For once no one was arguing about the legitimacy of the announced attendance. Having stood both in the south-east corner of the stadium -- I was damned if I was not going to experience the atmosphere first hand last night -- and from the press box I can tell you the joint was packed.
It was also alive, a great reminder of how good BMO Field can be when the fans aren't angry at the home team. One thing that is heartening about a TFC crowd in games like last night is that it's a partisan crowd, rather than a star gazing one. Sure there were plenty of flashbulbs whenever David Beckham was close to the stands, but those there to only cheer on Becks were clearly in the minority.
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The cop in front of section 113 certainly had a good laugh at hearing 500 or so voices sing "You can shove your David Beckham up your ass" just after the opening kick-off. What made the song, however, is those singing it really meant it. Once the game kicked off, No 23 was just a midfielder wearing the wrong colour strip.
As I wrote yesterday, there were two important arrivals in MLS in 2007 -- Posh Spice's husband and our beloved and dysfunctional football team. Although Beckham was the more visible arrival, TFC was the most important. Why do I say that? Because Becks will leave one day (probably soon) and TFC, and more to the point, those that love it, are here to stay. Sure, there will be hiccups, even the odd "little break" by some fans, but that more than 21,000 can shove themselves into the stadium on a crisp April evening to cheer against David Beckham tell you that TFC is bigger than the chance to stare at a celebrity - -no matter how dreamy some may think he is.
Back when Toronto was bidding for the 1996 Olympics a group emerged that was determined to make sure the bid was unsuccessful. They adopted an effective slogan of Bread not Circuses, which captured the imagination of the city. See, Toronto is a bread not circus kind of town -- for all T.O. talks about being a world class place with exciting and sexy things to see and do, it's ultimately a meat and potatoes kind of town.
So is MLS. The league may like to trot out its glamour players and use them to try and sell the sport to reluctant fans, but the league is really only as strong as its core, domestic guys.
After all, the circus only comes to town once a year.