Toronto FC excited to renew bond with fans at home opener after 2 pandemic-disrupted years

Toronto FC captain Michael Bradley says it will be "surreal" leading the MLS team out before an expected crowd of 23,000-plus at BMO Field on Saturday.

Attendance for the home opener against the New York Red Bulls is shaping up to be TFC's largest at BMO Field since the 2020 home opener, when an announced crowd of 26,171 saw Toronto edge New York City FC 1-0 on March 7. The sporting world ground to a halt the next week due to the pandemic.

"If anything the last two years have taught us all to not take anything for granted, to not consider anything a given," Bradley said after training Friday. "So I'd be lying if I said that there weren't a few moments along the way over the last year or two where you wondered if you were ever going to get, forget another season, another game at BMO with a real atmosphere, with all our fans.

"So the fact that [Saturday] hopefully sets up to be that, there aren't words to describe how excited I am and honestly I think the entire group feels the same way."

WATCH | Toronto FC play to a draw in their season opener:

The wait has been even longer for Bradley, who was on crutches for the 2020 home opener after undergoing off-season surgery to repair an ankle injured in Toronto's loss to Seattle in the 2019 MLS Cup final. Bradley said he didn't make it to the stadium for the NYCFC game.

"I can remember that afternoon it was just easier to watch at home," he said.

Toronto was forced to relocate to Hartford and Orlando for parts of the 2020 and '21 seasons, respectively, due to pandemic-related travel restrictions. It faced caps on crowd size when it returned home last July, with many season ticket-holders electing to defer their membership until this year.

Last October, the struggling club drew