Eastern Conference

Eastern Conference may refer to:

See also

Eastern Conference (MLS)

The Eastern Conference is one of Major League Soccer's two conferences.

Current members

Conference Lineups

1996–1997

Lineup for 1996–1997

Changes from 1995

1998–1999

Lineup for 1998–1999

Changes from 1997

2000–2001

Lineup for 2000–2001

Changes from 1999

2002–2004

Lineup for 2002–2004

Changes from 2001

Major League Soccer

Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional soccer league, sanctioned by U.S. Soccer, that represents the sport's highest level in both the United States and Canada. MLS constitutes one of the major professional sports leagues of the United States and Canada. The league is composed of 20 teams—17 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada. The MLS regular season runs from March to October, with each team playing 34 games; the team with the best record is awarded the Supporters' Shield. The post season includes twelve teams competing in the MLS Cup Playoffs through November and December, culminating in the championship game, the MLS Cup. MLS teams also play in other domestic competitions against teams from other divisions in the U.S. Open Cup and in the Canadian Championship. MLS teams also compete against continental rivals in the CONCACAF Champions League.

Major League Soccer was founded in 1993 as part of the United States' successful bid to host the 1994 FIFA World Cup. The first season took place in 1996 with ten teams. MLS experienced financial and operational struggles in its first few years: The league lost millions of dollars, teams played in mostly empty American football stadiums, and two teams folded in 2002. Since then, MLS has expanded to 20 teams, owners built soccer-specific stadiums, average MLS attendance exceeds that of the National Hockey League (NHL) and National Basketball Association (NBA), MLS secured national TV contracts, and the league is now profitable.

New England

New England is a region which comprises six states of the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by New York to the west, Long Island Sound to the south, the Atlantic Ocean and the Canadian province of New Brunswick to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec to the north.

In one of the earliest English settlements in North America, Pilgrims from England first settled in New England in 1620, forming the Plymouth Colony. Ten years later, the Puritans settled north of Plymouth Colony in Boston, thus forming Massachusetts Bay Colony. Over the next 126 years, New England fought in four French and Indian Wars, until the British and their Iroquois Confederacy allies defeated the French and their Algonquin allies in North America.

In the late 18th century, the New England Colonies initiated the resistance to the British Parliament's efforts to impose new taxes without the consent of the colonists. The Boston Tea Party was a protest to which Great Britain responded with a series of punitive laws stripping Massachusetts of self-government, which were termed the "Intolerable Acts" by the colonists. The confrontation led to open warfare in 1775, the expulsion of the British authorities from New England in spring 1776, and the Declaration of Independence in July 1776.

Toronto FC

Toronto FC (TFC) is a Canadian professional soccer club based in Toronto, Ontario that competes in Major League Soccer (MLS), in the Eastern Conference of the league. The team plays their home matches at their soccer-specific BMO Field, located in Exhibition Place along the western part of the Toronto lake shore.

Toronto FC was MLS's fourteenth, and first Canadian, franchise in the league. The team is coached by Greg Vanney and operated by Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, which also operates the NHL's Toronto Maple Leafs, the AHL's Toronto Marlies, the NBA's Toronto Raptors (and the NBA Development League's Raptors 905 by extension) and the USL's Toronto FC II.

Toronto FC are four-time Canadian Champions, and its most significant achievement to date is reaching the semifinals of the 2011–12 CONCACAF Champions League.

History

Expansion

Toronto was awarded an expansion team in 2005, with team owner Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Ltd. (MLSE) paying $10 million for the team. The name of the club was officially announced on May 11, 2006. The "FC" in the team's name is the conventional initialism for Football Club.