Vintage Toronto Ads: Super Summer Soccer Nights

With Toronto FC's home opener drawing near, today's trip in the wayback machine stops at an earlier point in the city's professional soccer history, offering "super summer nights" for a pair of twenties.

The Metros joined the North American Soccer League in 1971. This was the city's second go-round with the league – the Toronto Falcons had been a charter member in 1968, but folded after one season. When this ad appeared, the Metros were coming off a first place finish in NASL's Northern division, losing in the semifinals to the Philadelphia Atoms. 1974 wasn't as kind - second place, a losing record (9-10-1) and a drop in average attendance (from 5,961 to 3,458).

The Metros merged with Toronto Croatia of the National Soccer League to form the Toronto Metros-Croatia, whose high point came with an NASL championship in 1976, led by Portuguese star Eusébio. The teams split apart two years later, with Global Television buying the Metros, renaming them the Blizzard and moving them to Exhibition Stadium for the 1979 season. The team remained in NASL until the league's demise after the 1984 season, then continued on as a member of several other leagues before winding down ten years later.

Source: Toronto Life, May 1974