From hours before kickoff of Toronto FC’s 1-1 draw against New York City FC on Saturday until long after the final whistle, the sound of music, carnival games and the murmur of thousands of people could be heard around BMO Field.

The Canadian National Exhibition is in town, as it is for the last few weeks of every summer. These are often the matches people circle on their calendars first when the schedule is released, with next week’s visit of Robert Lewandowski and the Chicago Fire expected to only add even more to the occasion.

The warm summer nights and the flashing lights of the Ferris wheel and rides behind the south end of the stadium make for a great atmosphere, and the crowd boost doesn’t hurt for a TFC team trying to win back the fanbase and make the playoffs as well.

“It’s amazing, of course it’s a vibe, for sure,” said Theo Corbeanu to reporters including Waking The Red after the match. “This is Toronto, it’s beautiful. Even on the way here I was giving the CNE a little look, and it’s amazing, a special time.

“Summer in Toronto is always great, so of course BMO has a special atmosphere, and I’m sure I’m not the only person that said this, I think everybody feels the same way. We’re so excited to come home and especially recently, the entire fanbase and the whole atmosphere at the club obviously has gotten more positive because of the results, and we can really feel that. The CNE is a little bonus, it’s nice to have the CNE.”

Corbeanu assisted the goal Daniel Salloi scored to earn an important point at home, in a similar way to his setup for Salloi 10 days earlier against Charlotte.

Courtesy: Toronto FC

Even though Toronto FC and their fans wanted three points instead of one, most people in attendance would tell you it was a pretty fun evening.

With Major League Soccer changing to a winter schedule next season to align with the European calendar, rather than playing over the summer months, how many more nights left does TFC have like that? We don’t know exactly when the 2027-28 MLS season will kick off, but we do know there will be a lot more cold nights on the shore of Lake Ontario than warm ones.

Aligning with Europe does seem like something MLS needs to do to legitimize itself as it seeks to compete with the best leagues around the world, and give its clubs a fair chance at attracting players at the same time as everyone else rather than in the middle of the season. That thought won’t warm up fans in Canada, Minnesota, Chicago, or the other snow-filled cities around North America.

Across the league, how many teams are going to see attendances dip or traditions like the CNE games get abandoned? Canada Day and Fourth of July games, for example, in non-World Cup years like this one.

Maybe next season will kick off at the end of August and TFC’s home opener will make the annual CNE game an even bigger occasion. The opposite scenario could see TFC kick off the home portion of their schedule in September, letting the Northern Super League’s AFC Toronto and the Canadian Football League’s Toronto Argonauts have all the late-summer fun at the stadium they both have adopted in recent years.

Enjoy these warm summer nights at BMO Field while you can. We don’t know how frequent they’ll be going forward.

Maybe keep away from the pickle-flavoured cotton candy and Kraft Dinner smoothies the CNE is offering, though — for the sake of everyone sitting around you.

Courtesy: Shaun McLeod/Canadian Soccer Daily