Toronto Blizzard (1971–84)

Toronto Blizzard was a Canadian Club of Toronto. The club has participated in the North American professional league North American Soccer League.

History

The club was founded in 1971 under the name of Metro Toronto, since the number of participating teams in the league was increased to eight. In the first two years, the team missed the part in the play-offs, but could 1973 semi-finals. There, the Philadelphia Atoms prevailed. After a further increase of the teams in the following season, the club once again missed the playoffs.

1975 joined the club with the former playing in the Canadian Soccer League Club Toronto Croatia together to form a joint venture under the name Toronto Metros - Croatia. With the increased popularity of the North American League in particular European players, the club was able to undertake a well-known players such as Eusébio, however only one season in Toronto was staying. As table second in the Northern Division of the Atlantic Conference behind Chicago Sting, the club for the play- offs had qualified, where he moved up to the final. With a 2-0 win over the Minnesota Kicks won the club the " Soccer Bowl '76 ." However, the team was unable to repeat the success in the following years.

After the organizers had repeatedly expressed reservations because of the unique ethnic background of the merger, this was repealed in 1979. The Canadian private television broadcaster Global Television Network took over the NASL club, who took from now on under the name Toronto Blizzard. Apart from the first year when the team reached the quarter-finals of the play- off round against New York Cosmos, the club was initially very successful. Therefore, the Club 1982 Bob Houghton hired as coach, had made himself particularly as a European Cup finalist with Malmö FF a name. Under his leadership, the club qualified again in 1982 for the play- offs, but again fail against Seattle Sounders in the quarterfinals. The following year he moved with the team that had been supplemented with players such as Roberto Bettega, Jimmy Nicholl, Trevor McCallum and Jan Moeller and Conny Karlsson from his time in Sweden, in the final of the North American Championship, but lost to dieTulsa Roughnecks. In the following year the club reached the final, this time they lost Chicago Sting.

With the setting of the NASL in 1984, the club went out first. In order to maintain the name of the owner of the club in the semi-professional club Dynamo Latino of Ontario bought one, which also took in 1986 under the name Toronto Blizzard.