Every Toronto FC game day is the same for goalkeeper Alex Bono and his father, Mark. A little over an hour before kick off, the elder Bono sits by his phone at his home in Baldwinsville, New York, waiting for it to ring. When it does, his son is on the other end.
Each game, Alex will walk the length of the pitch, sometimes twice, all the while discussing his pre-game thoughts with his father.
The calls began when Bono was playing at Syracuse University, back when he would get “super nervous” before games. But as Alex has spent more time away from his childhood home and has settled into his role as TFC’s starting goalkeeper, the call has become a way for father and son to stay connected.