfit would make history as the first from the nation to contest the MLS Cup.

It was, as Garber put it, "a really great night for our league and a great night for the sport here in Canada," and his choice of words rang true for the home side as Toronto secured a 5-2 win (7-5 on aggregate) and will now host the Seattle Sounders on Dec. 10.

The rivalry's important for the league as a whole, Garber said when the theScore asked at halftime what he thought of the high-stakes 401 Derby playing out in front of his eyes at BMO Field.

"Rivalries matter in all sports. They matter to us a lot," Garber said. "This whole concept of 'Rivalry Week' is something that we've been building upon. We have that in Montreal and Toronto - and we knew that from the beginning - but the fact that they could actually play against each other in meaningful matches is important.

"I don't know all of you know this - beyond the great television ratings we had for the games up here, we had one of our highest ratings on ESPN when Montreal and Toronto played. That's two markets that we don't get the benefit of capitalizing on a U.S. market to be able to feed that rating. So it's attracted the attention of folks down in the United States as well."

Garber has closely watched 10-year-old Toronto FC struggle to find its feet, especially in the first seven years of its existence.

While the support in the stand set the standard for soccer culture at the turn of the decade, on-field performances failed to match expectations.

Garber acknowledged Toronto's had difficulties, but believes things truly have changed for the Reds.

"When I came up here for the first time and I saw the Red Patch Boys and I saw the European supporter culture here and celebrating the game in ways that I think is now reverberating throughout our country," Garber said of the 36,000 in the stands on Wednesday night. "It's something that we're pleased to finally be able to deliver an experience like tonight for them."

"When you see a club like Seattle that has been in the playoffs every year including their first years, you've got to really salute what they've been able to do. Here in Toronto, they've had their fits and starts but they've finally gotten it right.

"One thing that everybody should know is that it was never out of lack of interest.

"It all seems to be coming together at the right time; the expansion of the stadium, the fact that we have the additional stands ... good weather at this time of the year, it feels pretty good. I'm happy for them."

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