U-Sector
Team	Toronto FC Toronto FC Toronto FC is a Canadian professional soccer club based in Toronto, Ontario which competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada....
Location	Toronto Toronto Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from... , Section 113
Established	2000
Website	usector.ca

U-Sector is an independent supporters' group for Major League Soccer

Major League Soccer

Major League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada...

's Toronto FC

Toronto FC

Toronto FC is a Canadian professional soccer club based in Toronto, Ontario which competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada....

.

History and Name

The U-Sector was founded in 2000 by football

Football (soccer)

Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...

 fans in the Toronto

Toronto

Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...

, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 area, as a supporters group for the Toronto Lynx

Toronto Lynx

Toronto Lynx is a Canadian soccer team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1997, the team plays in the USL Premier Development League , the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, in the Great Lakes Division of the Central Conference....

. Originally
known as the "Toronto Ultras," the name "U-Sector" came from the group's traditional location in Section 'U' at the old Varsity Stadium

Varsity Stadium

Varsity Stadium is a collegiate football stadium that is home to the Varsity Blues, the athletic teams of the University of Toronto in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. While the present structure was built in 2007, it is in fact the third major incarnation of the stadium that has occupied the same site...

. After leaving Varsity Stadium
for Centennial Park Stadium

Centennial Park Stadium

The Centennial Park Stadium is a 2,200 seat capacity stadium in Etobicoke, Ontario, that is primarily used for soccer, track and field, football and occasionally for kabbadi. It is located within Centennial Park ....

, the nickname was kept as a secondary name for the group. In the 2004 off-season, due to the widespread use of the Ultras

Ultras

Ultras are a type of sports fans renowned for their fanatical support and elaborate displays. They are predominantly European followers of football teams...

 name in world football, and some of the stigma which came with it, the group adopted "U-Sector" as its official name.

Since the founding of Toronto FC in 2006, the group has expanded its primary support to the MLS side, although it still occasionally holds Lynx-related events. Members are mostly located in BMO Field

BMO Field

BMO Field is a Canadian soccer stadium located in Exhibition Place in the city of Toronto. The open-air structure can seat up to 21,800 spectators, depending on seating configurations. It is owned by the City of Toronto, and managed by Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Ltd...

's section 113.

Overview

The U-Sector has become well-known amongst the MLS community for the creative and unique flavour it brings to Toronto games, including many of the songs and chants that are now commonplace at BMO Field. The group helps vocally lead the entire south stand of BMO Field through its capo, who is located on a stand placed directly in front of section 113. It is currently one of two capo stands in the stadium.
U-Sector has also contributed to the highly visual nature of TFC support, including the creation of 'Pink Streamer Day' - a different take on the widespread use of streamers at the stadium - in which pink or lavender streamers are thrown during the annual visit of the Los Angeles Galaxy to BMO Field. The group has also become known for its creative signage and banners, including one aimed at Landon Donovan

Landon Donovan

Landon Timothy Donovan is an American soccer player for the Los Angeles Galaxy in Major League Soccer in the United States. He usually plays as a withdrawn forward, and can also be used as an attacking midfielder on either wing....

, as well as a Claudio Reyna

Claudio Reyna

Claudio Reyna is a retired American soccer player and the current USSF US Youth Soccer Technical Director. He was the captain of the United States national team before retiring from international football following the USA's exit from the 2006 FIFA World Cup. He is widely considered one of the...

-themed "has been" sign (broadcasted live on ESPN2

ESPN2

ESPN2 is an American sports cable television network owned by ESPN. The channel debuted on October 1, 1993.Originally nicknamed "the deuce," ESPN2 was initially branded as a network for a younger generation of sports fans featuring edgier graphics as well as extreme sports like motocross,...

 and The Score) that was held up behind Reyna as he took a corner kick a few feet away .

ESPN

ESPN

Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....

 columnist Ives Galarcep highlighted the differences between the U-Sector and other TFC supporters groups in a piece in which he called U-Sector "a rowdier alternative to the Red Patch Boys

Red Patch Boys

The Red Patch Boys is an officially recognized supporters group for Major League Soccer'sToronto FC. The group was founded in late 2006 by football fans in...

 and a supporter's group with ties to soccer in Toronto that extend beyond the arrival of Toronto FC." Prominent Canadian soccer journalist Ben Knight echoed those sentiments, stating "(U-Sector's) vibe is a little darker, a bit rougher, and just that thrilling edge of more chaotic."

Just as it did in the USL

United Soccer Leagues

The United Soccer Leagues is the organizer of several soccer leagues with teams in the United States, Canada and the Caribbean. It includes men's and women's leagues, both professional and amateur. Leagues currently organized are the USL Pro, the USL Premier Development League, the W-League, and...

 in previous years (especially in Rochester

Rochester, New York

Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...

 and Montreal

Montreal

Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...

), the U-Sector makes its presence felt in many away venues around MLS. The group played a large part in the famous 'Columbus Invasion' of 2008 - in which an estimated 2300 TFC supporters travelled 600 kilometres to Columbus Crew Stadium

Columbus Crew Stadium

Columbus Crew Stadium is a soccer-specific stadium in Columbus, Ohio and the home stadium of Major League Soccer club, Columbus Crew. Built in 1999, Crew Stadium was the first soccer-specific stadium built for a professional soccer team in the second pro era of American soccer...

- and also organized the first large-scale supporters trip in Toronto FC history, an away match against the New England Revolution

New England Revolution

The New England Revolution is an American professional association football club based in Foxborough, Massachusetts which competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada...

 on April 14, 2007.

In addition to supporting TFC and the Lynx, U-Sector members have also travelled great distances to support the Canadian national soccer team

Canada men's national soccer team

The Canada men's national soccer team represents Canada in international soccer competitions at the senior men's level. They are overseen by the Canadian Soccer Association and compete in the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football .Their most significant...

 at events such as the CONCACAF Gold Cup

CONCACAF Gold Cup

The CONCACAF Gold Cup is the main association football competition of the men's national football teams governed by CONCACAF, determining the regional champion of North America, Central America, and the Caribbean.The Gold Cup is held every two years and when it does not fall the same year as an...

, having a modest contingent of supporters in Foxborough

Foxborough, Massachusetts

-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 16,246 people, 6,141 households, and 4,396 families residing in the town. The population density was 809.1 people per square mile . There were 6,299 housing units at an average density of 313.7 per square mile...

 in 2003 and in Chicago

Chicago

Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...

 in 2007. As well, group members have travelled to Canadian World Cup Qualifying matches and various friendlies, with members having attended matches in Canada, the USA, Scotland

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

, Egypt

Egypt

Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...

 and Estonia

Estonia

Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...

.

While there are no 'official' affiliations with fellow TFC supporters groups Red Patch Boys

Red Patch Boys

The Red Patch Boys is an officially recognized supporters group for Major League Soccer'sToronto FC. The group was founded in late 2006 by football fans in...

 (RPB) and North End Elite, the groups have co-ordinated on organizing large-scale road trips and tifo

Tifo

Tifo, originally the Italian word for the phenomenon of supporting a sport team, is mostly used as a name for any spectacular choreography displayed by supporters on the terraces of an arena or stadium in connection with a sport event, mostly a football match....

 displays. On October 17, 2009, U-Sector and RPB unveiled a banner which covered BMO Field's entire south stand in tribute to retired TFC player Danny Dichio. It is believed to be the largest tifo display in MLS history to have been created and funded entirely by supporters.

Also, the U-Sector has worked in conjunction with The Voyageurs

The Voyageurs

The Voyageurs is an unofficial Canadian soccer supporters group founded in 1996, notable for their support of Canada's national teams, awarding of the annual Voyageurs Cup for men's soccer at the MLS and former USL-1 levels and influence in the Canadian soccer media.-History:The group's first...

 - a supporters group dedicated to the Canadian national teams - in organizing dedicated Canadian-centric support at national team games, and has taken the lead in such endeavours for Canada matches in Toronto.

Grassroots soccer

To maintain a focus on the love of the game itself, the U-Sector has participated in friendly matches and tournaments throughout southern Ontario and surrounding areas.

When the Lynx were still in the First Division of the USL, the U-Sector took part in an annual game against Rochester Rhinos supporters group "The Rochester Stampede". The winner would claim the "Vallow Boot", an actual soccer shoe once belonging to Rhinos goalkeeper Scott Vallow

Scott Vallow

Scott Vallow is a retired American soccer goalkeeper, most famously for the Rochester Rhinos, and an assistant coach for the Western New York Flash soccer team.-College:...

. The U-Sector were the winners of the final Vallow Boot game in 2004.

In early 2007, U-Sector took part in the first edition of the TFC Supporters Cup, an annual tournament which features teams representing the various Toronto supporters groups (along with a TFC front office team). The U-Sector won the 2008 edition of the tourney by defeating the previous year's champion - Tribal Rhythm Nation - in the final.

Since 2007, the U-Sector has run its own, full-fledged leagues with separate indoor (known as USIL - U-Sector Indoor League) and outdoor (known as USOL - U-Sector Outdoor League) seasons.

U-Sector Player of the Year Award

In 2007, the U-Sector established a Player of the Year Award, given to the TFC player who contributed the most to the team during that year. Group members vote on the Award at the end of each MLS season.

A hand-engraved glass beer mug was selected as the physical award, to be presented to the winner accompanied by that season's version of the official U-Sector scarf. Each mug is customized with the recipient's name and the year in which it was won.
Beer mugs were chosen due to their uniqueness versus standard awards such as trophies and plaques, with the idea being that the recipient would be more likely to use a mug in his everyday life, thus making the U-Sector Award more practical - and thereby more 'valuable' - than others.

On October 23, 2007, the group announced on its website that it had selected defender Jim Brennan

Jim Brennan

Jim Brennan is a retired Canadian soccer player. During his playing career he gained experience playing extensively in Europe and North America, most notably with Bristol City, Nottingham Forest, Norwich City and Toronto FC.He also played 49 times for the Canadian national team, was...

 as the inaugural recipient.

Year/Season	Award Recipient
2007	Jim Brennan Jim Brennan Jim Brennan is a retired Canadian soccer player. During his playing career he gained experience playing extensively in Europe and North America, most notably with Bristol City, Nottingham Forest, Norwich City and Toronto FC.He also played 49 times for the Canadian national team, was...
2008	Greg Sutton Greg Sutton (soccer) Greg Sutton is a Canadian soccer player who most recently played for Montreal Impact in the North American Soccer League...
2009	Dwayne De Rosario Dwayne De Rosario Dwayne Anthony De Rosario is a Canadian soccer player who currently plays for D.C. United in Major League Soccer. He also plays for the Canadian national team.-Early career:...
2010	Stefan Frei Stefan Frei Stefan Frei is a Swiss footballer who currently plays for Toronto FC in Major League Soccer.-Youth and college:...
2011	Joao Plata Joao Plata Joao Jimmy Plata Cotera is an Ecuadorian footballer who plays for Toronto FC in Major League Soccer on loan from LDU Quito.-LDU Quito:...

External links

• U-Sector on the Toronto FC official website
• U-Sector Website
• U-Sector Christmas Reel 2007
• U-Sector Christmas Reel 2008
• U-Sector Christmas Reel 2009

Footnotes