Toronto FC grateful for home field advantage in MLS Cup

When Toronto FC midfielder Jonathan Osorio closes his eyes, he dreams of just one thing: hoisting the MLS Cup in front of his hometown fans.

It has been the same dream that supporters in the city have held for 10 long, often grueling seasons. The last decade tells the tale of an emotional roller coaster perhaps unlike any other in Major League Soccer, and of a city still hungry for success.

As a city, Toronto last tasted glory in the form of Joe Carter's famous home run in Game 6 of the 1993 World Series, a moment that has become iconic in Toronto sporting lore.

And it's a moment Osorio wants to replicate for himself.

"Now it's our team's chance to do the same," Osorio told theScore, when recalling Carter's home run. "Everyone knows this, we're well aware of it but at the same time, it's just another game we want to win. We don't want to lose at home, so we know what's at stake.

"As a team, we want to make history."

When Toronto FC takes to the pitch at BMO Field on Saturday, the team will need to face one final obstacle in the form of the Seattle Sounders. The two outfits share plenty of similarities; both boast large, boisterous supporters groups and field big-name star players that can influence matches.

But Toronto is home for Osorio, and having finished as the higher seed in the regular season, the MLS Cup will be contested in "the 6ix," something the Canadian international says is a huge X-factor.

"The home field advantage, everybody knows of it, and people might think it's not that big of an advantage but sometimes it is, especially in big games," Osorio told theScore. "One little mistake can cause the whole game to turn so I think the pressure from our fans on them will be a lot and that will help us for sure."

His teammates Nick Hagglund and Justin Morrow agree.

"You could tell in the Montreal game when we went down, our fans brought us back up. The supporters were relentless," Hagglund told theScore. "They didn't stop cheering for us. They kept us going. Every time Seba (Giovinco) gets on the ball, the crowd starts erupting. Everyone knows something special is about to happen. We feed off of that. It's really important."

"This whole week, being able to practice at home and sleep in our own beds and everything," Morrow told theScore of the advantages associated with hosting the final. "It's been 10 hard years since (the Toronto fans) have been supporting us and we want to give them that reward at the end of the road.

"You know, we've had a great season but if we don't win, our fans won't be satisfied. That's fine, and that's how it should be.

"They've been incredible all throughout the year and deserve to have the MLS Cup here in this city ... and we want to give it to them."